Years ago, the account of the miracle at Cana was the Gospel reading at every wedding Mass to show Christ’s blessing on marriage. But, the tradition of the church has seen this miracle at Cana more widely as part of the epiphany of Jesus. The word “epiphany” means revelation or disclosure. Our liturgical tradition has seen three moments as a kind of “rolling epiphany” or disclosure of Jesus as our messiah.
The first epiphany was to the Magi when Jesus was revealed as Saviour of all people. The second was his baptism at the Jordan when Jesus was revealed as the Anointed one sent to redeem us from sin. The third m is the miracle at Cana when Jesus is revealed as the One who can change water into wine,. Of course its about a great deal more than that. Its about the transforming power of Christ not only over the water but over human lives. That’s why John calls this miracle a “sign”, because it points beyond itself to what Jesus does among us now. Its about Jesus changing the ordinary things of our life into places of extraordinary grace. This dimension of Jesus’ power is reflected through today’s readings.