This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.
During his speech, the Pope continued his meditations on mercy from the biblical perspective, focusing on the first of Jesus' miracles at the wedding at Cana (Jn 2:3, 6-10).
Following each of the summaries of his catechesis, presented in various languages, the Holy Father addressed greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Before beginning today's catechesis, I want to greet the groups of couples who are celebrating their fiftieth anniversaries of marriage. You are the good wine of the family! Yours is a witness that newly married couples - who I will greet afterwards - and the young should learn. It is a beautiful witness. Thank you for your witness. After having offered a few words about mercy, today we focus on the first of Jesus' miracles, which John the evangelist calls a sign, since Jesus did not do it in order to arouse wonder or marvel, but rather to reveal the Father's love. The first of these miraculous signs is told precisely by John (Jn 2:1-11) and takes place at Cana in Galilee. It is a kind of entry door, into which are carved the words and expressions that illuminate the interior mystery of Christ and open the heart of the apostles to faith. Let us look closely at some of them.
In the introduction, we find the expression: Jesus with his disciples (Jn 2:2). Those who Jesus had called to follow him had bound themselves to him, forming a community, and now, like a family, they are all invited to the wedding. Initiating his public ministry during the wedding at Cana, Jesus reveals himself as the spouse of the people of God, proclaimed by the prophets, and he reveals the depth of the relationship that unites us to Him: a new covenant of love. What is the foundation of our fiath? A miraculous act with which Jesus united himself to us. The Christian life is a response to this love, like the story of two lovers. God and man meet, they seek each other out, they celebrate and they love: just like the lover and the beloved in the Song of Songs. Everything else is a consequence of this relationship. The Church is Jesus' family in which he pours out his love; it is this love that the Church possesses and wants to share with everyone.
In the context of the covenant, we can also understand Our Lady's observation: They have no wine (Jn 2:3). How is it possible to celebrate a wedding and to have a party if we are missing that which the prophets would point out as an essential element of the messianic banquet (cf Amos 9:13-14; Joel 2:24; Isaiah 25:6)? Water is necessary for life, but wine expresses the abundance of the banquet and the joy of the feast. It is a wedding feast in which there is a shortage of wine; the newly married would be ashamed of this. But imagine what it would be like to finish a wedding banquet drinking only tea; it would be a shame. Wine is necessary for the feast. Transforming water in the jars that were usually used for the Jewish purification rituals (Jn 2:6) into wine, Jesus performs an eloquent sign: he transforms the Law of Moses into the Gospel, he is a bearer of joy. As John himself says in another place: The Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (Jn 1:17).
The words that Mary speaks to the servants crown the spousal backdrop of Cana: Do whatever he tells you (Jn 2:5). It is curious: these are the last of her words reported in the Gospel: the inheritance she passes on to all of us. Even today, Our Lady says to all of us: Whatever he says - whatever Jesus asks of you - do it. This is the inheritance she leaves to us: it is beautiful! It is an expression that recalls the formula of faith used by the Israelis at Saini in response to the promises of the covenant: What the Lord has said, we will do! (Ezekiel 19:8). In fact, at Cana, the servants obeyed. Jess says to them: Fill the jars with water, and they filled them to the brim. Once again, he said to them: Now, take some of the water from the jars and take it to the one who is in charge of the banquet, and they took it to him (Jn 2:7-8). In that marriage, a truly new Covenant was defined for the servants of the Lord: this new mission is entrusted to the entire Church: Do whatever he tells you! Serving the Lord means listening to his Word and putting it into practice. This is the simple but essential advice given by the Mother of Jesus, and it is the plan of life for every Christian. For every one of us, drawing water from the jar means confiding ourselves to the Word of God in order to experience its effectiveness in our lives. So, together with the coordinator of the banquet who tasted the water that had been changed into wine, we too can exclaim: You have saved the best wine for last (Jn 2:10). Yes, the Lord continues to keep the best wine of our salvation; it continues to pour forth from the pierced side of the Lord.
The conclusion of the story sounds like a judgement: This sign, that took place at Cana in Galilee, was the first of the signs performed by Jesus; he showed his glory and his disciples believed in him (Jn 2:11). The wedding at Cana is much more than simply a story about the first of Jesus' miracles. Like a casket, it keeps the secret of his person and the purpose for his coming: the long awaited Spouse gives life to the wedding which is accomplished in the Paschal mystery. In this wedding, Jesus binds his disciples to himself with a new and definitive covenant. At Cana, Jesus' disciples become his family and at Cana, the faith of the Church is born. We are all invited to the wedding, because no one should miss out on the new wine!
