The Gospel this weekend is the story of the Wedding Feast of Cana in Galilee. Mary, Jesus and his disciples attended this wedding.

They ran short of wine and Mary told the attendants “do whatever he tells you”. “There were six stone jars standing there, meant for ablutions that were customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons.” Jesus said “fill the jars with water and they filled them to the brim” and this was transformed into “the best wine”.

This is an Epiphany story. Like the manifestation of the baby Jesus – the infant King of the Jews - to the Wise Men and the Baptism of the Lord, which we celebrated last Monday, in this story Jesus “lets his glory be seen”.

The wine ran out in this wedding. Can you imagine the embarrassment of the bride and groom and their families? Can you imagine a wedding without anything to toast the happy couple, to celebrate? So no wine meant no celebration.

Think of our own lives, our relationships, our jobs. There are times when we run out of wine, when we feel that there is nothing in our lives worth celebrating, when everything appears so mundane and uninteresting.

This is the tragedy of Trinidad, of the world. Just listening to the daily news makes you think that our wine has run out, that there is nothing to celebrate. Who or what comes into the water of our lives and transforms it into an abundance of wine?

Who or what brings back that celebratory aspect into our lives, gives us a new lease on life?

Think of marriage, it begins very well but after twenty years it can become like stone water jars filled with water, lacking colour, flavour, depth, it has lost its sparkle. This is true for any vocation, the priesthood, a job. What changes it back to wine? And not merely wine, but the “best wine” – champagne with sparkle and fizz, and in abundance.

This miracle converted the water “meant for the ablutions that were customary among the Jews.” This referred to the Jewish religion, it had become very narrow-minded and rigid.

It was all about washing hands, ritual purification, it had lost its soul. Jesus came to change the water meant for the ablutions into wine, to bring new life into Judaism. In fact he was the new wine.

For many Catholics today, religion is routine and boring, it adds nothing to our lives – very much like the water meant for the ablutions. What has put new life back into our faith?

This story is also about Jesus, his journey and his attitude to people. In this story, Jesus, with some prodding from Mary, moves from not wanting to get involved “Woman, why turn to me?” to being involved or at least to the realisation that he has to be involved.

She brings him to the truth of himself. So he is also being transformed and empowered, he is growing in consciousness and realises his potential more fully. His water is also being changed into wine.

His vision of his work in the world, his understanding of his mission is growing. When have we been like Jesus, when have we been challenged to widen our vision, and in so doing to recognise and use our gifts?

In the final analysis, the Wedding Feast at Cana was truly a celebration of the presence of God. It is about an experience of empowerment and transformation, it is about moving from thinking that we have nothing to realising that we have been blessed with the best wine and in abundance.

Lord, we thank you for the times that we too have been invited to the Wedding Feast at Cana.
Many times we feel that our lives have become like those empty stone jars, we are tired and we have lost sight of our reason for being.
Sometimes we are filled with water, and even though we are doing many things and are fully occupied, our life still seems routine and colourless. And then something happens. We go on a much-needed holiday or retreat, we experience a Marriage Encounter Weekend, we develop new relationships and friendships. And we are renewed, our water changed to wine, and not the cheaper sort but the best wine.

Gospel Meditations for January are by Patricia Elie of Santa Rosa parish, Arima