Sunday Gospel Reflection
The Marriage of Heaven and Earth (John 2: 1-11)
John’s Gospel has been compared to a large swimming pool in which the infant can paddle and the elephant can swim. It can be read on a superficial, literal level, or its deep symbols can be explored.
“There was a wedding in Cana in Galilee.” The bride and groom are not named because the wedding that interests John is that of heaven and earth. Before the time of Jesus, God’s relationship with the Chosen People was like the courtship before marriage, a time of preparation. In today’s First Reading, Isaiah tells of this future marriage. “No longer are you to be named ‘Forsaken’, nor your land ‘Abandoned’, but you shall be called ‘My Delight’, and your land ‘The Wedded’.
From purification to celebration
The old religious system is represented by the six stone jars standing there, filled with water reserved for the ritual washings which were hugely important in the old religion. Stone jars were regarded as very clean, but an exaggerated insistence on ritual cleanliness was part of
a system that left the people with hearts made of stone, like the jars. These jars numbered six, still short of seven which is always the number of fullness in John’s Gospel.
“They have no wine,” said Mary. They have a religion of laws, of purification and water, but they have lost the sense of a loving God, a God of wine and celebration. Changing this purificatory water into the wine of celebration indicated that the preparatory courtship had reached the day of marriage. The best wine was kept till the last.
Mary acts as a Mother
The role of Mary is very significant in the story. The only other reference to her in this gospel is on Calvary. Neither at Cana nor on Calvary is she mentioned by name but as the mother of Jesus. And in each place Jesus addressed her as “Woman.” It sounds rather cold to us perhaps, but it has a richer meaning. Calling her “Mother” would have expressed their personal relationship but calling her “Woman” identifies her as the new Eve, mother of all. On Calvary she is given to the Beloved Disciple: “Behold your mother.” He is not personally named either because he represents all beloved disciples.
The first hint of her universal motherhood is seen at Cana in her maternal sensitivity, her awareness of anxiety among the servants. Next, we see how she addresses her son in the simple and trusting way that only a mother could. “They have no wine.” Enough said.
He replied, “Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.” The ultimate hour would come on Calvary as a prelude to the Resurrection. So confident is she in her son that she immediately directed the servants (literally the deacons), “Do whatever he tells you.” A proper devotion to Mary does not lead people away from Jesus but leads them closer to her divine son. And the first group she influenced were the apostles.
The first of seven signs
“This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.” It was after seeing the miracle/sign that the disciples believed. What about Mary? She showed such confidence in her approach to Jesus that we can say she believed before the miracle. She was the first believing cell in the body of disciples known as the Church. In a mother’s womb the first cell of life divides into a multitude of extraordinary varieties to form the human body. Mary is Mother of the Church.
God wants to embrace us
Our God, as revealed at Cana, passionately longs to embrace us in divine union. We meet many joyless people who live in constant fear of a stern, joyless God. Their religion is dominated by guilt and punishment. They do not enjoy any sort of a loving, enjoyable relationship with God. They go through the motions of religious ceremony but are shy of any intimacy with God.
The bountiful gift of so much wine at Cana reveals God’s embrace reaching out to us. This God reaches out to us each day with life, and light, and love.
The Creator God shares life with us. Even the simplest action, like the blinking of an eye or lifting a finger, is performed with an energy given by God.
The Word of God has brought divine light to us. To believe in Jesus Christ is to walk in his light. It is a life that leads away from sin and the utter darkness of despair.
And the love of God is poured into the heart by the Holy Spirit.
At Cana, a loving, embracing, and celebrating God, invites us to be part of the wedding of heaven and earth.
Is this your idea of God?
Is this the heart of your faith and religion?
(Extracts from Come and See by Silvester O’Flynn, on the Gospel of John, published by the Columba Press)