The Symbolism of The Cana Miracle

The Symbolism of Cana Miracle
A reflection of the Gospel of John 2:1-12
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry



The Gospel story from John chapter 2 verses 1-12 which many churches today are proclaiming, is filled with a great amount symbolism for us to ponder. The water which Christ turns into the finest of the wine served symbolizes the “Living Water” that Jesus is for us. Christ tells us in John 4:14
“ whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."And in John 6 verse 35 "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”The symbolism should not be lost on us for as John, who was the closest to Christ and is often called “The Beloved Disciple”, tells us in Chapter 7:37-38 ,Christ proclaimed “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”The story of the miracle of Cana ends with the remark of the steward to the bridegroom ‘People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink; but you have kept the best wine till now’. Water turned to a deep red wine, the same color as the water and the blood that flowed from the side of Christ when the soldier pierced his side as he was crucified. The same color as that which we receive in the Eucharist water and wine that has been offered up, as Christ offered Himself up on the cross, and which is turned into the Body and Blood of Christ.
There are two other references to quenching our thirst in Scripture one in Revelations 21:6 "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.” And in Revelations 22:17 "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” Just as Christ freely and obediently obeyed His mother’s request and turned the water into wine, so also does He invite us to partake freely of the bread and water of life that is His word and which we receive in the Eucharist.
Water which is clear and without which one can not survive, becomes the blood red wine which fortifies and strengthens us just as the word of God in Scripture and the Eucharist fortify and strengthen us in our faith.
Another lesson of course found in the miracle of Cana is obedience, Christ responds to His mother “Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.” Yet He obeys her wishes as she tells the steward ‘Do whatever he tells you’.
The six jars could easily represent the six original churches founded by the apostles after the Pentecost overflowing with Christ’s message of hope, salvation, truth and redemption.
“you have kept the best wine till now” the words spoken by the wine steward also could relate to God’s desire to make His will and truth clear to all as to exactly how we could gain eternal life and happiness for all eternity.
With our Baptism we all become children of God and heirs of heaven and servants of the Lord and as such we have been given the secret of salvation just as the servants who drew the water Christ turned into the best wine were the only ones who knew where this wonderful wine came from “only the servants who had drawn the water knew”
We know the way, we know the truth, and we know that Christ is the light that leads us to the company of God. We have been given the choice to a follow Him and to live in a manner which is in accord with His teachings or to go thirsty and dry up just as our bodies dry up from lack of water.
This miracle convinced the apostles of Christ’s divinity and the glory of God which John tells us in the last sentence “He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.” If we too believe in Him let us not allow anyone to drive us away or divert us from living in accord with His teachings. Let us not be disillusioned by the actions of those who are supposed to represent Christ which are not in accord with His teachings.
Let us partake freely of the Life Giving Water by which we were Baptized and which sustains us through diversity and sorrow and live our lives by giving thanks to Almighty God by our words, deeds and devotion to God. Let us use the tools and gifts we have been given by God to proclaim His glory and truth to all. Let God’s will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.
Remembering the words of Christ at the Last Supper when He gave us the Eucharist “This is my body which shall be given up for you, take and eat” “This is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant which will be shed for you and for the many so that sins will be forgiven. As often as you do this you do so in remembrance of me” partake of His gift to us in the Bread of life and the cup of salvation by receiving Eucharist as often as possible and go forth living in and for Christ in obedience to God’s will. AMEN

One God, Many Gifts, One Spirit

One God, Many Gifts, One Spirit
A Reflection for the Second Sunday after Epiphany
Based on Readings from Romans 12:5-16, Matthew 8:1-13
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFA
Mission Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Holliston MA
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EverlastingLoveOfChristMinistry

The first reading from for this Sunday, Romans 12:5-16, is one of the most powerful readings found in Holy Scripture, so much so that I do not want to break it apart into pieces but begin with the entire passage and then comment on what I believe it says to us and how we might react to it.
Each of us has one body with many parts, and the parts do not all have the same purpose. So it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically, rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with every one.Within this passage are the directions for living a truly Christian life, of being truly Christ Like. The first part sentence states that, just as the human body has many divergent parts each that has a unique function within the whole, so to does the Mystical Body of Christ, what we call THE CHURCH, have different parts that make up the entire One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. We all belong to each other and therefore need to stop the infighting between each other. We know that when one part of our body is not functioning properly, the entire body suffers. So it is within the church. Throughout history we have seen the church split apart over matters that have absolutely nothing to do with the teachings of Christ but with man made regulations that usually had to do with gaining control, power and wealth. This must come to an end.
God, in His wisdom, grants unto every person special gifts. Who are we, mere mortals, to criticize someone for the way they pray or offer honor and praise to God? Isn’t there only one God?
The passage also goes on to tell us not to pretend to love someone, but to really love them with genuine affection. It clearly states that Hate is wrong. We are told to work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically, be generous, to bless those who persecute you and most importantly, work in harmony with each other.
The last sentence, I believe speaks volumes especially to our politicians and the leaders of all church denomination, especially in light of recent happenings. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with every one.
Do things so that everyone can see you are honorable. That sentence, to me, would mean no closed door negotiations between special interests and government leaders passing legislation that affects everyone. To me it means not keeping the misdeeds of individual’s secret and trying to cover them up. It means corporations need to be open and honest with consumers.
The last sentence in today’s world is even more meaningful, . Do all that you can to live in peace with every one.We are being told to do everything possible to live in peace with everyone, not just a select few, but everyone. Living in peace does not mean attempting to force our will on others. Living in peace does not mean using bombs and guns to enforce our way of living on different cultures. Living in peace does not mean sacrificing more and more lives for the sake of having control of a country that is rich in oil resources. Living in peace means not sacrificing the future of our country by having it’s youth killed in a land that has been divided among ethnic groups for thousands of years. The Billions of dollars being spent and the many more billions that would have to be spent are depriving citizens of services that are needed here in this country for health care, decent housing for the poor, guaranteed education for every child, proper affordable medical and prescription medicines for seniors with fixed incomes.
This weeks reading is a challenge to every individual who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to all those who worship the God of Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Isaiah, Jacob and David. It is challenging us to rethink the way we have been living and make the changes necessary to be more God like in our lives.
To be and live a true Christian life is not easy in this world today. It requires a lot of faith in God and strength to fight against the popular “more is better, money and power are all that counts, my need supersede to concerns of others” thinking of so many people today.
May Almighty God open the hearts, minds and souls of all of us to live our lives according to the teachings of Christ, Gandhi, Martin Luther King and the other great people who preached non-violence and brotherhood. AMEN