On the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
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Alcuin of York
AD 804
Galilee is a province; Cana a village in it.
She represents here the Synagogue, which challenges Christ to perform a miracle. It was customary with the Jews to ask for miracles.
Let the proud man blush to see the humility of God. Lo,among other things, the Son of the Virgin comes to a marriage; He who, when He was with the Father, instituted marriage.
What marvel, if He went to that house to amarriage, Who came into this world to a marriage. For here He has His spouse whom Here deemed with His own blood, to whom He gave the pledge of the Spirit, and whom Heunited to Himself in the womb of the Virgin. For the Word is the Bridegroom, and human flesh the bride, and both together are one Son of God and Son of man. That womb of the Virgin Mary is His chamber, from which he went forth as a bridegroom.
Some who derogate from the Gospel, and say that Jesus was not born of the Virgin Mary, try to draw an argument for their error from this place; for, how, say they, could she be His mother to whom He said, What have I to do with you? Now who is it who gives this account, and on whose authority do we believe it? The Evangelist John. But he himself says, The mother of Jes...
1. The miracle indeed of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby He made the water into wine, is not marvellous to those who know that it was God's doing. For He who made wine on that day at the marriage feast, in those six water-pots, which He commanded to be filled with water, the self-same does this every year in vines. For even as that which the servants put into the water-pots was turned into wine by the doing of the Lord, so in like manner also is what the clouds pour forth changed into wine by the doing of the same Lord. But we do not wonder at the latter, because it happens every year: it has lost its marvellousness by its constant recurrence. And yet it suggests a greater consideration than that which was done in the water-pots. For who is there that considers the works of God, whereby this whole world is governed and regulated, who is not amazed and overwhelmed with miracles? If he considers the vigorous power of a single grain of any seed whatever, it is a mighty thing, it inspires h...
His condescension in coming to the marriage, and the miracle He wrought there, are, even considering them in the letter only, a strong confirmation of the a faith. Therein too are condemned the errors of Tatian, Marcion, and others who detract from the honor of marriage. For if the undefiled bed, and the marriage celebrated with due chastity, partook at all of sin, our Lord would never have come to one. Whereas now, conjugal chastity being good, the continence of widows better, the perfection of the virgin state best, to sanction all these degrees, but distinguish the merit of each, He deigned to be born of the pure womb of the Virgin; was blessed after birth by the prophetic voice of the widow Anna; and now invited in manhood to attend the celebration of a marriage, honors that also by the presence of His goodness.
Nor is it without some mysterious allusion, that the marriage is related as taking place on the third day. The first age of the world, before the giving of the Law, was enl...
s14 , 15 , 16.—And He found in the Temple, &c. I have explained all these things in S. Matthew 21:12. Observe, however, that this was a different driving out of the buyers and sellers from that recorded in the21st of S. Matthew , which occurred very shortly before Christ"s passion. But this took place at the very beginning of His ministry.
On the third day, &c. The third day, that Isaiah , from Christ"s departure for Galilee, and the calling of Philip. For this was the last date mentioned by S. John. The following is the sequence of these days in the life of Christ. He was baptized by John in the thirty-first year of his age, on the6th of January, as the tradition of the Church declares. On the same day, after dinner, He retired into the desert, where He fasted forty days. This fast thus began on the7th of January, and ended on the1sth of February. Then he returned to Nazareth, where He abode fifteen days. Directly afterwards, that is to say, on the fifty sixth day after His baptism, as S. Epiphanius says (Hres51), or the1st of March, the Jews sent messengers to John the Baptist, to ask him whether He were the Christ or not? The day following, on March2 , Jesus came to John , when he pointed Him out with his finger, saying, Behold the Lamb. On the3d of March, John repeated this testimony before two of his disciples, of w...
The Mother of Jesus was present. It is supposed she was then a widow, since in all the rest of the history of Jesus, not a single word occurs respecting St. Joseph. (Calmet)
Our Lord being known in Galilee, they invite Him to a marriage: And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee.
They invite our Lord to the marriage, not as a great person, but merely as one they knew, one of the many; for which reason the Evangelist says, And the mother of Jesus was there. As they invited the mother, so they invited the Son: and therefore, Jesus was called, and His disciples to the marriage: and He came, as caring more for our good, shall His own dignity. He who disdained not to take upon Him the form of a servant, disdained not to cometo the marriage of servants.
But how came it into the mother’s mind to expect so great a thing from her Son? for he had done no miracle as yet: as we read afterwards This beginning of miracles did Jesus. His real nature, however, was beginning now to be revealed by John, and His own conversations with His disciples; besides that His conception, and the circumstances of His birth, had from the first given rise to high expectat...
I said before that He was best known in Galilee; therefore they invite Him to the marriage, and He comes; for He looked not to His own honor, but to our benefit. He who disdained not to take upon Him the form of a servant Philippians 2:7, would much less disdain to be present at the marriage of servants; He who sat down with publicans and sinners Matthew 9:13, would much less refuse to sit down with those present at the marriage. Assuredly they who invited Him had not formed a proper judgment of Him, nor did they invite Him as some great one, but merely as an ordinary acquaintance; and this the Evangelist has hinted at, when he says, The mother of Jesus was there, and His brethren. Just as they invited her and His brethren, they invited Jesus.
True and real was the draught of that wine at the marriage of (Cana in) Galilee;.
The first rudimentary displays of His power, when invited to the nuptials;.
Sups once for all at a single marriage.
All the more fully: "Little children, these things have I written to you, lest ye sin; and if ye shall have sinned, an Advocate we have with God the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and, He is the propitiation for our sins."
