St. Francis Sunday Bulletin:
Review Readings and Meditation especially the Gospel on pages 4-5
WATCH these videos:
The Wedding at Cana Video for young children
The Wedding at Cana Jesus Film Project for youth
Please read with children:
Featured Story:
Jesus Turns Water into Wine from The Catholic Children's Bible: pages 1650-1651; 1654-1655
Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there,
2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
3 When the wine had given out, Jesus' mother said to him, “They are out of wine.”
4 “You must not tell me what to do,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
5 Jesus' mother then told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 The Jews have rules about ritual washing, and for this purpose six stone water jars were there, each one large enough to hold between twenty and thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill these jars with water.” They filled them to the brim,
8 and then he told them, “Now draw some water out and take it to the man in charge of the feast.” They took him the water,
9 which now had turned into wine, and he tasted it. He did not know where this wine had come from (but, of course, the servants who had drawn out the water knew); so he called the bridegroom
10 and said to him, “Everyone else serves the best wine first, and after the guests have drunk a lot, he serves the ordinary wine. But you have kept the best wine until now!”
11 Jesus performed this first miracle in Cana in Galilee; there he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
REFLECTION:
The Wedding at Cana is the Second Mystery in the Luminous Mysteries of The Holy Rosary.
A virtue strengthened in us by praying this mystery is:
Bringing our concerns to Jesus, trusting that He hears us, then doing whatever Jesus says.
Jesus' Mother, Mary, has a very important role in this story of Jesus' first miracle.
We can learn a lot as disciples of Jesus, by observing what she does and what she says.
Mary notices that the wine at this wedding will soon be gone. This would be such an embarrassment for the wedding couple. She goes to Jesus and lets him know about this problem and leaves it in His Hands.
Mary doesn't try to argue or explain herself when Jesus says that it is not yet his time to reveal himself.
She simply goes to the servants and tells them: "Do whatever he tells you" and leaves it at that.
It seems that she is trusting that Jesus (who she knows is ALWAYS listening and obeying his Father in heaven will do what is right.)
Jesus takes action and performs his first miracle. He reveals his GLORY in a powerful way and his disciples grow in their FAITH in him.
What concern can you bring to Jesus?
Can you ask Jesus for the FAITH and TRUST that he hears you and will take just action?
Will you listen and follow through on His response?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
The Marriage of Divinity and Humanity: Bishop Robert Barron Homily
Based on the first reading from Isaiah 62:1-5 and the Gospel of John 2: 1-11
Good wants us to be fully alive as he created us to be.
He won't rest until that happens....that's how much he loves us.
He wants to be united with us in the richest way as in his own person: fully human and fully divine. He wants to be married to us.
Turning water into wine is the first of Jesus' SIGNS pointing to his identity as the Son of God on mission.
Wine symbolizes the spiritual life, the new life of GRACE flowing from God.
Mary shares the needs of the couple at the wedding: running out of wine.
This can also be Mary sharing the spiritual needs of ALL of God's people with Jesus.
Jesus responds with an abundance of new wine, the best wine, the new life of grace.
This can be seen in the MASS where Jesus' Blood offered for us is the new wine for ALL until his coming again!
We as believers who receive the TRUE presence of Christ in the Eucharist can ALL be fully united (married) to our Savior: truly human, truly divine.
Comments