As John states elsewhere: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (1:17). The words Mary addresses to the servants come to crown the wedding of Cana: “Do whatever he tells you” (v. 5). It is curious: these are her last words recounted by the Gospels: they are the legacy that she hands down to us. Today too Our Lady says to us all: “Whatever he tells you — Jesus tells you, do it”. It is the legacy that she has left us: it is beautiful! It is an expression that recalls the formula of faith used by the people of Israel at Sinai in response to the promises of the Covenant: “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” (Ex 19:8). And indeed at Cana the servants obey. “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 steward of the feast’. So they took it” (Jn 2:78). At this wedding, the New Covenant is truly articulated and to the servants of the Lord, that is to all the Church, is entrusted a new mission: “Do whatever he tells you!”. To serve the Lord means to listen and to put into practice his Word. It is the simple but essential recommendation of the Mother of Jesus and it is the programme of life of the Christian. For each one of us, to draw from the jar is equivalent to entrusting oneself to the Word of God in order to experience its effectiveness in life. Thus, together with the steward of the banquet who had tasted the water-become-wine, we too can exclaim: “you have kept the good wine until now” (v. 10). Yes, the Lord continues to reserve the best wine for our salvation, just as it continues to flow from the pierced side of the Lord. The conclusion of the narrative sounds like a judgment: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him” (v. 11). The wedding feast at Cana is more than a simple account of Jesus’ first miracle. Like a treasure chest, He guards the secret of his Person and the purpose of his coming: the awaited Groom starts off the wedding that is fulfilled in the Paschal Mystery. At this wedding Jesus binds his disciples to himself in a new and final Covenant. At Cana Jesus’ disciples become his family and at Cana the faith of the Church is born. We are all invited to the wedding feast, because the new wine will never run short! G A Excerpt from General Audience with His Holiness Pope Francis June 8, 2016 https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20160608_udienza-generale.html Picture: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/pope-francis-unique Coat of Arms: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en.html “As the first manifestation of our Lord's divinity, Cana fills our hearts with joy and hope. The wedding at Cana is also an image of the Church. In the center is Jesus performing a miracle. Around Him are the disciples who are the pillars of the future Church. In this image of the Church, near Jesus and His disciples is Mary, the attentive mother. She participates in simple human joy, and she is the cause of it. She intercedes with her Son for the bridal couple at the wedding when they have run out of wine. Jesus hears her request and eventually answers it (see Jn 2:1-12). What a wonderful image of hope!” By Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC August 18, 2014 From The Second Luminous Mystery, the Wedding at Cana:’What a Wonderful Image of Hope’”; www.thedivinemercy.org
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