24 January 2027 · Syro-Malabar Rite
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“Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” John 2:11
Denha is the season of Christ's manifestation, and the Church has long kept three manifestations together: the star that led the Magi, the voice and the dove at the Jordan, and the wine at Cana. Today the third is read. But the first reading prepares the ground. In the wilderness Moses cannot see how so many people will be fed, and God answers him: “Is the LORD's power limited? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.” God shares the spirit that was on Moses with seventy elders, and even Eldad and Medad, who stayed in the camp, prophesy. When Joshua wants them stopped, Moses says: “Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them!” Then come the quails, more than anyone can gather; but the people seize them with greed, and the place is called the graves of craving. God's gifts can be received with gratitude or grabbed with craving.
Isaiah mocks the idols that must be lifted onto shoulders and carried, that stand where they are put and cannot answer anyone in trouble. The living God is the opposite: he carries his people. “I am God, and there is no one like me”, he says, and he promises: “I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory.” At Cana that glory appears in the most ordinary place, a village wedding where the wine has run out. The mother of Jesus notices first and says simply, “They have no wine.” Jesus answers, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” She does not argue; she turns to the servants: “Do whatever he tells you.” Six stone jars stand there, meant for the Jewish rites of purification. They are filled to the brim with water, and the water becomes wine, so good that the steward tells the bridegroom, “you have kept the good wine until now.” John says Jesus “revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.”
Hebrews explains who is at work here. The priests of the old covenant were many, because death kept ending their service; but Christ “holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever”, and “he always lives to make intercession for them.” He offered sacrifice “once for all when he offered himself.” The jars of purification are filled with something new: not a rite repeated again and again, but the gift of the Bridegroom himself. Just before Cana, Philip tells the doubting Nathanael, “Come and see”, and Jesus promises him, “You will see greater things than these.” The greater thing is the hour that had not yet come: the Cross, where the true wine of the new covenant is poured out, and which every Holy Qurbana makes present for us.
Theme: “Do whatever he tells you.”
Christ reveals his glory: the unlimited power of God, the God who carries, the good wine, the eternal priest.
“The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD's power limited? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”” Numbers 11:23
“Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.”” John 1:50
Apply: Bring one impossible situation to God in prayer today.
“remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me,” Isaiah 46:9
“Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”” John 1:49
Apply: Name one idol you carry, and set it down.
“When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do.”” Genesis 41:55
“His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”” John 2:5
Apply: Obey one clear word of the Gospel this week.
“The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”” Psalm 110:4
“Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
Apply: Receive the Holy Qurbana this Sunday as the good wine of the Bridegroom.
At Cana the God of unlimited power reveals his glory in a small village.
Tell him what has run out, and do whatever he tells you.
Take-home resolution: Each evening this week, tell Jesus one need of your family.
Dear brothers and sisters, in Denha Christ is revealed, and today he is revealed at a wedding. But first we hear Moses in the wilderness, wondering how so many can be fed. God answers: is the LORD's power limited? He shares his spirit with the elders, sends the quails, and yet the people grab them with greed, and the place is called the graves of craving.
Isaiah tells us the difference between idols and God. Idols must be carried on shoulders and cannot answer. The living God carries his people and says: I am God, and there is no one like me (Isaiah 46:9).
At Cana the wine runs out. Mary notices and says to her Son: they have no wine (John 2:3). Then she says to the servants the words she still says to us: do whatever he tells you (John 2:5).
The servants fill six stone jars to the brim with water, and Jesus changes it into wine, the best wine, kept until now. John says: he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him (John 2:11).
Hebrews tells us that Christ holds his priesthood permanently and always lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). The jars of purification are filled with something new: his own self-offering, made present at every Holy Qurbana.
So let us tell Jesus what has run out in our homes, receive his gifts with thanks and not with craving, and do whatever he tells us. The good wine is still to come. Amen.
Children, at a wedding the wine ran out, and Mary told Jesus. Jesus turned water into the best wine!
When something is missing in your family, tell Jesus, and do what he says.
