The Second Luminous Mystery:

The Manifestation at the Wedding at Cana

The following is the first of twenty monthly reflections about the Mysteries of the Rosary as they relate to family life.  The mysteries will not be necessarily chronological but presented as they interact with the liturgical year.

Back when I was in middle school, my mother insisted on chaperoning the periodic dances we had during the year.  For me, a typical pre-teen, her willingness to help my school nearly put my overactive self-consciousness into disarray.  After all, what could be worse than my own mother watching me as I awkwardly tried to master this new phenomenon of dancing?  Dancing is, of course, a generous term since what I was doing mostly consisted of jumping up and down to the music hoping that my friends were not laughing if they saw me.  Nevertheless, since these dances were also dubbed “fun nights,” there was a game room adjacent to the dance in the gym, and this room provided me with a chance to make a deal with my mother.  Shrewd adolescent that I thought I was, I agreed to my mother’s chaperoning of the dance as long as she helped in the game room.  She went along with it, likely amused at my fear of being seen with her or worse, her seeing any of my dance moves.  I laugh at myself now, too, but that memory came back to me as I considered another dialogue between a mother and her son.

            This other conversation was of much more importance as it took place between Jesus and Mary at a wedding in Cana.  It was here that Jesus would perform his first miracle and begin to reveal his full identity to his followers.  We all know the story: as the wedding feast progressed, the hosts had run out of wine.  Mary, sensing Jesus’ ability to help, tells him this news.  Now, I do not think Jesus was embarrassed by his mother as I was, but he does question her as to why she is bringing this to him now.  He apparently ends up agreeing with her in the end because he takes water and turns it into wine for all the guests.

            There are a few salient points from this story as it relates to family life.  First, it shows us that we come to know Jesus through Mary.  Notice that she already senses his capabilities.  Before anyone else asks him, she comes to him in an intimate moment between mother and son and requests his help.  Mary is the one who understands all along.  Ever since Gabriel visited her, she knows in her heart who Jesus is and promises to be.  Therefore, it is right that we look to Mary to lead us to Jesus.  We do this even today with Marian devotions such as praying the rosary as a family or visiting a grotto together.  This does not mean that we worship Mary but that we seek to be closer to Christ through her intercession.

            The second item of note is that Jesus manifests himself in surprising ways.  Like his birth in a stable and his baptism by his cousin John, Jesus turns convention on its head.  He shows his glory not as the host himself but as a humble guest at this wedding celebration.  Jesus reveals his humanity as he interacts with his mother and attends the wedding feast itself.  He then gives a glimpse of his divinity when the transformation of water to wine takes place.

            Finally, I think it is significant that Jesus does all this at a wedding.  He gives nobility to our human unions by attending this event and performing this sign.  Doing so, he joins in the celebration of family, especially the marking of a moment when a man and woman vow themselves to God and each other.  His actions likely strengthened the bond of the couple since things could have gotten a bit stressful with no more wine to serve their guests!  We also would do well to strengthen our own families or those of others, especially if we know of ones that might be struggling.  The example of Mary and Jesus in this story remind us that such things are worth our daily efforts.