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The Wedding at Cana was the first of seven signs that Jesus performed during His time on earth. This story in the Bible reminds me of the first time I truly experienced the love and light of Jesus Christ. During my ninth grade year of high school I was required to go on a retreat prior to receiving my Confirmation. There was definitely some resistance on my end about going on this retreat. I thought that there were better things I could be doing that weekend and frankly, I was not all that interested in going and learning more about Jesus. Little did I know that it was not the lessons of the retreat that I received that would change my life, but the actual encounter with our Lord that would make all of the difference. For the first time I felt the presence of Jesus and after that initial encounter, I was ready and open to learn more about the Lord.
John 2:11 – Jesus did this at the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.
This is what happens at the Wedding at Cana and with much of Jesus’ ministry. First, Jesus’ followers encountered His light and love before they even learned about Him. I can only imagine what was going through the servants’ heads at the wedding. They probably thought Jesus was crazy for asking them to fill up all of the barrels with water, and yet they still obeyed His orders. By obeying orders they opened themselves up to the light of Jesus. They allowed themselves to experience the good that would come of Jesus’ ministry. The same thing happened with Jesus’ apostles. They first experienced His glory and believed. Then, after the believing took fruit, they were able to learn about Jesus and their love for Him grew to extreme heights. It is through these encounters with the person of Jesus that we are filled with His love and light.
There is also something else that needs to be said about the Wedding at Cana. Before Jesus performed His first sign, the wine ran dry. In John 2:3, Mary came to Jesus saying, “They have no wine.” This means a lot to me because it gives me hope for things to come. In this story the wine had to run dry in order for Jesus to perform His sign. If there had been wine He would not have needed to make more. This can really apply to all of our lives, because there are times when the wine runs dry. There are times when we feel hopeless and in despair. It is in these moments where we can invite Jesus in to make more wine. In these moments we are called to give Jesus the space in our hearts to work. Every time we turn to Him is an opportunity for Him to transform our lives. He will never let us down and will always fill us with His light if we invite Him into our hearts.
Reflect: Reflect on the times that the wine has run dry in your life. In these moments did you invite Jesus in to work in your heart and fill you back up?
Reflect: How did He work in you and through you?
Act: Reach out to someone today who may need words of encouragement today. Invite them to open their hearts to our Lord. Share with them how the Lord has been working in your heart.
