Weekly thoughts on the Sunday Gospel, readings or a topic...

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seeing your life through the lens of the gospels – John 2:1-11
1. The story is a story of abundance, the abundance of the blessings God gives us. How have you been aware of the abundance of God’s blessings? Let the memories lead you to prayer of thanks and praise for the times in your life when that joy and fulfilment have been very real to you.
2. John uses a number of images (marriage, wine, feast, etc) to symbolise the abundance of God’s love. Do you have a favourite image, or metaphor, that reminds you of the abundance of God’s love and blessings?
3. The hour of Jesus had not yet come when the glory of God would be fully revealed. Even so, something of the glory of God was revealed in the sign that took place. For us, also, the revelation of the full glory of God lies in the future, but we do get glimpses along the way. Recall some of the signs that have revealed to you something of the glory of God, e.g. nature, art, friendship, etc.
4. Mary/Jesus. It is interesting to note that despite the apparent rebuff, Mary is the first person in the narrative to show (at the level of the action of the story) that the correct response to the presence of Jesus is to trust in him. When have you trusted in the word of Jesus like that? What relationships do you have that you can trust like that? Do you recall times when your trust was rewarded even when you had initially been disappointed?  – John Byrne, OSA

The Deep End
This is a familiar story, rich in symbolism. It is the first ‘sign’ recorded in John’s Gospel. These ‘signs’ in John’s Gospel are miracle stories but John prefers to use the term ‘sign,’ as they point to something far more than just the miracle itself. John used these signs to encourage belief in his readers but they are also an invitation for us to understand something more of how God operates in our lives.
Jesus transforms the water which would be used for the Jewish purification rite. He takes something used to give life to people, and transforms it into something which brings joy, celebration and new life to the party. There are many messages we can take from this account: the ability of God to transform our lives, to transform that which is dead and stale. The abundance of wine (approx. 700 litres!) is a significant reminder of the abundance of God’s love for us, beyond our comprehension.
We could also focus on the role of Mary in this Gospel – she is the one who notices, she is attentive to the needs of those around her and brings this concern to Jesus. We might pray today that we too may be able to notice, to see, to intervene when we are faced with situations that need attention. This may be a situation of injustice or it may be a situation where something in our own lives or in our church has become dead and stale and is in desperate need of new wine. 
– Jane Mellett, Pastoral Worker, Dublin Diocese

(from Intercom)