The Wedding at Cana and the Cross

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2010

The Wedding at Cana and the Cross

How often in our lives do we feel like those jars sitting in the corner at the Wedding at Cana? They were ordinary –supposed to be used for special water for ceremonial washings (something holy) –and yet totally used up and empty. Yet Jesus is near them –and He is thinking about them –He is planning to use them for a miracle of His Love. And so a problem is presented to Him –‘there is no wine.’ There is no wine. Seemingly in our world very often it seems as if Jesus (obviously) is among us, but still there are problems –we have no wine –we feel like there is too little grace, too little love, too little hope for all the problems.

I look at those suffering in Haiti, for example, and my heart is ripped to pieces –I see a pregnant woman or a group of children trapped in pain under buildings for days on end and I see and feel the cries, the fears, the pain of my little brothers and sisters. What can I do? All I have is pain in my heart over their suffering. Or I hear from a woman about her adopted Russian child and how she is a stripper neglecting her baby and I don’t know who I suffer more for –Jesus (Whose Heart is broken over the sin and woundedness of this girl), the girl, her adoptive mother who tried to sacrifice everything for her or for the innocent baby wrapped up in the pain. I see people close to me suffer from those they love being indifferent, rude, unkind –seemingly little ‘sins’ and yet things that totally break the Heart of Jesus Who calls each of us and pours out overabundant grace so that we can imitate His Love –and yet so often this grace is left to fall to the ground. I see my own inability (through lack of strength, lack of grace, lack of ‘light’) to love as my heart would desire –to pray as others need –to trust as Jesus on the Cross. And these ‘ordinary sufferings’ of the world which overflow so many of our lives seem fruitless… seem ‘empty and unused’ as those jars sitting in the corner at the Wedding.

And yet, Jesus is near –and it is just not yet time for Him to do His miracle. He needs our hearts empty and waiting –and then filled with the ‘mundane’ sufferings of ordinary life embraced by love, offered by our will in acceptance and trust (even if we don’t ‘feel’ particularly graced and emotionally happy to accept and offer them) –and then He comes to do a miracle of Love. He filled the jars in Cana with ordinary water, and then changed it to wine to show the power of His Love and to give drink to those waiting. And the more empty we are in our hearts and the more we accept the ordinary sufferings of our lives –filling our hearts to overflowing with such crucified graces –the more the world will be given drink (a holy, miraculous drink which manifests clearly the presence, love and grace of God’s power and care) through us. We have to sit empty and let Jesus fill our lives with ‘water’ –the day to day sacrifices and sufferings we encounter. In fact, if we truly recognized the great worth of such ‘little things’ –then we would be like ‘packmen’ searching to ‘eat up’ any little cross we find offered to us from God on our life’s way. Because the day will come –maybe on earth, and maybe only in eternity in heaven –when Jesus will say to the angels: “Now go to the once empty jars now filled with water and bring that water to those thirsting.” And suddenly by His will and His word our ordinary ‘water’ (the crosses of our lives) will be transformed into unfathomable divine grace for others. The ordinary ‘water’ of our lives will sparkle as a jewel and refresh as Jesus’ Love alone can do –because His Love will enter it (through our fiat and union with Him on the Cross) and change it in order to do miracles in others’ lives. This we have to believe as Mary believed. This we have to ask as Mary asked. This we have to hope as Mary hoped against hope. And this we have to rejoice in now, in Love. For true faith, hope and love rejoices in the gifts of God before they are visible to our eyes… we must believe, hope and love in trust.