Mary at the wedding of Cana
Water turned into wine
The message of the wedding at Cana has been discussed by theologians. The presence of Jesus at the wedding banquet has been interpreted as the moment of the institution of the Sacrament of marriage. By his presence he sanctified the union between the groom and the bride in the eyes of God.
Mary at the Wedding of Cana intercedes and begs Jesus to intervene because the diners have finished the wine. Then he tells the people present to follow the word of Jesus with confidence: "Do what He will tell you".
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Gospel - John [2:1-12]
On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.
When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it.
When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom
and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
Exegesis - John [2:1-12]
In the episode of the wedding at Cana, St. John presents Mary's first intervention in Jesus' public life and highlights her cooperation in the mission of the Son.
From the beginning of the story the evangelist warns that "there was the mother of Jesus" and, as if to suggest that this presence is at the origin of the invitation addressed by the spouses to Jesus himself and his disciples, he adds: "Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding". With these notations John seems to indicate that in Cana, as in the fundamental event of the Incarnation, Mary is the one who introduces the Savior.
The meaning and role that the presence of the Virgin assumes is manifested when there is no wine. She, as an expert and wise housewife, immediately realizes this and intervenes so that the joy of all does not fail and, in the first place, to help the spouses in difficulty.
Addressing Jesus with the words: "They have no more wine", Mary expresses her concern for this situation, waiting for a solving intervention. More precisely, according to some exegetes, the Mother expects an extraordinary sign, since Jesus did not have wine available to her.
The choice of Mary, who could perhaps have procured the necessary wine elsewhere, shows the courage of her faith because, up to that moment, Jesus had not worked any miracle, either in Nazareth or in public life.
At Cana the Virgin once again shows her total availability to God. She who in the Annunciation, believing in Jesus before seeing him, had contributed to the prodigy of the virginal conception, here, trusting in the not yet revealed power of Jesus, provokes her "first sign", the prodigious transformation of water into wine.
In this way she precedes in faith the disciples who, as John relates, will believe after the miracle: Jesus "manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him". Indeed, by obtaining the prodigious sign, Mary offers support to their faith. Jesus' response to Mary's words: "What have I to do with you, O woman? My hour has not yet come", expresses an apparent refusal, almost putting the Mother's faith to the test.
According to an interpretation, from the moment Jesus begins his mission, he seems to question the natural relationship of a son, called into question by his mother. The phrase, in the spoken language of the environment, intends, in fact, to emphasize a distance between people, with the exclusion of communion of life. This distance does not eliminate respect and esteem; the term "woman", with which he addresses his mother, is used in a meaning that will return to the dialogues with the Canaanite, with the Samaritan woman, with the adulteress and with Mary Magdalene, in contexts that manifest a positive relationship of Jesus with her interlocutors.
With the expression: "What have I to do with you, O woman?", Jesus intends to place Mary's cooperation on the level of her salvation who, by engaging her faith and her hope, asks for the overcoming of the natural role of her mother. The motivation formulated by Jesus appears of greater importance: "My hour has not yet come".
"What have I to do with you, woman? Isn't my time yet?". Jesus makes Mary understand that by now he is no longer dependent on her, but he must take the initiative to do the work of the Father. Mary, then, docilely refrains from insisting with him and instead turns to her servants to invite them to be obedient to him.
In any case, her trust in her Son is rewarded. Jesus, to whom she has totally left the initiative, works the miracle, recognizing the courage and docility of the Mother: "Jesus said to them: 'Fill the jars with water'; and they filled them to the brim". Their obedience, therefore, also contributes to obtaining wine in abundance. Mary's request: "Do whatever he tells you" retains its ever-present value for Christians of every age, and is destined to renew its marvelous effect in everyone's life. It exhorts us to trust without hesitation, especially when we do not understand the meaning and usefulness of what Christ asks.
As in the Canaanite account, the apparent refusal of Jesus exalts the faith of the woman, so the words of the Son: "My hour has not come yet", together with the fulfillment of the first miracle, manifest the greatness of the faith of the Mother and the strength of his prayer.
The episode of the wedding at Cana exhorts us to be courageous in the faith and to experience in our existence the truth of the Gospel word: "Ask and it will be given to you".
General Audience of John Paul II
Wednesday February 26, 1997.
