One
More Than What We Need
The first of Jesus’ miracles was at the Wedding at Cana when they ran out of wine. Mary noticed, and she told Jesus and instructed the servants to do whatever He told them. Jesus then turned six jars of water into 180 gallons of the finest wine of the feast.
The incredible thing about this miracle is that it’s so extravagant. It’s so much more than anyone needed. You don’t need a certain amount of wine for salvation, or to live a moral life. You don’t need wine to be perfectly healthy. You don’t need wine for a good marriage, or even a good wedding. That’s the thing about wine; it’s a luxury. But Jesus doesn’t just want us to get by. He doesn’t just give us the bare minimum. He is extravagantly generous with us. He doesn’t want us to just make it. He wants us to be happy.
Two
Afraid the Joy Will Run Out
So many of us are afraid that the joy will run out. That we’ll get to a certain point in our marriages, our lives, in our prayer and practice of the faith, and then that will be it. We’ll have no more wine, no more delight. And from then on, everything will just be empty and dull. But that’s never how it is if you keep the Lord at the center of things. Even when things look dark, there’s always a fresh influx of joy around the corner.
Three
Saving the Best for Last
We’re so afraid that God will stop being generous. But He never is. He only lets the lesser wine run out so He can give us better wine. He only takes away lesser gifts so He can give us greater gifts. Don’t spend your life in fear that the good times are over, or will be soon. If you give yourself to Christ, follow His will, and accept whatever He sends you, it will always be true that the best is yet to come.
Four
Family
At Cana, there was a parent and child (Mary and Jesus), and a husband and wife, whose wedding was being celebrated. If we strive to be faithful and loving towards our spouses and our children, we’ll be amazed at how God makes these relationships fruitful and delightful in ever new, ever better ways.
Don’t worry about family relationships souring or growing stale. Do your best to be true to Christ, and be confident that the best wine is still to come.
Five
Pray for Those who Have Despaired of Joy
Wine is a symbol for joy, and Jesus waited until Mary asked Him before performing His miracle of new wine. And there are people we know, marriages and families, that seem to be out of joy. As our resolution, let’s remember to bring them to Jesus. Let’s go to Him and say, “They have no wine.”
And He will listen to our prayer, as He listened to His Mother’s, and He will again perform His miracle of joy.