The marriage at Cana: a Sunday reflection

The wedding feast at Cana was re-enacted at Saint Martin in the Fields church in Grand Island. According to the story, which is in the Gospel of Saint John (chapter two, verse one), a couple got married and friends and family spent an entire week celebrating. Unfortunately, they ran out of wine well before the party was over.

The hosts did not want to look bad. Mary was informed of the lack of wine and she informed her son Jesus that there was no more wine. Jesus let her know that it was not yet his time to perform miracles. Mary did not respond directly. She informed the servants that they were to do everything that Jesus told them to do.

Jesus told the servants to pour the water into large jugs. They were then to ladle the beverage into pitchers, which they were to bring to the steward. The steward tasted the wine and shooed away the servants, who served the bride and groom, as well as the guests. As the servant was serving the wine, the steward exclaimed that most people serve the best wine first but, at this wedding, the best had been saved for last.

The party went on. Most of the wedding guests were clueless as to how their hosts obtained the best wine. Neither Jesus nor Mary nor any of Jesus' disciples mentioned the miraculous transformation of water into wine. The wedding guests danced and enjoyed one another's company, completely unaware of the miracle that had taken place.

For the hosts of the wedding, this meant that they didn't look bad by running out of wine before the party ended. For Mary, it meant that she had faith that Jesus was both able and willing to perform a miracle.

People do experience miracles, both small and large. For me, the miracle that I experienced was small. As a pet sitter, I went to a house one day to take care of four cats. I also had to feed the feral cats and fill the bird feeders. When I was finished with this job, I walked home, a distance of a little more than two miles. When I arrived home, I discovered that I had lost the bracelet that I had made just a week prior to the pet sitting job. I then made another, similar, bracelet.

Five months later, I was asked to pet sit at the same house, with the same four cats, the feral cats, and the bird feeder. As I walked through the back yard, I passed a table and, on the table, my bracelet was sitting. I had almost forgotten about the bracelet. I was amazed and surprised to see it, especially because I had given up on ever finding it again.

And now, as I write this story, the snow is falling, covering the ground with radiant whiteness. Who knows what miracles lie just beneath the snow? What do you think?