There was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. Jesus and his disciples were guests also. When they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet, Jesus’ mother told him, “They’re just about out of wine”. Jesus said, “Is that any of our business, Mother – yours or mine? This isn’t my time. Don’t push me”. She went ahead anyway, telling the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it”. (John 2: 1 – 5)

Weddings are supposed to be joyful and happy for the bride and groom, their families, and all in attendance. But in our culture weddings have moved into the world of consumer excess and competition. Couples become blindsided by all of the details. Some try to deal with it by hiring a professional wedding coordinator who, if they’re not careful, will often add to the stress of the day by creating even more options and choices for the couple. File folders spill over into boxes of contracts, catalogues, menus, and so much more.

The wise bride and groom are able to step away from details a bit and rejoice in what is taking place, making it a true sacrament and so find the presence of God with them in their love for each other.

There are a few miracles in the story of the wedding at Cana. The first miracle was Mary’s sensitivity to the embarrassment of the family of the groom running out of wine. The second was Jesus’ changing the water into wine. The third was that the unaware bridegroom appears late in the story and the bride not at all. They were oblivious to the problem that had arisen or perhaps they had resigned themselves to the fact that there was nothing they could do about it.

No matter what, the problem is solved. There is a lesson here, not only for prospective brides and grooms but all of us. Worrying solves no problems. Jesus solves lots of them, even when we are not aware of that. That should give us all considerable confidence.