Thursday 10 January 2008

The Miracle at Cana

The manifestation of the divine saviour at the wedding at Cana may seem far removed from the visit of the Magi. However on closer examination this is not so, for here we see another manifestation of the beneficent divine providence that has replaced the cruel blind fates. We are shown that it is not a fixed, unchanging and impersonal will, which are bound to and we can do nothing about, but a great personal outpouring of love.























The changing of water into wine at Cana at first was not intended by Christ: his public ministry had not yet begun. That was to happen after his baptism in the Jordan. But now we see his mother intervene. "They have no wine!" she says. He replies, "Woman, my time has not yet come." This occasion seems so trivial in the great plan of God. But due to Our Lady's intercession, the divine will is changed, and he changes water into the best wine.

This great act of kindness to save a wedding couple from embarrassment is a manifestation of the generosity and providence of God. He is a God who provides for our needs, no matter how trivial they may seem. This revelation of his kindness shows that no longer do we need to worry about our material needs, for he will provide. And just as his mother interceded for his help then on earth, so will she do so in heaven.

But far more importantly this miracle is also the great sign of what he intends for us. As the water became wine, our mortal humanity will be incorporated into his divinity and life. And most of all, it is the foretaste of the great wedding feast of the lamb: the holy sacrifice of the mass, where ordinary wine undergoes transubstantiation into his blood, poured out for the remission of our sins.

It should therefore be no surprise that as the miracle of Cana is one of the Epiphanies of our Lord, it is at the heart of the project of secularism to attempt to reverse it, to turn the wine of divine revelation into the water of secular humanism. Impossible that may be, the question arises, why should anyone want to do this? Why the resistance to divine revelation and divine providence after what we have seen? The answer I believe is very simple. The Epiphany is also the total destruction of power, of which I will talk of tomorrow.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It really is a beautiful blog Oliver..keep it up. By the way..where are you?