P52 Week 43 -- Photographer's Choice: Changing Water Into Wine

This morning, the story of Jesus’s first miracle – turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana – came to mind. It appeared out of the blue and it fit perfectly.

As a high school student, I had the good fortune of being taught by Sister Annunciata, a young, petite dynamo of a Catholic novitiate with a bit of a lisp. Sister presented her interpretation of the wedding at Cana from St. John’s Gospel with her usual spunk and insightfulness. I can see the scene as Sister presented it.

Mary, worried and wanting to avert a potential social disaster for the wedding party, pulls her son aside and whispers, “They have no wine.” Jesus, with a twinkle in his eye, replies, “You know, Mother, it’s not my time yet.” Mary softens at her son’s light heartedness and meets his subtle challenge. She signals the servants to do as Jesus says. He instructs them to fill the empty wine jars with water and then has them take a sample – now turned into magnificent wine – to the steward. And what a lovely end to the story – the steward admonishes the bridegroom for serving the best wine last. Ha, ha!

As a teenager, I was astonished to experience an interpretation that depicted Jesus as having wonderful human traits: humor and merriment that blended beautifully with a deep devotion to his mother. I was in awe that Sister Annunciata could draw all this out of a story told in just a few words, and I resonated with the vibrancy and potential significance of her telling.

So why did that particular bible story come to me in my meditation this morning? I, too, like Mary, have been fretting. I’ve been in a slump. I’m behind on my writing and editing. Like a bear, I have been endlessly foraging in the kitchen as if to build up fat stores for a long winter’s hibernation. I’ve been playing computer games – Bejeweled, Cubistry, and Solitaire, if you must know. I feel shiftless and disorganized.

In the midst of this funk, in my meditation, I see Jesus grinning, joking with his mother and I see her rising to the occasion, and I see them wowing the steward. Through it all, they are honoring the sacredness of the marriage ceremony. My body relaxes and my face softens.

I realize that I, too, can lighten up about my worries, make fun of my concerns, and take some different steps. I can fill up my “jars” with the basics: I can take the “waters” of everyday doings and transform them into life-giving, soul drenching “wine.” I can honor the sacredness of who I am by being playful, mindful and loving.

Thank you, Sister Annunciata and thank you Sacred Mystery!