Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 11, 2025
There was a wedding at 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 servants,
“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 they 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.
What stands out in today’s gospel is Mary’s role. She notices the shortage of wine and immediately brings the need to Jesus, instructing the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Her words reflect her deep trust in her son and unwavering faith in God’s mysterious plan—a plan that began to unfold at the Annunciation when she first learned she would bear the Son of God. Through her simple yet powerful actions, Mary enacts her trust in God’s timing and wisdom, even as she may have pondered the mysteries of her own role.
Mary’s actions at Cana invite us to reflect on the nature of intercession and the strength of true faith. She doesn’t question Jesus’ ability or timing; she simply trusts that he will respond. This reminds us that we can approach God with confidence, knowing God is attentive to our needs, even when we can’t see the outcome.
This gospel passage takes on special significance on the Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. At Notre Dame, the Grotto, a replica of Lourdes, reflects Mary’s continued intercession. The simple faith of Bernadette at Lourdes echoes in holy individuals like Brother Columba O’Neill, C.S.C., the humble cobbler of Notre Dame. Brother Columba used the water of Lourdes and prayed for the healing of the sick, attributing any cures to Jesus through Mary. His life of faith and humility is a testament to the power of simple devotion.
Jesus’ transformation of water into fine wine at Cana shows God’s generosity. He provides not just what is adequate but what is abundant and extraordinary. As we face challenges, let us remember that God, through Mary’s intercession, seeks to transform our ordinary “water” into something exceptional, filling our lives with his boundless grace.
Prayer
God, bring our hearts close to you. There is much in this world that makes us feel steady and in control, but we know that ultimately our strength will fail and our grasp on the things in our lives will not stand the test of time. Only you, Lord, are unmoving, solid and sure. And yet, you give us an example that is flexible and open, a witness that loves through thick and thin and will not become calcified or rigid. Soften our hearts to love in that way and bring our hearts close to you. Amen.
Saint of the Day
On February 11, 1858, a poor 14-year-old shepherd girl named Bernadette Soubirous was collecting firewood near Lourdes, France. She saw a bright light, and Mary appeared before her in a natural hollow of rock in a cave on the shore of a river.
Mary appeared with a youthful face, and she wore a white garment with a blue belt and carried a rosary. Over the course of 18 appearances, she identified herself as the Immaculate Conception. Mary told Bernadette to drink from a spring within the cave and to tell Church authorities to build a shrine on the site. Since those appearances, more than 200 million pilgrims have visited Lourdes, many reporting cures from the miraculous spring.
Father Sorin visited Lourdes, France, on one of his many trips back to France in the late 1800s to confer with the Holy Cross community. He was moved by the display of faith he saw there and began conversations at Notre Dame to construct a replica shrine on campus.
Notre Dame’s Grotto was constructed in 1896 (after Sorin’s death) and replicates the shrine at Lourdes on a one-seventh scale. A stone from Lourdes is implanted in the Grotto wall. The other boulders were unearthed from nearby farm fields, some weighing two or three tons. Workers, in digging the foundation, opened a spring of water in the same relative position as the miraculous spring that emerged at Lourdes—that spring now flows through the fountain on the left side of the Grotto.
In addition to the Grotto, Our Lady of Lourdes is depicted in a large mural in the Basilica, shown in today's featured image.
Our Lady of Lourdes, who brings healing and hope to your children in France and throughout the world—pray for us!