A good Sunday to all.

The one who reads the narration of Cana's wedding has the impression of being in front of a straightforward episode, although perhaps a little strange and even embarrassing for a believer. First, it is surprising that John gives importance to this episode. It places it practically at the beginning of his Gospel as the first of the seven signs narrated in the Gospel of John. Then, the episode concludes with a solemn affirmation: “Jesus manifested his glory, and the disciples believed in him.” Why add this for something little? This statement would be understandable if it had been placed, for example, after the resuscitation of Lazarus. There, Jesus truly manifested his glory in overcoming death. But here, this manifestation of the glory of Jesus and the adherence that his disciples gave him seems a bit excessive for just changing water into wine.

Then, considering the episode itself, we are a little puzzled. The guests at Cana's wedding had already drunk a lot, to the point that they had finished the wine. Some explanations are given that provoke a bit of laughter—and even today, some are still saying it—they say that the wine was finished because Jesus was the only one invited, but he came with his 12 disciples. These were working people, big people... they had made a long trip... and quickly finished the wine when they arrived. These are explanations that—as I said—arouse smiles. It is not understood how Jesus, instead of giving any comment, made available another 600 liters of wine. This was the capacity of these six stone jars.

In addition, although it would have been opportune to give more wine for the feast, was it necessary to resort to a miracle? It would have been enough to make a collection among all the guests to buy some wine. It would seem better to us that Jesus had reserved his ability to do miracles for something more valuable and urgent. In the past, many tried to explain this event by saying that Jesus had no intention of doing a miracle because the time had not yet come. Still, because of the mother's insistence, Jesus wanted to please her, although reluctantly. For her part, the mother wanted to avoid an embarrassing situation for the two spouses' families because they were poor. Do not pay attention to these explanations.

I immediately add that it is not likely that it was a poor family because, in the narrative, it is said that they had servants; then, the presence of six stone jars indicates that the family was well off; only the wealthy Jews could afford to have the jars so big for purifications. The above explanations do not help us understand the narrative but create more difficulties and problems. We also ask ourselves: Why does Jesus mention the 'mother' and he does not say 'Mary'? Then, why does Jesus respond that way to the mother, calling her 'woman'? There is no example in all the immense rabbinical literature of a son speaking in that way to his mother.

If this episode is interpreted as a chronicle, in the best of hypotheses, this narration will continue to provoke some benevolent smiles. The only message of this episode in the past was the recommendation of confidently turning on Mary, for she could even make her son give in to please her orders. For a long time, Christians have begun to realize the theological-biblical gap accompanying this way of interpreting the Gospel, as if it were a life of Jesus and a form of Marian devotion. The narration is not as simple as it seems. It is not a chronicle story but a 'sign.'

The evangelist's first signs are language and biblical images that must be decoded. Otherwise, the message that the evangelist wants to give us is not understood. We will try to go in-depth; we will not stay on the surface of this story. Let's hear how it starts:

“There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the Wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus asked her, ‘Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.’"

We will be confused if we stick to this story as if it were a chronicle. In the days of St. Augustine, the peasants of Algeria said: 'Here we are at the level of Bacchus!’ We will not stop at the surface of this story because the evangelist invites us to go deep into grasping the meaning of the biblical images and the biblical language he employs. The first of these is the earthly wedding feast. We are presented with a wedding that is a bit strange because if we look around, the first surprise is that the bride and the groom are not present.

The bride does not exist, and the groom has an insignificant role. He does not say a word; only the one in charge of the table complains to him because he has not immediately offered quality wine. For what reason, it did not say. Presenting this fact is, in a way, the straightforward reason that the evangelist is talking about ‘another marriage.’ The Baptist announced the wedding feast when he said, “I am the friend of the groom but not the groom. I exult him with joy because I hear the voice of the bridegroom who is coming.” And the groom was Jesus of Nazareth.

Observe in the background painting how, with the symbolism of color, the oriental icons have understood the message of this passage of John. It is easy to understand who the bridegroom is: the colors of his clothes indicate it clearly; underneath is a red tunic. The color red indicates the divine nature. And on top is the blue cloak, the symbol human nature has assumed. Jesus is the bridegroom, and the bride he came for is humanity. Because of this humanity, God is in love. He came into the world to start this wedding feast, which the Old Testament talks about. Marriage in the Bible is an image, a splendid parable of God's love with Israel.

