2nd Sunday - Wedding Feast of Cana

 

A few years ago, I witnessed at a wedding at Sacred Heart in Halstead. While giving the homily, the people began to chuckle for some unknown reason. My homily wasn’t funny. I was explaining the sacrificial meaning of love within marriage. But, the people were pointing towards me and laughing. I finally stopped in the middle of the homily and smiling at the crowd said, “Why are you laughing?”. The people pointed to a bird that was directly behind me. It had flown in the church and had landed on the electric light candelabra. I opened the nearest door and the bird immediately flew out. The people were in awe and so was I. I looked at the bride and groom and said, “I guess the Lord wanted to send you a love bird.” The young couple had their first crisis and they hadn’t even exchanged their vows, but the Lord took care of it. I suspect the couple was originally embarrassed, but the situation had a good conclusion and they were happy how it turned out.

In today’s Gospel, it must have been a big embarrassment in Cana when the wedding party ran out of wine. When we consider that at that time a wedding celebration lasted not just for a day like our celebrations but for a whole week the embarrassment would be even more acute. Because the wedding celebration was so long it is no wonder Jesus changed 180 gallons of water into wine. The bad situation became rectified when Mary turned to Jesus and said, “They have no wine.” Our Lord graciously complies with Mary’s request and changes water into wine working His first public miracle. Mary’s intercession helped the couple in their first marital crisis, even when they didn’t ask for it.

St. Alphonsus Ligorui said, “Mary, even when living in this world, showed at the marriage feast of Cana the great compassion that She would afterwards (in heaven) exercise toward us in our necessities. Even now it compels Her to have pity on us and assist us, even before we ask Her to do so. This good Mother’s compassion is so great, and the love She bears us is so great, that She doesn’t even wait for our prayers before she comes to assist us. Richard of Saint Victor remarks that her love for us is so tender, that in our needs she anticipates our prayers, and her mercy is more prompt to help us even before we ask her aid: “The Heart of Mary is so filled with compassion for poor sinners, She no sooner sees our miseries than She pours her tender mercies upon us. If Mary, (who no one asked), is so prompt to help the needy, how much more so will she be to help those who call upon Her and ask for Her help?”

Jesus worked His first miracle in the context of a wedding. On the first day of their wedding, the couple had their first crisis, they ran out of wine for the guests. This is a reminder that marriage will always have its difficulties. Our Lord’s presence at the wedding feast at Cana caused marriage to be elevated to a sacrament to help couples persevere through every difficulty. Its unrealistic to think there won’t be problems in a marriage. We should even expect problems and difficulties, but just as Jesus was there for the young couple at Cana, Jesus is there to help every couple in their marriage.

Don’t be afraid of difficulties within marriage, you will always have them, but its what you do--- when you have them that matters. To persevere through them. To know Jesus and Mary are there to help you, and Our Lord gives special sacramental graces to overcome them. Marriage brings about the sanctification of each person, which will help each other to get to heaven.

In fact, He can and will work a miracle for you within your marriage. He wants us to remember, He is God and can do anything, and will abundantly help you and do it an extravagant way.

Dear married couples, include Jesus and Mary in your marriage, so they will able to play a role in it. Daily pray the Rosary together (especially mediating on the wedding feast of Cana), which will give you hope and you will see an abundant of graces flow. If you have some difficulty or problem how quick would Jesus and Mary come to the aid of a couple, if you knelt down together in prayer.

How beautiful it is, the Virgin Mary loves you and intercedes for you, even though you do not ask Her, but how much more will She intercede for those who do ask Her. All of us single, married, priests should turn to Mary often asking for Her intercession.

In conclusion, the “Hail Holy Queen”, and also the “Memorare” are beautiful prayers we can use to ask Mary to intercede before God.

As we pray these prayers let us try to consciously pay attention to what we are praying.

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us, and after this exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, pray for us O holy Mother of God, that we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.