“They have no wine.”
What do we do when we realize our limitations, shortcomings, and sins?
There is a natural tendency to hide or to deny them.
Moreover, we are often told that we must overcome them – with our own efforts and strengths. Successes and achievements receive greater praise when they are accomplished against greater odds.
The Gospel passage of the wedding at Cana teaches us that the realization of our limitations, shortcomings, and sins is itself a blessing. When we do not know ourselves, we might be tempted to think that we do not need God. On the contrary, self-knowledge is God’s gift. It teaches us that we need God. It gives us the opportunity to see God’s great power and love for us.
That’s the response of the disciples. Having witnessed the power of Jesus, and that he took it upon himself to help the couple, the disciples “began to believe in him.”
It is also consoling that Mary, God’s perfect creature, was the first to notice that “they have no wine.” She teaches us that God knows our limitations, shortcoming and sins even before we know them.
And God does not use such knowledge to punish us.
Out of love for us, God sent God’s only Son to save us, who otherwise, cannot save ourselves.
Image source: www.agnusday.org
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