I will read you some very famous and beautiful texts of the prophets because the God of Israel did not want to relate to his people as a master who gives orders and then pays at the end of the day. NO. God wanted to present himself as the groom who is madly in love with Israel, the bride. Hosea 2:18.21-22: "God says: on that day you will call me ‘my husband’… you will no longer call me ‘my master.’ I will marry you to me forever, I will marry you in fidelity, and you will acknowledge the Lord.”

Isaiah 62:5: "As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” The glory of God is to see the wife happy.

Jeremiah 2:2: “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest.” Again, Isaiah 54:10: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” God is a spouse who never betrays the bride, even if the bride abandons him. He comes to take her back because he cannot do without this love. He has been passionately in love with Israel. The bride represents the whole humanity of which God is hopelessly in love.

But we ask ourselves, was the relationship between God and Israel a wedding feast? The answer is NO. Because Israel had established a relationship with God as that of the worker, the dependent who had to report to work on time. It is enough to remember, for example, how the first sacrifice in the temple had to be done at the exact time. Otherwise, it was invalid because this sacrifice had to be offered to the Lord at the appointed time.

It was a commercial relationship. The pious Israelites approached the temple to offer sacrifices. In this way, the favors of the Lord were earned. He observed the commandments and precepts, and thus, the benevolence of the Lord was guaranteed who would have blessed the family and children with good health, fertile fields, and animals. The Lord was considered a legislator. He is also a strict and demanding legislator prone to punishing those who transgressed his hatred. If you read chapter 27 of Deuteronomy, you will see 52 curses for those who disobey the Lord's commands. It is clear that in this situation, this form of relationship with God was necessary to carry out purifications because they did not feel worthy. It became the religion of purification.

Note the importance of these six jars of stone in this narrative. The number 6 indicates imperfection, achieved only by reaching the number 7. They are made of stone: the law of stone, written on stone. They are empty: they have lost their function. This religion of duty, of service waiting to be paid according to the merits, always feels like debtors in some way. Can this religion give joy? The answer is NO. It creates only craving, apprehension, and restlessness. You had to observe 613 commandments. It was difficult to fulfill them all and, therefore, impossible to feel comfortable with God; there was always something to purify for.

The Pharisees, the scrupulous executors of the minor commandments received from ancient tradition, said—according to the evangelist John—"This crowd which does not know the Law is accursed." How can one be happy with this kind of relationship with God? Wine, a symbol of joy, was missing. This is the second biblical image.

Wine and the vine are often mentioned in the Bible. Wine appears 141 times in the Old Testament and 34 times in the New Testament. There is also much talk of the vine: 56 times in the Old Testament and 9 times in the New Testament. In the Bible, drunkenness is condemned, but wine symbolizes the joy of love. I will read some texts that will help you understand the meaning of this image. From the book of Sirach 19:19: "They enjoy celebrating banquets, and wine makes their lives happy." Sirach 31:27-28: “Wine is life for man if taken in moderation. What is life without wine? Wine makes for a glad heart and a cheerful mind.” Psalm 104:15: "Wine to gladden the heart." We also remember the famous text of Isaiah 25 announcing the great feast that the Lord will prepare for all peoples: "The Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines” (Is 25:6).

This is the second comparison: that of the wine that is missing in Israel's relationship with its God: the wine is missing. It is a wedding feast where there is no joy. And there is no joy if there is no unconditional love that is not the execution of mandates but a coming into harmony in this relationship of love with the Lord. Some, but not all of Israel had established this commercial relationship with God, of dependency, like employees.

Some had cultivated an intimate love relationship with the Lord: the psalmists and the prophets. For example, in Psalm 16:11, the psalmist concludes and says to the Lord, “I have reached the end of my existence, but we are both in love. How will you do to be without me? I do not know how you will do it, but you cannot let your lover see corruption.” He is someone who lived before Easter, but he understands that falling in love cannot end. Then also Psalm 139:1,13, which we all know very well: "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me... You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

Some in Israel had cultivated an authentic relationship with the Lord. But the scribes, the Pharisees, and the temple's high priests instilled another spirituality: the observance of the commandments imposed by a legislating God. There was no joy; wine was missing from this wedding feast.

Who realizes that this situation is unsustainable? not the chief priests, not those who were the spiritual guides. It is the ‘mother'. Who is this 'mother'? The text does not say 'Mary'; it says, 'the mother.' From what bosom was the Messiah born? He is born from the womb of Israel, of this wife of the Lord. And in these people of Israel, a faithful remnant has cultivated the relationship with the Lord and realized that the situation is untenable. There is no joy in this wedding feast, reduced like that—as the spiritual guides of the people had reduced it. The womb from which Jesus was born—yes, indeed, was born from the womb of Mary... but the 'womb' of the one whom the evangelist speaks here is the womb of the wife, Israel.

At the end of the Gospel, John presents this 'mother' at the foot of the cross. The 'mother' is entrusted to the disciple and represents the community born from the womb of Israel. Jesus, shortly before dying, says to the disciple: Remember that Israel is your mother. You have been born from this womb, so love and receive your mother. When John writes his Gospel, that mother (the synagogue) has rejected the son, he says to the mother: 'This is your son.'

The evangelist John presents us with a profound message. Therefore, the part of Israel that realizes there is a lack of joy in this wedding feast is the part that has assimilated the spirituality of the prophets, who preached a love relationship with the Lord. This part of Israel is the mother who turns to Jesus. He is the only one who can give the wine so that those who welcome it become an inexhaustible source of joy.

Note that the text does not say that 'wine is over.' It says: οινον ουκ εχουσιν – ‘oinon ouk exousin’, which means: They do not have wine; there is no wine in this religion. Joy is lacking. The mother—this faithful part of Israel—says to those who served: “Do what he tells you.” But before, the mother says to the son: “They have no wine.” The answer is very strange. Jesus answers: "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come."

What does this sentence mean? It is an expression of diplomatic language. It is to take distance from someone. The expression indicates a clear separation between that part of Israel that has not understood and accepted the prophets' message. And now the novelty arrives. Still, some commentators say that Jesus said to his mother, 'I do not want to work miracles now because my time has not come.' NO. There was no punctuation in ancient manuscripts, and understanding the phrase as an affirmation is correct. Later, Jesus acts and is interpreted as a request: ‘My time has not yet come.’ The moment has come when the wine arrives at this wedding feast, and joy comes.

The 'hour' of Jesus is the decisive moment when Jesus manifests his glory. This 'hour' is often remembered in the Gospel of John. When they try to capture Jesus, he says: “His hour had not yet come.” Then, towards the end, when Jesus, praying to the Father, says: “Father, the hour has come, glorify your son.” 'Glorify' does not mean 'asking for applause.' NO. The glory of God is when Jesus comes to manifest the fullness of his love. From the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus announces that his time has come when he will donate that wine, which is the joy of the new relationship with the Lord.

Let's hear now what the 'mother' says: the faithful Israel, this Israel that waits for the Lord to proclaim the feast of joy promised by the prophets. Let's hear what she says:

“His mother told the servers, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ There were six stone water jars for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, ‘Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.’ So they took it.”

This faithful remnant's mother understands where happiness can come from. She tells the servants, ‘If you want to have the Wine of joy, find your water. It is the water of the husband, of Jesus, his Spirit.’

The central character in this text is the jars. These jars represent ancient religion; they are empty. This relationship with God will never give joy. They were 6. Their marriage survives but lacks the outbursts of youth. Everything established by tradition is fulfilled. They look like marriages that have peaked with no more joy. They are together because tradition indicates that they must be together.

This text is also written for us today. The temptation to return to the religion represented by the jars is always current. We have inherited a spirituality of merit, to have merits before God. This is typical of the dependents, of the employee. It is a spirituality that has been inculcated in us. It is not the spousal relationship of one who feels unconditionally loved. Even if the wife betrays the husband, he remains faithful. The relationship with God is different.

