First Reading

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (62:1-5)

For Zion's sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch.

Nations shall behold your vindication, and all the kings your glory; you shall be called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of the Lord. You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem held by your God. No more shall people call you "Forsaken." Or your land "Desolate," but you shall be called "My Delight," and your land "Espoused." For the Lord delights in you, and makes your land his spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10)

(R) Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all you lands. Sing to the Lord; bless his name. (R)

Announce his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. (R)

Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and praise; give to the Lord the glory due his name. (R)

Worship the Lord in holy attire. Tremble before him, all the earth; say among the nations: The Lord is king. He governs the peoples with equity. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (12:4-11)

Brothers and sisters: There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another, the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another, faith by the same Spirit; to another, gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another, mighty deeds; to another, prophecy; to another, discernment of spirits; to another, varieties of tongues; to another, interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (2:1-11)

There was wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him. "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from, although the servers who had drawn the water knew, the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then, when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now."

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

A man asked his newly married friend about his married life. His friend said, "You know I should have never got married in the first place." The man, a bit surprised, asked, "You have only been married for a little over two months. Why are you so discontented? The friend replied, "I am so unhappy because my wife does not like me when I am drunk, and I can't stand the sight of her when I am sober."

Today's gospel speaks not about married life but about a wedding banquet. It tells us the familiar story of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding party. In ancient times, Jewish weddings were happy and festive occasions just as they are today and they involved the whole community. Celebrations went on for days. The abundance of food and wine symbolized joyful and abundant life. The success of the wedding celebrations was a sign of the future success of the marriage. Therefore, running out of food or drinks, particularly wine, was considered a serious embarrassment for the newlyweds and the parents. Jesus attended one such wedding party at the village of Cana, which is a short distance from Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus' family and where He miraculously turned water into wine.

We must take this miracle as more than just a practical solution to avoid embarrassment. In fact all stories in the Bible are more than stories. They illustrate a higher and deeper meaning of truth. Every miracle Jesus performed was a sign with a message for the people who witnessed them and for all those who would come to follow Him.

There are four main things that I would like to highlight in this story:

The Wedding at Cana is recorded only in the Gospel of John and, according to him it is the first public miracle of Jesus. After his baptism at the river Jordan, Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, called his disciples and then invited them to attend the wedding with Him and his mother. While everybody was having a good time, dancing, singing and drinking, Jesus' own mother made her way through the crowd and said to him, "They have no wine." It's very interesting that Mary would come to Jesus, who was also only a guest at the party.

Why was Mary concerned about the wine? Why did she care? The answer is, Mary knew about Jesus' power and His calling. She probably remembered what the angel Gabriel had told her. We read that the angel said to her, "Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David", (Luke 1:31-32).

Yes. Mary, like the other Jews, had waited for the Messiah to come and do great things for the people of Israel. And now the Messiah was with her and she knew it. So when the wine ran out, she wanted Him to act and reveal His mission and glory. She knew Jesus well enough to believe that He, with his compassionate heart, would honor her wish.

But Jesus told her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me?" Literally it means, "What has it got to do with me or you?" "What business do we have with whether the hosts have wine or no wine?" Jesus' response does come across as a little abrupt, even impolite or rude or disrespectful, but in fact it was meant to distance Himself from a human mother of the Messiah. It is important to remember that Jesus is more than the son of Mary: He's the Son of God. So when she tried to impose her will upon the Son of God, He called Mary "Woman" and not "Mother" probably to indicate that there is a new relationship between them as He entered his public ministry and to remind her that she may be blessed among other women, but she is still just a woman.

In other words, Mary shouldn't assume that as the mother of the Messiah, she had the right to ask Him to act on her requests. So Jesus responded to her request by telling her, "My hour is not yet come", meaning it was not yet time for him to act. Yet despite these words, Jesus went ahead and remedied the situation by asking for large jars to be filled with water and then turning this water into wine. And this was not just any wine, but in fact the best wine of the entire wedding celebration. But then some might ask why did Jesus, who first refused, fulfilled the request of Mary later?
Jesus did it to honor His mother and to prove that He is the anointed One of God. He is God's Son and Man at the same time. Even though as John says Jesus "came to his own and his own people did not accept him", Vs (1:11), and "even when He was standing with them they didn't know him", Vs (1:26), he did, however, convinced a few chosen people to follow Him. And they were with him when Jesus' mother said to him that there was no wine. So Jesus performed the miracle for his disciple's sake so that they may come to believe in Him.

That's why at the end of the miracle, John affirms by saying, "Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him", John (20:31), also much later in his gospel writes, "These are recorded so that you (we) may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name."
It is important to remember that confronted with a need, Mary went directly to Jesus. She did not know what Jesus would do but she knew He would do the right thing. So despite her son's unforthcoming reply Mary turned to the servant and said, "Do whatever he tells you." Yes. Mary showed her complete confidence in Jesus and her willingness to leave the matter in His hands. He might not do all that she originally desired, but He would do what He desired to accomplish in this situation.
The hosts did not keep the best wine for themselves but willingly and gladly shared it with others.

This miracle teaches us splendid lessons that we are called to meditate upon, pray over and imitate. Like Mary, no matter what our status is, we can also be always attentive to the needs of others. And if and when we do have a need, we should, first, go to Jesus. However we must go to Jesus with the knowledge that He works according to His own will and schedule and in His own time. It is not we who decide the plan and time but He will determine when, why, and how He responds to our concerns. In other words, we can express our desires and call upon Jesus in faith, but we must in the end put all things in His hands.

We must also remember that His purpose in working miracles is to demonstrate His glory and love and so make us believe in Him. Last but not least, we must remember that God's gifts and blessings are not for keeping to ourselves but to joyfully share with others. When we share our graces of life with others we will certainly also share other people's joy and find peace with ourselves, others and God.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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