Lord Jesus Christ, at Cana you revealed your glory and filled the empty jars with the good wine. Free us from craving and teach us to receive your gifts with thanks. Through the prayers of your mother, who tells us to do whatever you say, fill our homes with your joy, and as our eternal priest who always intercedes for us, bring us to the wedding feast of heaven. Glory to you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen.
Denha celebrates the manifestation of the Lord, and today’s Gospel is the first sign at Cana, where he “revealed his glory”. The other readings prepare the way. In the wilderness God asks Moses, “Is the Lord’s power limited?” and shares his spirit far beyond what anyone expected, but his gift of quails is grabbed with craving. In Isaiah idols have to be carried on shoulders, while the true God speaks and acts. Hebrews shows who is at work: a priest who “continues forever” and “always lives” to intercede. At Cana a mother notices a need and tells the servants to obey, and water fills six stone jars and becomes wine. The line runs from craving to abundance, and its key words are spirit, glory and sign.
Setting.
Israel has left Sinai and is on the march. The people, tired of manna, crave the food of Egypt (11:4–6). Moses breaks down: “I am not able to carry all this people alone” (11:14). God answers with two promises: seventy elders will share his burden, and the people will have meat. Moses cannot see how (11:21–22). Today’s reading begins with God’s reply.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“The Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”” (11:23)
The whole of today’s Sunday is an answer to this question.
“and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.” (11:25)
A note on the text. The Hebrew means that this happened once, a sign that the elders had been given authority. The Latin Vulgate understood it the other way, that they did not cease. The modern versions, with the NRSV and the POC, follow the first sense.
“But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”” (11:29)
Joshua is loyal, and his loyalty is too small. Moses wants nothing for himself. The spirit is not his property, and Eldad and Medad are in the list even though they stayed in the camp (v. 26). Jesus later answers John the same way: “Do not stop him” (Mark 9:39).
“But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people,” (11:33)
Psalm 78 sings of this story (78:26–31). Paul uses it as a warning for Christians that they should not crave what is evil (1 Corinthians 10:6).
How the Church reads it.
Moses’ wish is fulfilled at Pentecost, when Peter says that God will pour out his Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17). The Church teaches that the whole People of God shares in Christ’s prophetic office (CCC 785; Lumen Gentium 12). An ancient ordination prayer for presbyters recalls these seventy elders (the Apostolic Tradition, in substance). So the passage guards two truths together: God gives authority to some, and the Spirit is not limited to them.
Setting.
This part of Isaiah speaks to the Jews in exile in Babylon, before 539 BC. Great processions carried Babylon’s gods through the city. Just before our reading, the prophet pictures Bel and Nebo, the chief gods, loaded on tired animals as refugees (46:1–2), and then the Lord says to Israel, “even when you turn gray I will carry you” (46:4). The contrast is the heart of the chapter: Babylon carries its gods, and Israel’s God carries Israel.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“If one cries out to it, it does not answer or save anyone from trouble.” (46:7)
It stands where it is put. It is the exact opposite of the God who hears.
“remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me,” (46:9)
Israel’s faith is built on memory. To remember what God has done is the best defence against worshipping what looks strong today.
“I bring near my deliverance, it is not far off, and my salvation will not tarry; I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory.” (46:13)
Simeon’s words about the child Jesus may echo this promise: “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:32). That is a verse for Denha.
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism teaches that idolatry is not only about false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith, whenever we honour and revere a creature in place of God, such as power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state or money (CCC 2113). The test Isaiah gives still works: does the thing I rely on carry me, or do I have to carry it?
Setting.
Hebrews 7 has been reading Psalm 110:4 line by line: “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek”. Melchizedek stands outside the line of Levi, and the promise comes with God’s oath (7:20–22). Now the author draws the conclusion: what kind of priest do we actually have? Its author is not named, and the Church received it among the letters linked with St Paul.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.” (7:24)
“Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (7:25)
This may be the most comforting verse in the letter. At this moment someone is praying for me whom the Father cannot refuse.
“this he did once for all when he offered himself.” (7:27)
Priest and victim are the same. No earlier priest could offer himself, and no later one needs to offer anything else. The argument speaks of “day after day” although the great atonement was yearly: the author is thinking of the whole system of offerings, and of the contrast with once.
