CIS Walks

The Wedding at Cana

VERŻJONI MALTIJA

Presence:
I find a quiet place, to spend some quality time with the Lord. For a few moments I try to relax and put my worries aside. I slowly shut out distractions -outside me and within me- to open myself to the God of abundant love and grace.

I ask for the grace I wish to receive: I may ask to trust in God’s bigger plans for me – not my will but God’s will in and for me (or another grace).

I read the text: John 2:1–11 Wedding at Cana

• I read and re-read the passage slowly. What does it say to me today?

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
⁴ “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]
⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

• Points for Reflection:
• Using my imagination, I try to visualise the scene and all the people involved – Maybe I find myself standing with Mary … or with Jesus … or with the master of the feast…
• How do I feel as I see each of them respond to the situation? – confident that Jesus will help; worried; anxious; baffled…
• In a decisive moment Mary doesn’t panic or take matters in her hands. She went to Jesus trusting in His help – How might God be inviting me to trust in Him?
• Jesus tells Mary, “My hour has not yet come,” yet He acts anyway. How does God’s timing effect my relationship with Him when it doesn’t align with mine?
• I recall times in my own life where I followed Mary’s command: ‘Do whatever he tells you’. What happened? Is there anything I realise now in the way my circumstances were transformed that I could not see then.
• Mary was observant and calm; she noticed and interceded: I reflect on my gifts…how do I use them? Are any lying dormant?
• I ponder. Are there areas in my life which are empty and need filling – I ask for the Lord’s help, trusting in His unconditional love for me.

Conversation: I take a few moments to relish what touched me the most during this time of prayer and converse about it with our Lord or I may put my thoughts and feelings into a spontaneous prayer to our Lord.

Witness: St Ignatius of Loyola

St Ignatius’ whole life was an exploration of love of God and how best to respond to that love.

Born in1491 in the Basque region of Spain, St. Ignatius of Loyola led a life of ambition and military service before undergoing a radical spiritual conversion. Ignatius’ life changed drastically after a cannonball injury during battle forced him into a long period of convalescence. Bored and restless as he recovered at the family castle, he asked for books about romance and chivalry to occupy his time. Instead, he received the only books available: the lives of the saints and the life of Christ. Reading and re-reading these books lead him to dedicate his life to God.

Key Moments in His Journey

• After his conversion, he spent a year in solitude and prayer at Manresa, where he developed the foundation for his Spiritual Exercises.
• He later studied theology in Paris, gathering a group of followers who would become the Jesuits, a religious order committed to education, missionary work, and spiritual formation.
• In 1540, Pope Paul III formally recognized the Society of Jesus, which became instrumental in spreading the Catholic faith worldwide.
• St. Ignatius’ teachings emphasized contemplation in action, guiding believers to seek God in everyday life.

His legacy continues today, particularly through Ignatian spirituality, which encourages prayer, discernment, and complete surrender to God’s will – principles beautifully expressed in the Suscipe prayer.

The “Suscipe prayer” is a profound act of surrender to God’s will. St. Ignatius, emphasizes discernment and selfless love, as principles at the heart of this prayer.

It is a prayer that encapsulates trust, humility, and devotion, inviting the faithful to offer their entire being to the service of the Divine.

The “Suscipe” Prayer

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and my entire will,
all that I have and possess.

You have given all to me.
To You, O Lord, I return it.

All is Yours; dispose of it wholly according to Your will.
Give me only Your love and Your grace, for this is enough for me.

Click the link for the origin of the Suscipe prayer and a suggestion for praying it:

The Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola: Everything You Need to Know – Ghirelli Srl – ROW