Jn 2: 1-11
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it.
When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Nudged By God
There are so many details left out of the Gospel stories, and St. Ignatius encourages us to use our imaginations in prayer to put ourselves into those scenes and notice the details. The conversation between Mary and Jesus at the wedding at Cana leaves us much to imagine.
Like many mothers, Mary nudges Jesus to be helpful when the hosts of the party have a problem. I envision Mary giving Jesus an exasperated but loving look when he resists. And I can also see Jesus rolling his eyes while smiling at his mother when she essentially makes him do it anyway. In my imaginative version, the love between them is obvious, but so is the human side of their mother-son relationship.
Like our human parents, God often nudges us to do things we resist at first, but which turn out to be just the right thing to do. Where do you feel God nudging you right now?
—Mandy Dillon is a Retreat Coordinator at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, IL and is also in the Spiritual Direction Internship program there.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for being a loving parent and for always wanting what is best for me. Help me to be mindful of the ways in which you prompt me to do the next right thing in my life. Amen.
—Mandy Dillon