Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 16, 2022
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 servers,
“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 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.”
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.
This gospel has always been one of my favorites because I love weddings—the vows, the flowers, the dancing. It brings me even more joy after witnessing my older sister marry her best friend last summer. It was a beautiful June day for a service at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and there was plenty of wine to go around at the reception afterward.
The Wedding at Cana showcases Jesus’ first miracle. After Jesus tells Mary his hour has not yet come, Mary intervenes and tells the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Her boldness and refusal to be passive in this scene inspire me.
During my time in the Notre Dame Folk Choir, I’ve had the incredible privilege of collaborating with other students and professional artists on a newly composed musical representation of Christ’s Passion. In an original draft of a section sung from Mary’s perspective, I wrote the lyrics, “When you turned water to wine / I knew you were never just mine.”
I imagine that during the Wedding at Cana, Mary was coming to terms with her son leaving her to begin his public ministry. When Mary says, “Do whatever he tells you,” she propels Jesus’ public ministry and accepts that her son ultimately belonged to the Father and was meant to serve and die for others. Mary’s sacrifice not only made the earthly celebration at Cana possible but also the wedding banquet we await in heaven.
How can we follow Mary’s model of grace as she actively participates in God’s saving plan amid loss? How can we share Christ’s miraculous love and joy with others?
Prayer
Almighty God, may we, like the servers in Cana, have the trust to follow the words of the Blessed Mother: “Do whatever he tells you.” When things do not go as planned or when we are disappointed and frustrated by the world around us, you are still capable of showing us your love. May we always turn to you in prayer, trusting in your providence and love, even in our moments of doubt and discouragement. Grant this, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Priscilla was widowed when her husband was martyred for converting to Christianity; she remained active in the Roman faith community and became an influential figure in the very early Church.
Her husband, Manius, was a Roman official, and her son, St. Pudens, was a Roman senator. Tradition holds that St. Peter converted and baptized the whole family. Both Manius and Pudens were martyred, but Priscilla continued to follow St. Peter, and gave him the use of her villa on the Via Salaria, which became the center of Peter’s work in the city.
On the site of that villa, a catacomb was constructed and used for Christian burials—many martyrs and seven popes were buried there, so it became known as the “queen of the catacombs.”
The catacombs of Priscilla contain some of the earliest Christian art. The first images of Mary are painted there, which show her nursing the infant Jesus (pictured above).
St. Priscilla died around the year 98, and her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Priscilla, who was widowed when her family was martyred yet continued to support St. Peter’s work in Rome—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image from St. Priscilla's catacombs is in the public domain. Last accessed November 22, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
