Week three: Getting to know Jesus Christ - Day 5
The miracle of changing water into wine at Cana. Jesus, the Saviour. Jesus, the Source of change
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
O Holy Spirit, inspire me. God’s love, engulf me. Holy Mary, my Mother, guide me in the right ways, look at me, and together with Jesus, bless me. Keep me from all evil, from all delusions and all threats. Mary, The Spouse of the Holy Spirit, obtain for me the grace of getting to know Jesus Christ, encountering Him in the mystery of the miracle of Cana and discovering that the Lord always acts wherever we ask for God’s intervention. Amen!
The Word of God
“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water Day 5 189 that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him” (Jn 2:1‒11).
Meditation
I will see Jesus close to the people. I will look at Him participating in a wedding.
It’s good that the Gospel contains passages describing that Jesus lived not only in His “Divine world.” He is in the very middle of peoples’ lives. (The sentence “And the Word became flesh and lived among us” (Jn 1:14) in Greek sounds: “The Word… dwelled as in a tent among us”). The Lord participates in the joys (weddings) and the sorrows (funerals). He is with us for better and for worse. In human life, often, what is beautiful and touching is intertwined with what’s sorrowful and worrying. At Cana, Jesus takes part in the joy of the newlyweds. Only that even at the beginning of their shared life, the young spouses lack wine, i.e., love.
Luckily, Mary is at Cana as well. She gently indicates to Jesus the problem of the bride and groom. The Lord replies not so kindly, as if He didn’t consider the Mother’s perspective. But in this sentence: “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” Mary hears what we most probably don’t hear. I am always surprised by this piece of advice that Miriam gives to the servants: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). Mary shows us Jesus, who can do everything.
The servants fill the big jars with water. Filling the jars with water represents the effort we put into our lives. The jars symbolise our hearts and what happens in life. They are made of stone— like hard human hearts; buried in the dirt—representing the life 190 WEEK THREE: GETTING TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST of all those who, although still walk the earth, in the spiritual dimension, died a long time ago because they live far from God, the only life-giver; unmoving—like people who are plunged in the indifference towards God and in the spiritual and moral insensitivity…
The water in the jars symbolises what’s hard (difficult to endure) and tough (difficult to understand) in our lives. Six stone jars may be the symbol of the six hard-to-bear dimensions of life.
Firstly, the prose of life (what’s mundane and monotonous).
Secondly, the anxiety about the threats menacing us.
Thirdly, looking at everyday life from the perspective of duties and responsibilities (the rule of life being “I do it because I have to”).
Fourthly, human fragility and weakness.
Fifthly, loneliness and incomprehension.
Sixthly, passing away and perspective of death.
What does Jesus do? He makes a miracle of change! The water becomes wine that symbolises the essence and characteristic of life—the joy of the flowing love. Wine also illustrates what has value and gives flavour to life! Jesus turns everything upside down. The water becomes wine!
Firstly, the prose changes into poetry, with a multitude of colours and variety.
Secondly, the anxiety recedes for the peace coming from the conviction of the presence of Jesus, the peace-giver.
Thirdly, looking at the world from the perspective of duties is broadened with the perspective of freedom that is realised by love (the main idea becomes “I do it because I want it, and I want it because I love”).
Fourthly, human inability to act and weakness summon God’s action and omnipotence.
Fifthly, the isolation and being withdrawn stops, and the presence of other people becomes the source of comfort and mutual comprehension.
Sixthly, death is seen from the perspective of Heaven and becomes the way to a happy eternity that God invites us to.
Jesus acts and does miracles! The Lord solves problems and comes to the rescue!
In the scene of the Cana wedding, we also have the promise of two life-giving channels of God’s grace—the sacraments. The water brings to mind Holy Baptism and wine Eucharist. Therefore, the Lord uses the water at Cana to make a miracle to remind us of the very important moment of life, i.e., our first sacrament—Holy Baptism. We remember that when Jesus was baptised in Jordan, the heavens were torn apart, and a voice of the Father came from heaven: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you, I am well pleased” (Mk 1:11). What the Lord heard then is also a wonderful gift for us. After all, in Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, we are all children of God, the daughters and sons of Heavenly Father!
