Today our Gospel is the account of the wedding feast at Cana from John’s Gospel. John’s Gospel is the most “literary” of our four Gospels. The other three Gospels were in wide use at the end of the first century when “John” wrote a different kind of Gospel. He was more interested in the eternal meanings of events than in how and when they happened. He was more interested in the post-resurrection Christ than in the historical Jesus. So as we listen to his Gospel account today, we must listen for John’s interpretations. Hebrew Scripture had used spousal language and weddings in several places to speak of God’s relationship with his people; we will hear one in our first reading. The account of the wedding at Cana picks up that imagery. This wedding, John tells us, is the “beginning of his signs … and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.” When Jesus tells his mother that “my hour has not yet come,” he is not refusing her request to do something about the wine shortage. He is indicating it is not time to show his glory. The passion account is where John’s Gospel finally reveals Jesus fully as the Son of God. In fact, “continuing revelation” could summarize the flow of this Gospel from this first miracle to Jesus’ death and resurrection. In marriage, the spousal love relationship of a couple must grow into a full, mature relationship, and that’s also true of discipleship. The disciples “began to believe” in Jesus at Cana, but their faith had to grow until only after the resurrection did they understand and come to mature faith in Jesus. In our own faith lives, hopefully we can see our growth in faith, our growth in relationship with Jesus. May we humbly ask the Lord, the Bridegroom, to continue to nourish us so that we may keep growing in our relationship with Him.
— Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia