I remember one time in the seminary, during the Sunday mass, which was a public mass, the cantor started singing the Creed, instead of the Gloria. He would sing the first line by himself and then the choir would join in, so when He started singing the creed first, it threw everyone off and He had to start again. No big deal, except that He was embarrassed, but I remember him saying to me later, ‘Of all the good singing I did Here, the only thing people will remember is when I started the Creed instead of the Gloria’ and He was right!
Another time at a funeral at Epiphany Cathedral, we were using the social hall, as there was work going on in the cathedral. In the middle of the mass, when the sacristan came out with the incense, it was really burning with a huge amount of smoke. Needless to mention it set off the fire alarm and the fire alarm was not easily turned off. So we couldn’t continue until we got all the doors open, the smoke cleared and finally the alarm off. And then we could Hear the fire trucks approaching. Not what you want to happen at your loved one’s funeral, although the family saw the lighter side of it.
We don’t want important events in our life to be remembered for the wrong reason. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if at your wedding, or your daughter or son’s wedding, they ran out of alcohol? You would be so embarrassed and ashamed, publicly humiliated. You would not want your wedding to be remembered for that.
Jewish weddings at the time of Jesus went on for about a week, usually after harvest time, when people were freer to relax and lest concerned about things. It was also a village event. As you know, the worst thing happened and they ran out of wine, which would also have been the primary drink.
Mary notices and intercedes for them, making it known to Jesus. Jesus objects, because it is not his time. He doesn’t want to start his public ministry just yet, but at Her request He does. What is beautiful about Jesus’ intervention is the generosity with which He worked this miracle. Six jars that hold 20-30 gallons, would be about 1000 bottles of wine. Jesus doesn’t just fix the problem, but He does so with great generosity, more than you could ask for. This was deliberate, both for them and for us, to remind us that God doesn’t just want to give us the minimum, but the maximum. He wants our happiness. It also shows us that God is interested in the ordinary everyday things we do, not just the spiritual things.
In the first reading it says, ‘The Lord delights in you.’ Jesus delights in us, not just observes and tolerates us. I think many of us often feel inadequate before God and in one way we are. There is an infinite distance between our sinfulness and God’s holiness. It is understandable how we can see God as observing us and weighing whether we are good enough or not, but the word of God tells us something different. If you look at the many images of how God sees us in the Bible, they are all beautiful.
‘Even if a mother forget Her child, I will never forget you. I have carved you on the palms of my hand’ (Is 49:15-16). Another image is how a bride and groom see each other. The Song of Songs are poems about a couple in love and their passionate love for each other. Lovers only see the good in each other and that is how the Lord sees us.
If you think of how Jesus dealt with all the different people He met. He always loved them and showed compassion for them, many of whose lives were a total failure in the eyes of the world, but He does not see that. God sees the goodness in us.
‘God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but to save it’ (Jn 3:17).
The wedding at Cana is also a reminder of the importance of Mary’s role of intercession. In St. John’s Gospel, John spells this out. At the crucifixion he writes,
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said, “Woman, behold your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Son, behold your mother”. And from that moment on his disciple took Her into his home (Jn 19:26-27).
John the Apostle is considered the model disciple. In other words, He represents what we are called to be. So when Jesus said this, He was entrusting his mother to us and us to his mother. Our Lady has been given to us as our mother. She is the mother of God and the mother of all of us, who continually intercedes for us. What request of Mary would be refused by God? That is why we continually ask Mary to intercede for us before God and she does, because God has given her this role.
It is interesting that everywhere Our Lady has appeared on earth, she is always pointing us to Jesus. It is never about Her. She is always telling us to return to Jesus, to the mass, to confession, to prayer and fasting, reminding us that we cannot live without God. We are nothing without God and our life is meaningless without God. Just like at the wedding at Cana, she asked Jesus to Help the couple. It was not about her and it is the same today. We honor her because of the extraordinary role that God gave to Her. We do not worship her, because that would be idolatry, but we give her honor, just as Jesus did and we are called to imitate Jesus.
Finally, remember the words that Mary said to the servants, when she knew that Jesus was going to come to the aid of the couple: ‘Do whatever He tells you.’ Mary is saying the same to us today: ‘Do whatever He tells you.’ (Jn 2:5)
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