Today’s passage feels like something out of a sitcom: Sarah’s relatives decide to dig a grave just in case Tobias dies on his wedding night like Sarah’s other husbands. The maid opens the door of Tobias and Sarah’s bedroom and finds them sleeping together, which means everything’s okay. After praising God that what they feared did not happen, they filled up the grave they dug out for Tobias and then the next day throw a party for Tobias and Sarah that lasts two whole weeks!
Usually, in Hebrew tradition, a wedding party would go on for just one week. It would explain why the wine running out at the Wedding at Cana was a bad thing because, judging by what the headwaiter said, the miracle took place towards the latter half of the week.
I always felt that if I ever get married, I want the Gospel to be today’s passage from the Gospel of John. I’m not someone who constantly dreams of the perfect wedding (although I do have a wedding Pinterest board like every other girl who uses Pinterest), but I always loved the Wedding at Cana because it’s a microcosm of what I feel life is like for married couples and for those who enter into religious life.
Every relationship starts off with a “honeymoon period,” a period of complete bliss where problems seem so far away. I learned, from studying other vocations, that this same initial bliss happens for priests and nuns, too. However, there comes a point when people hit a dry spot, in other words, when the wine of our love runs short. It is then that Mary’s wise words come to mind: “Do whatever he tells you.” Those five words sum up all the prophets that came before Jesus.
When we find ourselves at a spiritual high, we need to be grateful and enjoy the closeness that we feel, knowing that it won’t last forever. When we find ourselves in times of spiritual dryness, follow Mary’s words. No matter what vocation you’re currently in, be like Mary and center yourselves to do God’s will before anything else.
Our relationship with God is very much like the vows that couples exchange with each other: "To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part.” But unlike marriage, our relationship with God continues even after we die. Let God be with you in the good times and bad times, in sickness and in health, in the darkness and in the light.
STUDY QUESTIONS: Many people compare having a relationship with God to a marriage. Do you see the similarities? How do you think having a personal relationship with Christ can be like the relationships we have with other people? Who do you identify most with in the Wedding of Cana? Do you see yourself in Mary or with the bride and groom? What about one of the apostles or the waitstaff? Write your reflection on the gospel passage.
