Gospel Reflection on John 2: 1-11 by Alex Oliveros

Alex Oliveros – Junior

This Gospel passage is arguably one of the most well-known miracles Jesus did. It holds a special place in John’s Gospel as canonically this was Jesus’ first act in his ministry. What I find funny about this passage is the banter Jesus and Mary have before the miracle takes place. Jesus tells his mother that he isn’t ready and it’s too early for him to begin his ministry. Being his mother, Mary knows that Jesus is ready and essentially asks Jesus to change the water into wine as if she was asking him to clean the dishes.

I can picture an adult Jesus sighing as he has to follow his mom’s directions. In a different dimension, Mary might as well have sung “Mother Knows Best” from Tangled. That’s the great part about this story though: it beautifully shows both the godliness and humanity of Jesus. We can both see the power Jesus has by changing water to wine, and at the same time relate to Him by seeing even God must abide by the wishes of his mom.

So, what does this call us to do? Well, it’s pretty simple at face value: Honor Thy Mother and Father. However, I believe there is a deeper meaning to this. Sometimes when our parents or someone who cares for us asks us to do something, we procrastinate, give a huge sigh, or straight up don’t complete the task due to how illogical it might sound (at least I’ve done that before). We do this because we only see short-term results. What we don’t see are the long-term pros of the task because we can be blinded by our own wants in the moment. When we complain about a task someone who cares for us asks, we must think: is my reason for complaining a legitimate moral or logical reason? Or am I simply too “busy” with what I am doing now to see the bigger picture? Often – at least when it comes to our parents – we complain because of the latter. I encourage us to pray for patience and understanding with each other, especially during finals week.