The mystery of Holy Baptism opens before us the ocean of LOVE in which God immerses us! Jesus constantly repeats: “Put out into the deep water” (Lk 5:4). And even though we received the sacrament of baptism only once, we need to refer all the time to this first immersion. Greek word baptisma, which we translate as “baptism,” means literally submerging, immersion. It is as if we should get into baptismal font once again and constantly renew the gifts we got at the threshold of a life with Jesus. I found an interesting prayer poem by Father Kalikst Suszyło OP: “Dear Lord, let me live for some more time because I am not quite baptised yet. The baptismal water hasn’t yet reached every place it should reach. There is still much of an old pagan in me.”
The wine at Cana heralds the Eucharist—the feast of LOVE. Jesus dies for us on the cross, i.e., He gives His life for us and at the same time to us. He does it out of LOVE. Fathers of the Church expressed it in a sentence: Oblatus est, quia voluit (He was offered because He wanted it). The sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord is the essence of the Eucharist. That’s why Jesus instituted the most holy of the sacraments—so that we have 192 WEEK THREE: GETTING TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST access to Life and can be fed with the Holy Communion—the Body and Blood of Christ. Living Holy Communion sanctifies us, fills us with God, and makes us resemble Him. Holy Communion deepens our relationship (friendship) with Jesus. Fathers of the Church write that thanks to the share in the Body and Blood of Christ, we become body and blood relatives with Jesus! Marvelous deduction! This is a great mystery of faith! In the Holy Communion, we share the bond with Jesus like the marriage bond! There’s no greatest proximity than living in communion with the Lord! Moreover, the union in Christ’s Body and Blood is a barrier to the invasion of evil spirits! That is why, in spiritual hardships, temptations or inner darkness, we may dare to call to the Lord to shield us with His Body and Blood! What a treasure!
That begs the question: what can we do so that Jesus accomplishes wonderful changes in our lives? The answer is, on the one hand, easy: it is enough to call “Jesus!” And on the other hand, it is difficult because if we want this call to bear any fruit, our prayer must stem from deep faith, mighty hope and great love for God.
In the spiritual treasury of the Church, we have Jesus’ Prayer. It is an unceasing call directed to Merciful Jesus. The most common form of The Prayer is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” We can say it using the rosary, everyday—bead by bead—calling with Mary to Jesus: Lord Jesus Christ! Have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ! Have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ! Jesus! Have mercy on me!
St. Philip Neri, who was attributed the founding of the Oratory to Mary, often repeated to his students: “My children, be devoted to Mary: I know what I am saying!”
Spiritual reading
“The predestinate obey Mary in following exactly her counsels, as the little Jacob did those of Rebecca, who said to him, Acquiesce consiliis meis,—‘My son, follow my counsels’ or like the peo- Day 5 193 ple at the marriage of Cana, to whom our Lady said, Quodcumque dixerit vobis, facite,—‘Whatever my Son shall say to you, that do.’ Jacob, for having obeyed his mother, received the blessing, as it were, miraculously, although naturally he would not have had it. The people at the marriage of Cana, for having followed our Lady’s counsel, were honoured with our Lord’s first miracle, who there changed the water into wine at the prayer of His holy Mother. In like manner, all those who, to the end of time, shall receive the benediction of our Heavenly Father, and shall be honoured by the wonders of God, shall only receive their graces in consequence of their perfect obedience to Mary.”
St. Louis de Montfort, A Treatise on the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 198
Homework
I will invite the Lord to the most challenging situations of my life, asking Him to change them with His almighty LOVE.
Prayer of consecration
I am all Yours, and all that I have is Yours, O most loving Christ, through Mary, Your most holy Mother. Amen!