The Second Luminous Mystery
The Wedding at Cana
By May/June 2009
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From water to wine
“‘Everyone else serves the best wine first, and after the guests have had plenty to drink, he serves the ordinary wine. But you have kept the best wine until now!’ Jesus performed this first miracle in Cana in Galilee; there he revealed his glory and his disciples believe in him.” John 2:10-11
Reflection
At Cana, there is a wedding, a joyful celebration of the union between a man and a woman. Jesus, his mother Mary, and their friends have been invited. Mary, ever sensitive, notices that the wine has run out. She calls to her son, but he is reluctant to act. However, he attends to his mother’s request. He asks the servants to fill the jars with water. Jesus feels the power of the Creator flowing through him, flowing out of him, transforming the world, transforming the elements. Miraculously, the water is turned to wine.
The water of baptism has been turned into wine; this wine will be eventually turned into blood, the blood of the Eucharist and of the Cross. At Cana, Jesus enacts the first sign of his mission: to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, to announce a time of grace and joy. It is his mother Mary who urges him toward his mission.
In my own life, how can the water—the day-to-day activities—be transformed into wine, into joy and peace and love? For those who are married, how do you live the sense of joy in your commitment? How do we support couples who have committed themselves to one another in the sacrament of marriage? Water, today, is a precious commodity: how do we use or relate to water?
Mission Call
Missionaries soon learn about the importance of water. In many countries water is untreated and we eventually get sick with amoebic dysentery. We learn of many situations where most people do not have access to clean drinking water or to sanitation. Often we are involved in projects to build wells for communities. We work at turning the undrinkable water into the wine of clean water.
Many Scarboro missionaries work with reflection groups for couples, creating a space so that couples can strengthen their commitment to one another. We also help in organizing pastoral attention for families, promoting communication between parents and children.
During this decade of the rosary, let us ask God to give us a sense of joy in our daily activities. Let us pray for all couples who live the sacrament of marriage. Let us give thanks to Mary and to others who notice the needs of the suffering. Let us pray for groups working for basic water rights for their communities.
Amazon Word
Our visits to the Makuxi villages start with a general meeting in which people raise community concerns. In one particular village, the meeting turns into a prolonged discussion of alcoholism and drinking. The women complain that their husbands drink too much of the traditional fermented manioc, called caxiri, and sugarcane rum. The drinking often turns into fights between the men and violence against the women. Hearing this, the men hang their heads in shame, promising to change their behavior. It seems clear to me, however, that one of the causes for the drinking is poverty and hunger that the people suffer. Until that issue is addressed, community meetings such as this one will be repeated.
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