Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary 9 (Christmas VI): Our Lady of Cana

Our Lady of Cana

Beata Maria Virgo de Cana

In the Gospel narrative (John 2, 1-12) the "sign of Cana" belongs to the Mystery of the manifestation of the Lord. The Roman Liturgy celebrates it accordingly every year on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord: "Three mysteries mark this holy day: today the star leads the magi to the Infant Christ; today water is changed into wine for the wedding feast; today Christ wills to be baptised by John in the river Jordan to bring us salvation" (Liturgia Horarum, 6 January, Antiphon for the Canticle of Mary, evening prayer II). Again, the second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, specifically celebrates this "beginning of signs". In this manifestation of the Lord our Lady played an active part, and so the liturgy remembers her along with her Son in the text: "Blessed are you, Virgin Mary: through you your Son gave the first of his signs; the Bridegroom prepared the new wine for his Bride; through you the disciples learned to believe in their Master" (Communion Antiphon).

This Mass, therefore, celebrates together the Lord Jesus, the Church as it develops out of the sign of Cana, and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

First of all, it celebrates Christ the Lord, who manifested his glory in this marvellous sign and revealed himself: as the Messiah promised by God (cf. Preface), as the Master to whom the disciples give their obedience in faith (cf. Entrance Antiphon, Gospel, Communion Antiphon), as the Lord, whose commands are carried out by the servants (cf. Preface), as the new Moses (cf. 1 Reading, Exodus 19, 3-8a) and the author of the new and everlasting Covenant, and as the Bridegroom who for the Church, his Bride, at an hour here foreshadowed will "shed his Blood on the Cross" (Preface), when blood and water, the symbols of redemption, will flow from his pierced side.

This Mass celebrates the Church, the community of disciples who faithfully follow Christ (cf. Prayer after Communion) and "do what he commands" (Collect, Preface), provide for the needs of the community and in "unity of mind and heart" foreshadow the coming of the kingdom (cf. Prayer after Communion); it celebrates the beloved Bride, for whom the Bridegroom provides the wedding feast, his daily gift to his Bride (cf. Preface).

Finally, this Mass celebrates the Mother of Jesus, who in the Father's wisdom and love was chosen to "play her part in the mysteries of our salvation" (Collect). Our Lady, in the  role she fulfilled in the mystery of salvation in the days of her life on earth on behalf of the bride and bridegroom and of the disciples, continues to play her part on behalf of the whole Church as she now reigns in glory of heaven. With loving care fir the good of the human family she begs her Son to help us in our needs (cf. Preface); she tells us to do "what he commands in the Gospel he has given" (Collect). What is more, we must hold, in the light of the liturgy, that the Mother of Jesus, who was present at the wedding feast of Cana, is present at the Eucharistic wedding feast of the Church. So the community of the faithful celebrates the Eucharist each day in union above all with the glorious Virgin Mary.

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Entrance Antiphon 

cf. John 2, 1. 11

There was a wedding at Cana of Galilee,
and the Mother of Jesus was there:
Christ revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

Nuptiæ factæ sunt in Cana Galilææ,

et erat mater Iesu ibi:

Christus manifestavit gloriam suam,

et crediderunt in eum discipuli eius.

COLLECT
All-holy Father,
in your divine wisdom and love
you chose that the Blessed Virgin Mary
should play her part
in the mysteries of our salvation;
grant that by heeding the words of Christ's Mother
we may do what he commands
in the Gospel he has given.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Domine, sancte Pater,

qui, mira dispensatione,

beatam Virginem mysteriis nostræ salutis interesse voluisti,

præsta, quæsumus,

ut, verbis eiusdem Christi Matris obsequentes,

id agamus quod Filius tuus in Evangelio docuit agendum.

Qui tecum vivit.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading

Ex 19:3-8a

Whatever the Lord has spoken, we will do.

A reading from the book of Exodus

Moses went up the mountain to God.
Then the LORD called to him and said,
"Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob;
tell the Israelites:
You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians
and how I bore you up on eagle wings
and brought you here to myself.
Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant,
you shall be my special possession,
dearer to me than all other people,
though all the earth is mine.
You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.
That is what you must tell the Israelites."
So Moses went and summoned the elders of the people.
When he set before them
all that the LORD had ordered him to tell them,
the people all answered together,
"Everything the LORD has said, we will do."

