It’s June, and the wedding season is upon us, which reminds me of our wedding, when there was so much festivity the wine almost ran out, just like at Cana.
Let me put this in proper perspective. There was so much festivity, I considered shutting down the open bar. Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing.
The Wedding Feast at Cana lasted five to seven days. They knew how to celebrate in Jesus’ day. To recap, the guests were probably into their second or third day of celebration, when the wine ran out, which had the potential to become a major embarrassment for the family.
Ever-observant and attentive to the needs of others, the Blessed Mother turned to Jesus and said, “They have no wine.” And Jesus famously responded, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.”
His use of the word “Woman” often startles us. I’ve even wondered what might have happened if I called my mother “Woman.” Let me speculate and take you back to Sunday dinner at the Pisani household. My father, my two sisters and I are seated around the table, preparing to feast on my mother’s famous veal parmigiana.
She’s finishing up in the kitchen, and I can’t resist tasting a forkful, but the veal is warm, so I call to her: “Woman, this veal parmigiana needs to be heated.”
Woman responds: “Then get off your lazy (word deleted) and heat it.” I guess Woman didn’t appreciate my constructive criticism.
However, to clarify, in Jesus’ time, the use of “woman,” which might be translated as “lady” or “ma’am,” was not a sign of disrespect. He used the word again as he hung on the cross and said, “Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother.” It has also been considered a reference to Our Lady as the “New Eve.”
Back to our narrative. The Blessed Mother turned to the head steward and, “Do whatever he tells you,” which is profound advice all of us should take to heart.
The Blessed Mother wasn’t deterred when Jesus hesitated, because she knew he would grant her request. That’s encouraging to those of us who pray for her intercession. It might not have been the right time, but Jesus answered his mother’s request nonetheless, because Jesus always answers his mother’s requests.
Jesus told them to fill six large stone jars with water and said, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” When he tasted the water that had turned to wine, the waiter called the bridegroom and said, “Everyone serves good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” St. John the Evangelist tells us that “Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.”
The Wedding Feast at Cana is one of the most beloved Gospel stories, frequently depicted in art. At the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Waterbury, classical painter Paul Armesto recently completed a 43-by-14-foot mural of the occasion. The second largest in the world, it covers an entire wall of the McGivney Family Center and has 72 figures.
“Next to the Resurrection, the Wedding Feast at Cana is the most celebratory event in the Bible,” rector Father James Sullivan says. “It has themes of marriage and family and the first miracle Jesus performed.”
The largest mural of Cana was painted by Paolo Veronese in Venice in 1563 and later stolen by Napoleon and brought to the Louvre in Paris, where it’s displayed opposite the Mona Lisa.
Armesto’s work has much symbolism. Light emanates from Christ, who is the central figure with the Blessed Mother. Nearby are the 12 apostles. Judas is the only one looking away from Jesus. There is an elderly couple and a dog, who is fixated on Christ, indicating all creation gives glory to God. Close to Peter is a rooster, foreshadowing his denial of Jesus three times before the cock crowed. Also included are the artists Veronese, Titian and Tintoretto.
Armesto, who spent months painting the mural, has works on display worldwide. For him, art has one ultimate purpose: “To praise God, who is the only Artist, the Creator.”
