In today's Gospel, we learn about how Mary, interceded for the sake of a young couple and how Jesus responded to his beloved mother by performing his first miracle for her.
Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and our minds. Fill us with your peace, love, and understanding. Help us to hear God's message today and recognize His voice in our daily activities. Amen
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it. 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.” Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF2d1lXEFDg (attributed to Catholic Kids Media)
Ask: What detail did Mary notice at the wedding? (that there was no more wine to serve to the wedding guests) What did Mary do to respond to the problem she noticed? (She brought the concern to Jesus.) Why did Mary bring the problem to Jesus? (She knew that Jesus could do something to address the situation.) How did Jesus respond to the situation? (He changed the water into wine; he provided a tremendous amount of wine.)
Say: Mary brought the need she saw to Jesus because she believed that Jesus could make the situation better. Jesus not only made things better for the hosts at the wedding feast. He used this as an opportunity to show us that God will respond to our needs and to the needs of our world in ways beyond our imagining.
Ask: What situations of need do we observe in our lives today? What would make these situations better? How might we respond to the needs we see? How might God respond to make these situations better? Discuss various needs and responses that would improve the situation.
Encourage the children to bring these needs to God in prayer and to ask God to help them respond to others' needs with generosity. Observe that God acts in our world in ways we can only begin to imagine.
Father in heaven, for the sake of bringing others closer to you, we give you today, all that we think and do and say, and we join it with all that was done by Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen