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 119,  1-2. 10-11, 12 & 14, 15-16

R. (4) O Lord, you commanded that your precepts be kept with care.

Blessed those whose way is blameless,
who walk by the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart. R.

With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.
In my heart I treasure your promise,
that I may not sin against you. R.

Blessed are you, O LORD,
teach me your laws.
I find joy in the way of your decrees
more than in all riches. R.

I will ponder your precepts
and consider your paths.
In your statutes I take delight;
I will never forget your word. R.

Alleluia 

cf. Luke 11, 27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.
Blessed is holy Mary who fully obeyed God's will.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
John 2, 1-11

Do whatever he tells you.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
“They have no wine.”
And Jesus said to her,
“Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servers,
“Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,
each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus told them,
“Fill the jars with water.”
So they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them,
“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”
So they took it.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing where it came from
— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,
the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,
“Everyone serves good wine first,
and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;
but you have kept the good wine until now.”
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee
and so revealed his glory,
and his disciples began to believe in him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Lord,
with loving hearts we bring you these gifts;
change them into the Body and Blood
of Jesus Christ, your Son,
who at the request of his Mother
changed water into wine
and by this miraculous sign
foreshadowed the hour of his Death and Resurrection.
Through Christ our Lord.

Hæc munera tibi, Domine, lætanter oblata,

in corpus et sanguinem converte Iesu Christi, Filii tui,

qui, a Matre rogatus,

mirandq signo aquam in vinum mutavit

et horam præsignavit suæ gloriosæ passionis.

Qui vivit.

PREFACE

Our Lady tells the attendants to do what her Son commands

(Beata Virgo ministros iubet Christi exsequi mandata)

The Lord be with you.

R. And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

R. We lift them up to the Lord

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

R. It is right and just.

It is truly right to give you thanks,

truly just to give you glory, Father most holy,
on this celebration of the glorious Virgin Mary.

For with loving care for the bridegroom and his bride
she turns to her Son for help
and tells the servants to do what he commands.
Water is changed into wine,
the wedding guests rejoice,
as Christ foreshadows the wedding feast
that is his daily gift to his Bride, the Church.

In this great sign
the presence of the Messiah is proclaimed,
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is foretold,
and the hour of salvation is foreshadowed
when Christ will clothe himself
with the royal robes of his Passion
to shed his Blood on the Cross
for his Bride, the Church.

Through him the Angels of heaven
offer their prayer of adoration
as they rejoice in your presence forever.
May our voices be one with theirs
in their triumphant hymn of praise:

Vere dignum est tibi gratias agere,

vere iustum est te glorificare, Pater sancte,

in hac celebrati6ne glori6sre Virginis Marire:

Quæ, de sponsis sollicita, Filium exorat

et ministros iubet illius exsequi mandata:

rubescunt hydriæ, lætantur convivæ

et illud nuptiale adumbratur convivium,

quod Christus Ecclesiæ parat cotidie.

Quo mirando signo

temporis messianici nuntiatur adventus,

Spiritus sanctitatis prædicitur effusio,

sed et mystica præsignatur hora,

qua Christus semetipsum ornabit purpura passionis

et pro Ecclesia sponsa vitam ponet in cruce.

Per quem maiestatem tuam adorat exercitus Angelorum,

ante conspectum tuum in æternitate lætantium.

Cum quibus et nostras voces ut admitti iubeas, deprecamur,

socia exsultatione dicentes:

Holy, Holy, Holy....

Communion Antiphon 

Blessed are you, Virgin Mary:
through you your Son gave the first of his signs;
the Bridegroom prepared the new wine for his Bride;
through you the disciples learned to believe in their Master.

Beata es, Virgo Maria:

per te Filius tuus initium fecit signorum;

per te Sponsus novum vinum Sponsæ paravit;

per te in Magistrum crediderunt discipuli.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Filled, Lord God, with the sacrificial meal

of the Body and Blood of Christ,

we ask that, in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

we may follow Christ faithfully,

provide for the needs of the Church,

and together foreshadow the coming of your kingdom

by our unity of mind and heart.

Through Christ our Lord.

Corporis et sanguinis sacro repleti libamine,

quæsumus, Domine, ut, exemplum beatæ Virginis secuti,

Christo tuo fide adhærentes

atque Ecclesiæ necessitatibus communicantes,

concordia animorum Regni tui præveniamus adventum.

Per Christum.