Let's ask ourselves: What do the expressions 'religious practice' and 'life in a convent' mean? Do they evoke a feast, joy, smiles, song, or dance? Or do they bring to mind sacrifice, seriousness, observance of regulations, and dispositions of superiors? They do not call for joy and feast. Our Christian communities meet on the Day of the Lord to celebrate the Eucharist. How do people present themselves? Do they arrive at church happy and smiling because, after a week of hard work, they finally have the joy of meeting with the brothers and sisters to sing along with them the joy of feeling loved by God and Christ? Are these the faces we see? Or are the faces of people who come to church because they have to fulfill an obligation? And should we be careful not to anger the Lord with a mortal sin if they do not participate in the Eucharist? What relationship with God is this? Can you "ask" someone to find the beloved under the pain of mortal sin? How can you have joy in this kind of relationship with the Lord? Are we happy with the way the life of our Christian communities is experienced? What do non-believers see? Do you breathe youth in our Christian communities or a smell of mold and stagnation? What is it about returning to the Latin Mass, of pious devotions… so much liked to some but that has minimal relation with the Gospel? Did this spirituality produce joy? Were the people happy? Are they now delighted people for their choices to follow Christ? How do those who are outside the Christian community see us? Is there joy in our community, or is it the religion of empty vessels?

Unsurprisingly, they are not attracted if people do not see this in Christian communities. So, is there any doubt that we have covered the Gospel with a veil of sadness, and that is why the Gospel is not understood or welcomed? Then, many move away. If they saw people happy, they would look for joy somewhere else.

Also, the figure of the jars is the figure of the servants. I think of those people who are necessary because they are the ones who work to present that water that becomes Wine and joy. I think of the catechists, those committed Christians who spend Saturday afternoons at the service of the Christian community. They are tireless. Their work is indispensable for this miracle of joy to be realized.

And Jesus says: "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." About the head waiter: he is mentioned five times. He is the one who should have prepared the banquet so that the feast would fill everyone with joy. But he does not realize that wine is missing. This person in charge of the banquet represents the spiritual guides of the people. They were the ones who organized the wedding feast ... but they held funerals, and they did not produce any joy.

As the Gospel tells us, the people in charge of the banquet were busy with other things. They did not realize that the religion they preached was not an authentic relationship with God; they intended to be noticed and thought about making a career and reaching and affirming themselves in power and prestige. They appeared with this appearance to receive inclinations and gifts. Jesus could not stand these comedies. They did not realize that happiness was lacking. Therefore, they were surprised that someone told them they had prepared a banquet for sad people.

Now let's listen to his reaction with the words of the banquet manager:

“And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from — although the servers who had drawn the water knew —, the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, then an inferior one but you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee, revealing his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.”

We have already said that those in charge of the banquet represent the religious leaders who had organized a relationship with God that did not produce any joy. And now these managers are surprised that the new wine is better than the old one. The term does not mean 'the good wine' that has arrived, but the 'beautiful' wine: ‘ton kalón oicón.’ It is repeated twice. It is the 'beautiful' wine—beauty had finally entered into religious practice that gave no satisfaction, only anxiety, fear, and anguish.

Pay attention because the return to the old is a temptation that always happens. Sometimes we hear nostalgic people saying: 'the old religious practice ... that was beautiful.' It was not beautiful at all. Beauty comes when one realizes this relationship of unconditional love of God. Jesus has put us on guard by using this comparison of wine.

Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 5: "Nobody after he has tasted the old wine wants the new one because he says the old one is better." This is the danger of returning to those assurances given by the ancient religious practice.

And now, Jesus manifested his glory. When is God manifesting his glory? Finally, he manages to convince us how much he loves us. What glory has he manifested in this sign? He showed his kind face, the face of God who wants all his sons and daughters to be happy and that he only wants joy for his sons and daughters. He does not want employees to obey orders to receive pay at the end of life. He does not give orders to be respected; his word is participation of love because we can only be happy if we understand that he loves us well and wants to provide us with life. He does not give orders to be obeyed or show that He is the boss. He does not want people to be punished if they do not have a good excuse.

This is the religion of the jars for purification that never gave joy to anyone. The glory of our God is the revelation of his gratuitous and unconditional love. Even when humanity does not respond with love, it does not diminish his fidelity to the love that he has sworn to humanity. The one who feels loved this way cannot but be perpetually joyful. If those who have not accepted the proposal of the life of Jesus of Nazareth do not see this joy in our faces, how will they feel attracted to this religious commitment to the Lord? If religion is not what unites us to God with unconditional love, they will not see in our faces the joy that Jesus came to bring.

I wish everyone a good Sunday and a good week.