The Wedding at Cana

Many of us know the story of the Wedding at Cana. It was Christ's first public miracle. Even just on the surface, if that's as far as we look, there are important ideas.

1. A wedding was blessed as the setting of Jesus' first public miracle.
   
2. Jesus turned water into wine.
3. Jesus obeyed the commandment to honor His mother, providing the wine despite initial protests that His time hadn't yet come.

I was fortunate to be at Our Lady of Good Counsel church, in Moorestown NJ, this Sunday. Deacon Ed Heffernan put it very well - its not about the magic; its about the miracle.

Its not the magic, its the miracle. We should remember those words every time we read or hear about one of Jesus' great feats. Turning water into wine or walking on water are just parlor tricks by themselves. Jesus draws our attention with the magic, but His intention is to teach us - and save us - with the miracle.

If the only point was to show off, He could have done any trick - turn water into cola, pour goat's milk into a newspaper funnel, or pull a coin out of Peter's ear. He turned water into the finest wine because that is what He does. That is what He offers each of us - transformation from plain water (not simply a metaphor, since we are mostly water) to the finest wine, to His Body and Blood. From sinful humanity to a part of His Body, the eternal Church in heaven.