Friday, February 9, 2024

The Bridegroom beckons.


Reflection on the holy Gospel reading (St. John 2:1-11)- First Sunday of the Great Lent 


“This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” (v11)

A plain reading of this verse confirms that the public ministry of our Lord embarked when He turned water into wine at the behest of the holy Theotokos at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It would be an unorthodox way for the Teacher to begin his public ministry- no sermons, no healing, no verbal debates with the religious authorities but a sign in an obscure wedding in Galilee- a sign for those who had the heart and the eyes to behold and understand. 

The wedding was on the third day in Cana of Galilee (v1-2). The third day holds immense importance in the Jewish tradition and Scriptures. One such occurrence was when the Israelites sanctified themselves and waited in anticipation, and on the third day the Lord manifested to Israelites at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19). The events on Mount Sinai were reminiscent of a spiritual wedding. The Ten Commandments were offered to the people, and Israel affirms the covenant. In a symbolic act that affirmed the matrimonial relationship of the Yahweh and His people, Moses took the blood of the sacrifices and sprinkles it on the altar and the people saying- “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.” (Exodus 24:3-8). Post wedding celebrations in many cultures have the practice of the bride and bridegroom having the meal together. Even in Mount Sinai, a heavenly feast followed the spiritual wedding, one wherein Moses and the elders of Israel expressed this familial relationship by dining in the presence of the Lord (Exodus 24:9-11).

The intimate relationship of God and His people akin to a matrimonial union was not a novel concept for Israelites. Prophet Hosea expounds the love of God thus:

“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy;
I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord."
(Hosea 2;19,20)

 And now the Bridegroom (as the Baptist labeled Him (St. John 3:29)) manifested in person, beginning His ministry at a wedding in Cana of Galilee, to fulfil the marriage covenant with the bride-the Church.

The usual course of action would have been to work with the hosts to make alternate arrangements for the provisions of wine for the guests; however the Blessed Virgin simply turns to Christ (who is a guest at the wedding) with the hurdle at hand. The history of Israel is replete with men and women waiting faithfully in anticipation of the Messiah. The Blessed Virgin, who was brought up in the Temple, received the annunciation from angel Gabriel, the one who sung the Magnificat that praises the remembrance of the Lord for His servant Israel wasn’t a passive agency but one who actively pondered the events in heart (St. Luke 2:19).

The Blessed Virgin’s call for help -“they have no wine.” (v.3) is akin to the pleading of Israel to the Lord to receive for the wine of salvation during His glorious manifestation: The new wine fails, the vine languishes,….There is a cry for wine in the streets” (Isaiah 24:7-13).

The prophecy of Isaiah does not end with the lack of wine. The following chapter foretells how the Lord Himself will not only provide wine in a lavish banquet but He will also ultimately conquer death and the people will rejoice in His salvation. The concept of the great Messianic Banquet has its roots in these prophecies:

..the Lord of hosts will make for all people ..a feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees…..He will swallow up death forever… And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” (Isaiah 25:6-9).

On a surface view the viewer might think that the mother of our Lord is asking her Son to help save the prestige of a relative/family friend. However, seen from a Jewish perspective, this very question shows the prayer of the Blessed Virgin to her Son and the Lord to provide the wine of salvation that was spoken of by Prophet Isaiah.

After tasting the new wine, the master of the feast tells the bridegroom how he kept the good wine until now (v.9, v.10). We gather from these verses that it was the bridegroom’s duty to provide for the wine to the guests. Adeline Fehribach shares- “When the mother of Jesus says to Jesus, ‘They have no wine’ (2:3), she places him in the role of the bridegroom, whose responsibility it is to provide the wine.” [The Women in the Life of the Bridegroom].

There were six waterpots each containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece (v.6). With Jesus’s intervention the amount of wine generated would be roughly equal to 700 liters. Seen from Hebrew eyes, the provision of a colossal amount of wine in a small-town wedding would mean the herald of Jesus the bridegroom- not an ordinary one but the Messianic Bridegroom, the Bridegroom of Israel (ibid). 

In this context, the initial response of Jesus makes sense- “..what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” (v.4). The 'hour', which Jesus alludes to, is the time of His passion and crucifixion. ("Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world ..." (St. John 13:1).

 There will be no turning back once the sign is manifested. It seems that the Lord wants the Blessed Virgin to be really sure of what she is asking. If His hour had not yet come, then her request for help for a Galilean couple on their wedding day (a public event) will set Jesus on the path to Cross. Those with eyes to see would decipher after witnessing the sign that Jesus is indeed the One whom they have been waiting for. They will follow Him, there will be no hidden, regular, private life- in a sense, she will forever lose Him to the followers. The terror of parting with one's own child is unbearable for a mother. In her instruction to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it", she willingly accepts the sword to pierce her own soul.

The presence of Jesus in their lives was so life changing, that the people "tried to keep Him from leaving them" (St. Luke 4:42). When we limit Jesus and His message to ourselves, though this might seem like an act of human love and longing, it is neither expected from Christians nor is it spiritually beneficial. 

As we begin the Lenten journey, may we like the Blessed Virgin, be eager in showing Christ to others though it will involve a 'loss' for us. The wedding residence in Cana had the presence of the Blessed Virgin and Jesus was invited. The homes where the mother of our Lord is present and honored will indeed invite the grace of our Lord through her unceasing intercessions.

May we be strengthened by the prayers of the most holy Theotokos in this journey.

O Great Salvific Lent- come in peace.

In Christ,

Rincy

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