SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had been turned into wine, without knowing where the wine came from— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —, the headwaiter called the bridegroom, saying,
"Everyone serves good wine first,
and then when guests have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now."
Jn 2:1-11

The marital theme continues in today's Gospel. In this much-loved story, Jesus changes water into wine, thereby saving the wedding feast when the wine runs out. It is the first sign of Jesus' divinity as presented in John's Gospel. Interestingly enough, the miracle involves six massive stone jars used for ablutions, in other words, for ceremonial or ritual cleansing. These jars -- each of which holds 20-30 gallons-- are empty, and so Jesus instructs the servers to fill them with water. John tells us that the servers fill the jars to the brim-- an amazing feat considering they don't have access to running water. Perhaps the household has a private well, but whether the servers have to draw water from the house's water source or whether they have to venture to the local community well, filling those jars is a massive undertaking -- rather like filling six bath tubs but without the benefit of a faucet! I find myself wondering how it is that the servers follow Jesus' instructions, especially when their task is so labor-intensive. There are no complaints that we know of, but Mary does instruct them to do whatever her son tells them; the fact that they obey suggests either that she has status in the gathering or that the servers are desperate enough to try anything. And so they do as they are told, asking no questions, raising no objections, even when Jesus instructs them to draw water and present it to the headwaiter to taste. These nameless, faceless servers are crucial to the narrative; they are not developed characters but simply take care of logistics. John doesn't even describe their reactions when they realize the water has become wine.

As with many of the Gospel stories, it is useful to explore the symbolic aspects of the text. This brings us back to those six empty jars. Hewn of stone, the jars would be expensive which suggests that purification rites are important to the householders. The fact that they are empty is also worth noting. Perhaps the wedding guests have purified themselves with the water, prior to the celebration, and no one has had the time to re-fill the jars. Whatever the case, the jars are now empty and Jesus is instrumental in having them filled again. We are like those empty jars when we neglect our relationship with God. Just as an empty ceremonial jar serves no purpose so we become "useless" on a spiritual plane when the well within dries up. When we neglect our relationship with God or when we take a detour from the spiritual journey, then we are no better than an empty stone jar. Jesus, however, has the power to fill our emptiness, just as he does for the Samaritan woman (Jn 4). Then, when we allow him back into our lives, he can transform mere ritual observance (the water) into the wine of union with God. From emptiness we journey to fullness; from tasting the waters of spiritual renewal we can then progress to the wine of passion, to ecstasy with the Beloved.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
  1. Have you ever felt like an empty water jar and, if so, were you able to find fullness?
  2. In times of feeling spiritually empty, to what resources or spiritual practices do you turn to find fullness again?
  3. What typically depletes you spiritually?
  4. On a scale of 1-10, how passionate is your relationship with God? Are you comfortable with this assessment or do you seek deeper intimacy with God?