“but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.” (7:28)
“Made perfect” does not mean he was once sinful. It is the language of being fitted for an office, here through obedience and suffering (compare 2:10; 5:8–9).
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism quotes this passage when it speaks of Christ’s entry into heaven as our high priest (CCC 662), and of the intercession of Christ on which all Christian intercession depends (CCC 2634). Only Christ is the true priest, and the others are his ministers (CCC 1545, quoting St Thomas Aquinas). When the Church offers the Holy Qurbana, she does not add to the one sacrifice; it is made present (CCC 1366–1367).
Setting.
In the longer form the Gospel starts with Philip and Nathanael. Philip says, “Come and see”, and Jesus promises Nathanael, “You will see greater things than these” (1:46, 50). Cana is the first of those greater things. Cana was a village in Galilee, and Nathanael came from there (21:2). The “third day” (2:1) recalls for many commentators the day on which the Lord appeared in glory at Sinai (Exodus 19:16), and for every Christian reader the day of the Resurrection.
A village wedding could last several days, and for the wine to run out would have been a real shame for the family. The hosts’ honour was at stake.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”” (2:3)
She does not tell him what to do. She simply presents the need. This is the model of Christian intercession.
“And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.”” (2:4)
The phrase “what concern is that to you and to me?” is a Semitic idiom found also in Judges 11:12 and 1 Kings 17:18. It marks a distance and does not by itself mean refusal, since he acts a moment later. He is saying that his work follows his Father’s hour, not family need alone.
“His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”” (2:5)
Her last words in this Gospel. For many commentators they recall the words of Israel at Sinai, “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8). Every Marian devotion ends here.
“Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.” (2:6)
Stone did not contract ritual uncleanness in Jewish practice, and such jars have been found by archaeologists in the land. The total is between about 450 and 700 litres, a huge amount. The prophets foretold wine in plenty for the days of the Messiah (Amos 9:13; Isaiah 25:6). Jesus does not smash the jars. He fills them to the brim.
“But you have kept the good wine until now.” (2:10)
The steward speaks more truly than he knows. God kept his best until now.
“Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” (2:11)
This is the point of the entire story. There is no word of what the guests thought. The sign is complete when the disciples believe (compare 20:31).
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism draws three lessons from Cana. It is a confirmation of the goodness of marriage (CCC 1613). It is an announcement of the Eucharist: the new wine of the Kingdom, become the Blood of Christ (CCC 1335). And it shows Mary’s intercession, at a feast that is a sign of the wedding of the Lamb (CCC 2618). The Second Vatican Council says that she, moved with pity, brought about by her intercession the beginning of the signs (Lumen Gentium 58).
St Cyril of Jerusalem argued from this miracle to the Eucharist: if he once changed water into wine, why not believe that he changes wine into his Blood? (Mystagogical Catecheses 4, in substance.) St Augustine remarked that the Lord who did this once at Cana does the same every year in the vineyards, and that we have stopped wondering (Tractates on John 8, in substance).
Was Jesus being disrespectful to his mother?
No. “Woman” was a respectful form of address, though unusual from a son, and he uses it again from the Cross, when he gives her to the beloved disciple (19:26). She takes no offence, and he does what she has asked.
Does the Gospel look down on Jewish rites of purification?
No. John notes the jars and their purpose with care. Jesus, his mother and his disciples are all Jews at a Jewish wedding. The sign says that what God promised to Israel is coming to fullness in a new and overflowing way. The Church honours the covenant with Israel, which God has never revoked (CCC 121, 839).
If Christ is the only high priest, what are our priests?
They share in his one priesthood as his ministers (CCC 1545). When a priest offers the Holy Qurbana, it is Christ who acts through him. Hebrews excludes any rival priesthood or any sacrifice added to his. It does not exclude ministers of his own.
Denha means “dawning” or manifestation. In the Syro-Malabar season it is the shining of the Lord’s glory, first at the Jordan and now at Cana. At every Holy Qurbana a little water is mingled with the wine, and in the same Qurbana the Spirit is called down on the offerings. The people of Kerala know what a wedding means to a family, and how much a mother sees before anyone says a word. Today’s Gospel brings that ordinary knowledge to the altar.