At the wedding at Cana, Christ, by transforming water into wine, “opens the hearts of the disciples to faith, thanks to the intervention of Mary, the first among believers.”
With the preaching of the kingdom and the call to conversion, Christ initiates “the ministry of mercy,” which continues through “the Sacrament of Reconciliation which he has entrusted to his Church.”
For St. John Paul II, the Transfiguration is the “mystery of light par excellence” since “the glory of the Godhead shines forth from the face of Christ as the Father commands the astonished Apostles to ‘listen to him.’”
The institution of the Eucharist is also a mystery of light because “Christ offers his body and blood as food under the signs of bread and wine, and testifies ‘to the end’ his love for humanity (Jn 13:1), for whose salvation he will offer himself in sacrifice.”
Mary in the mysteries of light
The Holy Father pointed out that “apart from the miracle at Cana, the presence of Mary remains in the background.” However, “the role she assumed at Cana in some way accompanies Christ throughout his ministry,” with her maternal counsel: “Do whatever he tells you (Jn 2:5).”
St. John Paul II considers this counsel to be “a fitting introduction to the words and signs of Christ’s public ministry and it forms the Marian foundation of all the ‘mysteries of light.’”
The pope then proposed that these mysteries of light be contemplated on Thursdays.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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