Pope Francis on January 20, 2019, reflected on the first of Jesus’ miracles: changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana. His comments came before praying the noonday Angelus with the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
“It’s no accident that placed, at the beginning of Jesus’ public life, is a nuptial ceremony, because in Him God has married humanity,” the Holy Father said. “This is the Good News, even if those who invited Him didn’t know yet that the Son of God was seated at their table and that He is the true Groom.”
The Pope explained that in this first miracle Christ begins to reveal himself. He is the “Groom of the People of God,” the one foretold by the prophets. It is a deep relationship that unites Him to the people: “a new Covenant of love.”
The wine is central to the event, the Pope continued. Our Lady realizes the wine has run out and goes to Jesus. Then she tells the servants “do whatever He tells you.” And they obey.
Francis suggests that Mary has the same advice for us today: “do whatever He tells you.” The Pope calls these “a precious heritage that our Mother has left us.”
“I would like to stress an experience that many of us have surely had in life,” Francis shared. “When we are in difficult situations when problems come that we don’t know how to resolve when we often feel anxiety and anguish, when we lack joy, we should go to Our Lady and say: ‘We don’t have wine. The wine is finished: look how I am, look at my heart, look at my soul.’ We must say it to our Mother And She will go to Jesus to say: ‘Look at him, look at her: he/she doesn’t have wine. ‘And then She will turn to us and say: ‘Do whatever He tells you.’
The Holy Father’s Full Commentary
