Another key point in the passage is when Mary, after informing Jesus that the newlywed couple had run out of wine, tells the servants to "do whatever he tells you."
Pope Francis said "it's curious" that these are the last words spoken by Mary in the Gospels, and that as such "they are her legacy which she presents to all of us. This is the legacy that she has left us and it's beautiful!"
He noted how Mary's expression is similar to another -- 'What the Lord has said, we will do!' – which was used by the people of Israel when they received the covenant with God on Mount Sinai.
In the wedding at Cana, a New Covenant is "truly stipulated" and the servants of the Lord, who are "the entire Church," are entrusted with a new mission, the Pope explained.
This mission, following Mary's directive to "Do whatever he tells you," means serving the Lord by listening to his Word and putting it into practice, Francis continued, adding that "it's the simple but essential recommendation of the Mother of Jesus and it's the program of the Christian life."
Jesus began his public works at Cana, revealing his glory to his disciples and cementing their belief in him, the Pope observed. Given these facts, "the wedding of Cana is much more than a simple story about Jesus' first miracle."
"Like a treasure chest, (Jesus) guards the secret of his person and the purpose for his coming," Pope Francis said, explaining that it is through this wedding that Jesus binds his disciples to himself "with a new and definitive covenant."
Francis closed his address by noting how Cana marks the place where Jesus' disciples become his family and "the faith of the Church is born," adding that "we are all invited to that wedding, because the new wine will never be lacking!"
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.