Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C
Isaiah 62:1–5
Psalm 96:1–2, 2–3, 7–8, 9–10
1 Corinthians 12:4–11
John 2:1–11
When we hear about the Wedding Feast of Cana, we can relate to the human experience of limitations. When the food and drink that serve to keep guests together run out, the party is over. All that is left is the cleanup. That would be a merely human story, with no hint of glory.
Instead, we are treated to a feast filled with the hope of new beginnings. A bride and groom are present. It is their wedding. But the real hosts are to be found among the guests: Jesus and His mother, who in this account goes unnamed.
The Gospel of John presents intimate details. The scene is arranged for us: We know the place, Cana, in Galilee, a small town not far from Nazareth. The mother of Jesus is there, and Jesus and His disciples are also invited. It is not mentioned why the wine ran out, but the thirsty fishermen might have had something to do with that.
In any case, the mother of Jesus points out the potential disaster to her Son. “They have no wine.” No doubt, word of this has been circulating among the guests. Only one chooses not to pass on the word as gossip; she takes the word to her Son, expecting Him to deal with it.
The interchange between Jesus and His mother is variously interpreted. Some see it as a rebuke. Others recognize something deeper at work.
The vine of Israel is symbolic in Scripture of the promise of the messiah. Many texts point to the luxuriant nature of the vine, when there is a right order of relationship, with God as first in the heart of Israel, His bride. As Isaiah foretells, “As a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you.”
Jesus addresses His mother as “woman.” This is an acknowledgement that she is speaking on behalf of all humanity. The fathers of the Church saw in this encounter the deep mystery of Mary as the new Eve.
In this moment, the mother makes no response to her Son. Rather, she speaks to the servers the last words we hear from her in the Gospels: “Do whatever He tells you.”
All the action from that point takes place in relation to Jesus. Water becomes wine. The head waiter comments on its quality. The servers realize what has happened. The disciples of Jesus see His glory and begin to enter into a realization of Who He is. This is the first of the signs. We are to understand that others will follow.
The messiah promised to Israel was expected as a political leader. Much of the misunderstanding of the account of Who Jesus is in the Gospels comes from this fact. When He is understood as the Son of David, the King, His role is interpreted as potentially the one who would liberate God’s people from their bondage to Rome.
The Gospel of John makes clear from the start that the relationship in question is not that of Israel among the nations, but rather of God with His people. The promise of the Wedding Feast of Cana is a new and more profound kind of relationship, symbolized by the “good wine kept until now.”
Relationship with God through Jesus is the source of an abundant life. Gifts are poured out through hearts ready and willing to take on the needs of others as their own. Just as Mary brought the lack of wine to Jesus, so we are invited to recognize our capacity as disciples of the Lord to bring the world and its needs to Jesus.
Each member of the community is equipped with different gifts. “But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them to each on as he wishes.” The Gospel calls us to interdependence. Each of us is to discover the gifts that are offered to us through a living relationship with Jesus and to be ready to share those gifts with all. As we learn to rely on the Lord and on one another, we are able then to “proclaim His marvelous deeds to all the nations.”