“They have no wine.”  (John 2: 3).
Mary told Jesus at the wedding party at Cana.  This is the first miracle of Jesus. What a story it tells about Jesus and His ways.  Some people choose to believe that Christianity is a kill joy religion. No fun whatsoever.  Only fasting, armsgiving and praying.  This first miracle at Cana demolishes this.  If Jesus did not perform the miracle, shortage of wine would not invalidate the marriage. Jesus performed the miracle to show His pleasure in the celebration of marriage.

"Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.”  (John 2: 10).

There is a word of encouragement for us here.  God in His most powerful Providence reserves the best for us to the last. Don't give up.

Another truth we can take away from the Miracle at Cana is this:
‘Tis not from chance our comfort springs, Thou art our trust, O King of kings."  (Lauds - Liturgy of the Hours).

Not even a single comfort you enjoy in life come from chance or accident.  Every single comfort you enjoy comes from the God of all consolation and comforts. (2 Corinthians 1: 3).
This is an incredibly powerful promise.  Will you share this good news?

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"Let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help."  (Hebrews 4: 16).

My friends, this is the beautiful invitation from today's first Reading. Consider for a moment the vehicle or medium of this invitation:
"The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword."  (Hebrews 4: 12).  Do you realize that another name for Jesus is the "word of God?"

We know who invites us to step forward boldly and receive grace and mercy whenever we need it.  But why should anyone hesitate to come to Jesus, the friend of sinners? Three reasons jump to me immediately:

#1.  Lack of faith.
#2.  Too busy for Jesus.
#3.   Our sins.

Does any of the above pass the Lie test? The answer is No.  If Jesus Himself invites us to to receive grace and mercy, why should He hesitate to deal with our lack of faith. Friends, open your mouth and ask.  Too busy for Jesus sounds like the teenager who goes off to college.  "Junior, why don't you write mom and dad?"  "Oh, I am too busy."  The Lord in His sense of humor might allow parents to experience such neglect in order to see how they treat Him.

Jesus is the friend of sinners. In the Gospel of today, Jesus dines with Matthew also known as Levi and his friends. All of them without exception sinners. At the objection of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said:  “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”  (Mark 2: 17).

Will you be an evangelist and bring this glad tidings to your family and friends?

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"Jesus saw their faith."  (Mark 2: 5).

Jesus while preaching the word in a packed room in his hometown, had a paralytic man lowered from the roof of the house by four friends and dropped to His feet.  Scripture records that Jesus saw the faith of the four friends of the paralytic.  What exactly did Jesus see?  He saw the four men did the one thing necessary.  The men knew and believed the healing powers of Jesus.  "If only we could get our paralytic friend before Jesus, he would be healed." Must have been their thinking.
Faith is a bold action based on a credible assumption.  The  woman with the issue of blood searched for Jesus until she found Him. Then she sneaked behind him and touched the hem of His cloak.  She got an instant healing.  (Matthew 9: 20 - 22).

Faith is absolute confidence in the word of God, in the promise of God.  Do you have a faith that can be seen? How do you get such faith?
By prayer and daily feeding of the word of God.

For many days now, the Church has repeated the same prayer in the Collect in the daily Mass:

"Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care,
O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen."  (Collect).

Give us the grace to see what we must do.  Give us the strength to do what You show us.  This is how faith that is seen is produced.

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