Mary of Nazareth Blog Tour/Rosary Crawl:The Miracle at Cana



Catholic Fire is a part of the MARY of NAZARETH Blog Tour/Rosary Crawl, of which we are delighted to be a part of, along with many other inspiring bloggers. To learn more, visit the Rosary Crawl Itinerary HERE.

 Second Mystery of Light: The wedding feast of Cana.

"On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, 'O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you"' (Jn 2:1-5).
"On the threshold of his public life Jesus performs his first sign ­at his mother's request - during a wedding feast: The Church attaches great importance to Jesus' presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ's presence" (CCC, 1613).

Our Father, 10 Hail Marys (contemplating the mystery), Glory be to the Father



The setting is a Jewish wedding reception in first century Cana – a town just northeast of Nazareth, Israel. The reception would have taken place in the groom’s home, where the public would be celebrating the union of the nuptial couple, as well as the joining of the two families. It was not a private celebration, but a public feast. Thus, the wedding feast would be under the scrutiny of the public eye. It was the duty of the groom’s family to provide for food and drink, which meant that they not only had to use their own income for such a large public event, that often went on for days, but needed to rely on friends to help with the expenses. How well the wedding feast went was a measure of the family’s honor and status. To run out of wine would have been a serious humiliation.

Mary empathizes with the family when they run out of wine and asks Jesus to do something.  But, what can Jesus do? He doesn’t have several barrels of wine with him! Mary knows that he is the Messiah and is capable of performing a miracle to produce the wine. When Jesus responds, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come”, he is not being disrespectful. Jesus is letting Mary know that he is not ready to let the world know that he is the Messiah. Mary, however, is letting Jesus know that this is his time to do so. She tenderly requests Jesus to begin his mission as the Son of God by performing his first miracle.

What does this mystery reveal about Mary? It shows us what a compassionate and loving Mother we have. Just as she was alert and attentive to the needs of this family, so, too, she is also alert to the needs of all her children and their families. When we come to her in prayer, asking for our smallest need, she intercedes for us, asking Jesus to intervene. She is the meditator, the one who places herself between Jesus and our desires, needs, and afflictions. Her heart is full of love and she is sensitive and compassionate toward us, whenever we come to her with a request.

To learn more about this mystery, go HERE.

Catholic Fire encourages you to check out tomorrow’s clip at View from the Domestic Church blog. Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle will bring us the “Scourging at the Pillar”.

Mary of Nazareth is now available for you to enjoy on DVD in your own home.

BONUS:  CATHOLIC FIRE WILL BE GIVING AWAY ONE FREE DVD OF MARY OF NAZARETH!  To qualify for the drawing, just send me an email with your full name and mailing address at jean.heimann(at)gmail(dot)com and you are entered! The deadline is October 28, 2014.

 Only open to U.S., Canada and Mexico residents.
-

Comments

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated and are published at the blogger's discretion.

Blog Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi

Image
August 11 is the memorial of St. Clare, one of my favorite saints. She was the first woman to follow the life of radical poverty practiced by St. Francis of Assisi and is the co-founder of the Poor Clares. Although I am not a Franciscan, I have had Franciscan friends, clergy, and spiritual directors instruct me on the beauty of St. Clare's spirituality. I have also learned a great deal from reading about her over the years. Clare and Francis (2007) is a film which depicts the fascinating story of her dramatic conversion and surrender to the will of God. St. Clare is the patron saint of television. She is also the patron of eye disorders, embroiderers, good weather, and telephones. The Contemplative Life The Lady Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1193 and was admired for her great beauty. When she heard Francis of Assisi preach his Lenten homilies at the Church of San Giorgio, she was captivated by his words. At age eighteen, she heard him say: "When the
Read more

Saint Michael de Sanctis: Patron of Cancer Patients

Image
Today is the feast of Saint Michael de Sanctis, also known as St. Michael of the Saints, a Spanish Discalced Trinitarian priest, the patron of cancer patients. Michael Argemir was born on September 29, 1591 at Vic, Catalonia, Spain. At age 6, he told his parents that he planned to become a monk and began modeling his life after Saint Francis of Assisi. Michael’s parents died when he was about ten years old. He then served as an apprentice with a local merchant. During this apprenticeship, he continued his fervent devotion to the Lord, especially to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the age of 12, he joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona, taking his vows at St. Lambert’s monastery in Saragosa four years later.  Shortly afterwards, Michael expressed a desire to join the reformed group of Trinitarians and was given permission to do so. He went to the Novitiate at Madrid and, after studies at Seville and Salamanca, he was ordained a priest. Twice he served as Superior of the hou
Read more

St. Raymond Nonnatus, Patron of Expectant Mothers, Midwives, and Newborn Babies

Image
The saint of the day for August 31 is St. Raymond Nonnatus. He is the patron of expectant mothers, midwives, obstetricians, infertile couples, and newborn babies. Raymond was born at Portella, Catalonia, Spain in 1204, the son of wealthy parents. He was delivered by cesarean section when his mother died in childbirth. Hence his name non natus (not born). In his childhood, he seemed to find pleasure only in his devotions and serious duties. His father, sensing that Raymond was drawn to religious life, ordered him to manage one of the family farms. Raymond readily obeyed but spent his time with the shepherds and workers, studying and praying until his father abandoned the idea of making his son a worldly success. Raymond later joined the the Order of Our Lady of Mercy or the Mercederians, which was founded by St. Peter Nolasco, who devoted to ransoming Christians captured by the Moors. He succeeded Peter as chief ransomer and went to Algeria to ransom slaves. He remained as hosta
Read more