First Reading
Isaiah 62:1-5

1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.
2 The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the LORD will give.
3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My delight is in her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.


Psalm
Psalms 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

1. Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2a. Sing to the Lord and bless his name.

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

2b.Announce his salvation from day to day.
3. Announce his glory among the Gentiles, his miracles among all peoples.

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

7. Bring to the Lord, you natives of the nations, bring to the Lord glory and honor.
8. Bring to the Lord glory for his name. Lift up sacrifices, and enter into his courts.

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.

9. Adore the Lord in his holy court. Let the entire earth be shaken before his face.
10. Say among the Gentiles: The Lord has reigned. For he has even corrected the whole world, which will not be shaken. He will judge the peoples with fairness.

R. Proclaim his marvelous deeds to all the nations.


Second Reading
1 Corinthians 12:4-11

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.


Gospel
John 2:1-11

1 On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
2 Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples.
3 When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."
4 And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come."
5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6 Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
8 He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they took it.
9 When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom
10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."
11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Overview of the Gospel:

• In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus, his Mother and some of his disciples are invited to a
wedding in Cana, a small village 4-5 miles from Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. Wedding feasts
at the time could last more than a week (Judges 14:10-12). The time is right after his baptism
(which we celebrated last week), but before he begins his public ministry.

• (Note: in the West, we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany and the visit of the Magi 2 weeks
ago and the Baptism of the Lord last week. In the Eastern Church, Epiphany often includes
those two events, as well as today’s Gospel reading, the Wedding at Cana. All three events
are seen as being an epiphany—or “unveiling”—of Jesus to the world. The appearance of
Jesus in Galilee also marks the beginning of God’s promise to restore and bring glory to his
people, Israel—see the First Reading.)

• Mary (who is never mentioned by name in John’s Gospel) brings it to Jesus’ attention that the
wine has run out—a situation that would be an immense source of embarrassment for the
newlywed couple and their families.

• Even though Mary does not specifically make a request for Jesus to intervene, he knows what
she is asking. He also knows that performing this miracle in public will make it necessary to
begin his ministry and his journey toward the Cross.


Questions:

• Jesus is not yet known as a miracle worker, so why does Mary approach him (verse 3)? What
do you learn about Jesus’ relationship with his Mother from this story?

• How does Jesus’ use of the word “woman” (v. 3) point to a parallel between Eve and Mary
(Genesis 3:15; John 19:26-27; Revelation 12:1-6, 13-14)? Should it be seen as a sign of
disrespect—or a sign of honor and election?

• What associations might be attached to the headwaiters expression “the good wine” in verse
10 (Isaiah 25:6; Amos 9:13; John 6:53; 1 Corinthians 10:16; Revelation 19:7-9)?

• This “sign” (verse 11) is the first of seven that will be highlighted in John’s Gospel (see
Introduction to John in the NAB). What “sign” led you (or is leading you) to put your faith in
Jesus?

• How unconditionally do you do whatever Jesus tells you to do (verse 5)? Do you ever try to
place limits on what he can tell you to do? What spiritual gifts has he given to you and to those
around you to help carry out his will (see Second Reading)?

What grand images we have in today's "Good News!"

The classic scene is the wedding feast and they run short of wine. But, is it really just "wine?"

Nope. Jesus is using the wine to represent God's grace and mercy; His never ending love.

The fact that these stone jars were filled “to the brim” emphasizes the superabundance of the riches of redemption and also shows how precisely the servants did what they were told – it is important to be docile in fulfilling the will of God, even in small details. Christ’s word alone is sufficient to effect the change and there are now 120 to 180 gallons of top quality wine.

The wine is to be given, shared and drunk by all. We all need to partake of God's infinite love for us. If only we "taste" it!

On a lighter note, there's a great joke Jesus is showing us here. Jewish customs demanded washings before and after eating. Stone was used because in Jewish belief stone could not contract ritual uncleanness. So we have jars which had been used by the wedding guests to wash their hands and feet. Yuck! Things were not all that clean back in Jesus' time.

Can you imagine the chuckling which must have been going on among the servers? They know that this is water which has been used for washing the feet of the guests; and now they are seeing the big-shot headwaiter drink it.

Jesus---you've got to love and adore Him! He's always teaching and showing us things on so many levels...our blessed Lord has a great sense of humor as well!