The Good Wine

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing where it came from
— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,
the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,
“Everyone serves good wine first,
and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;
but you have kept the good wine until now.”

So often unbelievers portray the Church as a legalistic institution, given to moralistic declarations of “Thou shalt nots” aimed at taking all the fun out of life.  Today’s Gospel of the Wedding feast at Cana, stands in complete contradiction to that view of the Church and to her Divine Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.  Not only did Jesus make around 120 gallons of water into wine, it was good wine!  What a waste, thinks the practical-minded headwaiter, to give such good wine to already half-intoxicated guests.  Little did he or the disciples know that they had seen nothing yet.  This was good wine, but the best wine would be given three years later at another feast in Jerusalem, wine turned into Precious Blood poured out for the remission of sin.  Not 120 gallons worth, but an infinite stream of divine love would flow from the heart of the Savior, first on Calvary in the presence of His Mother, called by Him, “Woman”, and then again through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  The crowds who heard the Apostles enthusiastic preaching of the Good News on that day would laugh and say that they had been drinking new wine!  Perhaps Mary smiled, for she was there too, and thought, “Yes! New wine!  The happy hour has come!”