In the first year of our Lord's public life, St. John tells us in his
gospel that "there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the Mother of
Jesus was there. And Jesus also was invited to the marriage." Mary was
invited to be one of the honored guests because she was, no doubt, an
intimate friend of the family. She preceded her Son to the wedding in
order to lend her aid in the necessary preparations.
Jesus also was asked, and He did not refuse the invitation. He went as
freely to this house of feasting as He afterwards went pityingly to so
many houses of mourning. Though worn and weary with his long fast and
struggle in the desert, He was pleased to attend this merry wedding
feast, and by this loving and kindly act to sanctify the bond of
Marriage, which was to become in His Church one of the seven Sacraments.
The feast went gayly onward until an incident occurred that greatly
disturbed the host. The wine failed. The host had not calculated
rightly, or perhaps he had not counted on so many guests.
Mary, with her motherly heart, was the first to notice the confusion of
the servants when they discovered that the wine vessels had become
empty; and leaning towards her Son, whispered, "They have no wine." "My
hour is not yet come," He answered her, meaning that His time for
working miracles had not yet arrived. He knew on the instant what the
gentle heart of His Mother desired. His words sounded like a refusal of
the request which Mary made rather with her eyes than with her tongue;
but the sequel shows that the Blessed Mother fully believed that her
prayer would be granted.
She quietly said to the servants, "Whatsoever He shall say to you, do
ye." They had not long to wait. There were standing close at hand six
great urns of stone, covered with branches, as is the custom in the
East, in order to keep the water cool and fresh. These vessels
"containing two or three measures apiece," were kept in readiness for
the guests, who were required not only to wash their feet before
touching the linen and drapery of the couches, but even during the meal
frequently to purify their hands. Already there had been many of these
ablutions performed, and the urns were being rapidly emptied.
"Fill the waterpots with water," said Jesus to the servants.
They filled them up to the brim with clear, fresh water.
"Draw out now, and carry to the chief steward of the feast."
And they carried it.
When the chief steward had tasted the water made wine, and knew not
whence it was, he called the bridegroom and said to him: "Every man at
first setteth forth good wine, and when men have well drunk then that
which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now."
The steward had supposed at first that the host had wished to give an
agreeable surprise to the company assembled at his table; but the
latter, to his amazement, was at once made aware that a wondrous deed
had been accomplished--that water had been changed into wine!
Jesus had performed His first Miracle.
From this beautiful story of the first miracle of Jesus, we learn that
Jesus Christ is God, and that Mary, the Mother of God, whose
intercession is all-powerful with her Divine Son, has a loving and
motherly care over the smallest of our life's concerns.
[Illustration: THE FEAST _Veronese_.]
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PRECEDED, went before in order of time. The prefix _pre_- means
_before_. Tell what the following words mean:
prefix, predict, prepare, prejudge, prescribe, predestine, precaution,
precursor, prefigure, prearrange.
Read the sentences of the Lesson that express commands.
Memory Gems:
The conscious water saw its God and blushed.
_Richard Crashaw._
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His Name.
_Gospel of St. John._
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