This catechesis was then summarized in various languages and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Scotland, France, the Netherlands, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
During his speech, the Pope continued his meditations on mercy from the biblical perspective, focusing on the first of Jesus' miracles at the wedding at Cana (Jn 2:3, 6-10).
Following each of the summaries of his catechesis, presented in various languages, the Holy Father addressed greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Before beginning today's catechesis, I want to greet the groups of couples who are celebrating their fiftieth anniversaries of marriage. You are the good wine of the family! Yours is a witness that newly married couples - who I will greet afterwards - and the young should learn. It is a beautiful witness. Thank you for your witness. After having offered a few words about mercy, today we focus on the first of Jesus' miracles, which John the evangelist calls a sign, since Jesus did not do it in order to arouse wonder or marvel, but rather to reveal the Father's love. The first of these miraculous signs is told precisely by John (Jn 2:1-11) and takes place at Cana in Galilee. It is a kind of entry door, into which are carved the words and expressions that illuminate the interior mystery of Christ and open the heart of the apostles to faith. Let us look closely at some of them.
In the introduction, we find the expression: Jesus with his disciples (Jn 2:2). Those who Jesus had called to follow him had bound themselves to him, forming a community, and now, like a family, they are all invited to the wedding. Initiating his public ministry during the wedding at Cana, Jesus reveals himself as the spouse of the people of God, proclaimed by the prophets, and he reveals the depth of the relationship that unites us to Him: a new covenant of love. What is the foundation of our fiath? A miraculous act with which Jesus united himself to us. The Christian life is a response to this love, like the story of two lovers. God and man meet, they seek each other out, they celebrate and they love: just like the lover and the beloved in the Song of Songs. Everything else is a consequence of this relationship. The Church is Jesus' family in which he pours out his love; it is this love that the Church possesses and wants to share with everyone.
In the context of the covenant, we can also understand Our Lady's observation: They have no wine (Jn 2:3). How is it possible to celebrate a wedding and to have a party if we are missing that which the prophets would point out as an essential element of the messianic banquet (cf Amos 9:13-14; Joel 2:24; Isaiah 25:6)? Water is necessary for life, but wine expresses the abundance of the banquet and the joy of the feast. It is a wedding feast in which there is a shortage of wine; the newly married would be ashamed of this. But imagine what it would be like to finish a wedding banquet drinking only tea; it would be a shame. Wine is necessary for the feast. Transforming water in the jars that were usually used for the Jewish purification rituals (Jn 2:6) into wine, Jesus performs an eloquent sign: he transforms the Law of Moses into the Gospel, he is a bearer of joy. As John himself says in another place: The Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (Jn 1:17).
The words that Mary speaks to the servants crown the spousal backdrop of Cana: Do whatever he tells you (Jn 2:5). It is curious: these are the last of her words reported in the Gospel: the inheritance she passes on to all of us. Even today, Our Lady says to all of us: Whatever he says - whatever Jesus asks of you - do it. This is the inheritance she leaves to us: it is beautiful! It is an expression that recalls the formula of faith used by the Israelis at Saini in response to the promises of the covenant: What the Lord has said, we will do! (Ezekiel 19:8). In fact, at Cana, the servants obeyed. Jess says to them: Fill the jars with water, and they filled them to the brim. Once again, he said to them: Now, take some of the water from the jars and take it to the one who is in charge of the banquet, and they took it to him (Jn 2:7-8). In that marriage, a truly new Covenant was defined for the servants of the Lord: this new mission is entrusted to the entire Church: Do whatever he tells you! Serving the Lord means listening to his Word and putting it into practice. This is the simple but essential advice given by the Mother of Jesus, and it is the plan of life for every Christian. For every one of us, drawing water from the jar means confiding ourselves to the Word of God in order to experience its effectiveness in our lives. So, together with the coordinator of the banquet who tasted the water that had been changed into wine, we too can exclaim: You have saved the best wine for last (Jn 2:10). Yes, the Lord continues to keep the best wine of our salvation; it continues to pour forth from the pierced side of the Lord.
The conclusion of the story sounds like a judgement: This sign, that took place at Cana in Galilee, was the first of the signs performed by Jesus; he showed his glory and his disciples believed in him (Jn 2:11). The wedding at Cana is much more than simply a story about the first of Jesus' miracles. Like a casket, it keeps the secret of his person and the purpose for his coming: the long awaited Spouse gives life to the wedding which is accomplished in the Paschal mystery. In this wedding, Jesus binds his disciples to himself with a new and definitive covenant. At Cana, Jesus' disciples become his family and at Cana, the faith of the Church is born. We are all invited to the wedding, because no one should miss out on the new wine!
This catechesis was then summarized in various languages and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Scotland, France, the Netherlands, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
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