A Mother’s Prayer at Cana

A Mother’s Prayer at Cana

Jn 2: 1- 11

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

Introduction

Our reading today is about the first miracle of Jesus at a wedding in Cana. At this wedding, wine has run out for the guests. Jesus saves the occasion by changing water into wine at the promptings of Mary his mother.

The Gospel

The Gospel reading today narrates to us the miracle at the wedding in Cana. This episode is narrated only in the Gospel of John and not in the other gospels. The episode also is the first of several of the so-called “signs” narrated by John that speaks of who Jesus is.

John starts this episode by narrating about a wedding at Cana, a town in Galilee. John is rather particular in his narrative about the people who were invited to this wedding. First, he mentions the mother of Jesus then Jesus himself and his disciples. Then John tells us what happens; the wine ran short and almost immediately, Mary the mother of Jesus, becomes aware of this awkward situation.

In those days, particularly in that region, wine was synonymous to celebrating and merry making. There could be no real feast without wine. Given this embarrassing circumstance, Mary tells his son: “ They have no wine.” Jesus then tells her: “ Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” 

This conversation between Jesus and his mother seems to imply that Mary was well aware that his son was capable of addressing the problem of the lack of wine. This is perhaps the reason why she was quick to tell the servants:” Do whatever he tells you.”

While Jesus knew that he was capable of addressing the problem, he also was keenly aware that the time to reveal himself via a miracle has not yet come. One might be intrigued at Jesus’ reply to his mother when he said that his hour has not yet come. In the gospel of John, the “hour” refers to the time of Jesus’ glorification, when finally, he is revealed to all as the one who is from God.

Notwithstanding the apparent conflict between the mother’s request and its timing, Jesus grants his mother’s request. John tells us that there were six stone jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus then tells the servants: “ Fill the jars with water.” So the servants filled the jars to the brim, as Jesus requested. Then Jesus tells them to draw some of it and take it to the headwaiter.

The servants did what Jesus told them. Then the gospel tells us of the miracle that took place: “ 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.”

John then closes this episode saying that Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory and his disciples began to believe in him.

Reflection

This episode is unique to the gospel of John. It is an episode which somehow serves as a kind of introduction to Jesus’ public ministry.

But surprisingly, this miracle of the water being changed into wine almost did not happen. Jesus tells the reason why: “My hour has not yet come.” It was not yet time for Jesus to reveal himself to the world as the one who comes from God.

But somehow, as we read the events that follow, this divine plan and this divinely appointed “hour” or timeline was not followed and was abruptly changed.  Jesus, despite his apparent unwillingness to do a miracle, eventually acceded to his mother’s request and performed a miracle by changing water into wine on a wedding feast in the midst of so many guests.

So what then prompted Jesus to perform a miracle? It was a simple statement of a mother: “they have no wine.” This statement was not just a statement of a fact. It was also a prayer, a request to the son to do something to spare the celebrants from an embarrassing shortage of wine. It was the prayer of a mother that saved the day. It was prayer that made Jesus change his mind, from insisting that it was not yet the hour, to the actual execution of a miracle that saved the occasion.

From this story, we can safely say that our prayers can indeed make God change his mind; that our prayers can indeed influence the mind of God; that our prayers can indeed compel God to act on our request, even if it may not be according to his original timeline. Moreover, this story also tells us how powerful prayers can be because they can move even a hesitant Jesus whose hour has not yet come.

But we must also realize that underneath every prayer that we say is a strong faith that believes that what we ask for will be granted. Mary had such faith. She believed that by simply telling her son of the situation, her son would do something to save the occasion. Her faith was such that she didn’t hesitate to tell the servants: “ Do whatever he tells you.”  By this statement, she was telling the servants not to hesitate nor to have any doubts on what Jesus would ask them to do. She believed that what she prayed for would be granted to her.

So this story about the wedding at Cana should not only tell us that it was here where Jesus revealed himself as one who comes from God. It should also convince us that our prayers can indeed move God to act even if it was not according to his timeline. It should convince us that God becomes powerless especially when he is addressed by one who sincerely prays.

Like Mary, we should know where to run to when situations are dire and when all our resources seem to have all run out just like the wedding at Cana. It is the Lord who will fill whatever is lacking. It is the Lord who will rescue us and come to our help in times of trouble. All we have to do is to whisper to him a sincere prayer that truly comes from a heart that believes.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I didn’t know that my prayers could be so powerful; so powerful that they can even make you act, even if it was not according to your own timeline. Teach me to believe in prayer Lord so that I may learn to turn to you. You always come to the rescue of those in trouble. Come, Jesus, fill the jar of my life to the brim so that I may be a sign of your kingdom’s unending feast just like in Cana. Amen.

“And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him. “ – 1 John 5: 15

For reflections like this, go to my blog: thevineyardlaborer.blogspot.com