Jesus performed miracles in order that we may believe that “God is near.” When we meditate on the Wedding Feast of Cana, we discover the Face of God in very ordinary ways.

Consider Jesus and His mother being invited to a wedding.

Jesus asks if He can bring some friends along, so the wedding was open, usually lasting a whole week. Everyone having a good time. Men stood on one side of the room and women on the other.

Consider now Mary gathered with the women, talking, sharing funny stories about their husbands or their children, the price of food or the communal well. Suddenly, the mother of the bride seems anxious.

Mary notices and approaches the mother who lets her in on the secret: there is no more wine! Mary becomes anxious as well and moves across the room to the dividing line. She motions to Jesus to join. The rest is history. Jesus is aware of the mother’s anxiety. He listens to Mary and astonishingly He manifests the Father’s Glory by turning water into wine.

The servants are astonished! We remember that the word ‘astonished,’ especially in Mark, means: they were shaken to their bones or they were shaken till their hearts were broken open. He turned water into wine!

So, what is our lesson here? That God is near even in our anxieties and He uses others to reveal Himself to us.  Saint Paul says, “there are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.”

Then He begins to list the potential of our becoming His servants. We are left with asking ourselves how do I serve? What gifts have I been given for the good of the Church, for the good of those poorer than myself? This is where we come into the Cana story, because we are meant to be drawn in and be a part of His Glory.

God is waiting to perform a miracle in someone’s life here today. Someone who feels anxious or afraid; someone who feels lost and alone. What gift has been given you by God that could reveal God’s nearness to this person? Listen carefully. Mary is whispering in the ear of your heart right now, “Do whatever He tells you.”

My friends, be astonished by what you see and hear today. God is near!