¹ Dearest brothers, we have recently celebrated the mystery of our redemption on that day when God clothed Himself with human frailty. Today, however, we honour that day when God revealed His power in man—whether by showing a star in the heavens as a sign of His birth, by turning water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee, by consecrating the waters of the Jordan through His baptism for the renewal of the human race, or by feeding five thousand people with five loaves. In each of these events, the mysteries and joys of our salvation are contained. For He was born for us of a Virgin, as the star proclaimed. He showed through the miracle of His work and the transformation of water that we are to be changed for the better. He provided healing for us through baptism, which He sanctified in the waters of the Jordan, and He called us to Himself. Therefore, dearest brothers, in all our actions, let us carry before us the star of faith and uphold the baptism of Christ in purity, for this regeneration in Christ is the confirmation of your faith. Indeed, He revealed to you the gift of His grace through the example of a second birth, and what He willed you to do, He first accomplished Himself.

² We read that the Jews had various baptisms under the Law, but none of these could provide a universal remedy against the evil of transgression. Therefore, for the absolution of the whole world, the waters of regeneration needed to be sanctified from heaven, and because the sacrament of baptism was necessary for the entire human race throughout the world, Christ bestowed His blessing upon all waters when He descended into the Jordan with a unique and singular act of mercy. For then, the water did not so much cleanse Christ the Lord as it was itself cleansed by Him. Indeed, Christ came into the world for you by being born, He fought for you by living, and He contended for you by dying. The One whom you see dead for you, understand that He was also baptized for you.

³ Thus, Christ the Lord was in every way the same before His baptism as He was after it. And so His forerunner and baptizer, when Christ came to be baptized, addressed Him in these words: “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”. What could be clearer regarding the purity of Christ before His baptism? What could be more compelling? “I need to be baptized by You”—that is, You who are the fountain of innocence and the fullness of righteousness, who, needing nothing, know how to give but not to receive. “I need to be baptized by You,” he says, because You both bestow and possess within Yourself the gifts of purity and the sacraments of baptism. What I give by Your gracious generosity, You possess by nature.

⁴ Meanwhile, creation itself is transformed—the members of the body are touched by the Creator, and the waters are enriched. It is not the body that is changed by the river, but the river that is changed by the body, receiving the grace of life. The blessed waters marvel as their own source enters into them, and in a single moment, they conceive eternal remedies and bring forth a new generation in their fruitfulness. They return what they have received and receive what they did not have before.

⁵ Amid these things, it would indeed be astonishing that the Lord subjected Himself to a servant’s blessing—if He had not also subjected Himself to the Cross and to death. And in doing so, He taught us the great worth of man by the very dignity of the price paid for him. From this, we also understand how immense the burden of human sin appears before our Lord, since for its sake, He did not send an angel, nor an archangel, but God Himself to the earth. The gravity of sin and the severity of its condition are revealed by the greatness of the remedy. The magnitude of the judgment that will come upon the condemned is shown by the care with which they have been redeemed.

⁶ Let us then take every precaution with utmost vigilance and diligence, so that the devil does not wound what God has healed, and that through the consent of our heart or the sin of the body, we do not offer to the enemy the service we owe to the Lord. Indeed, if someone powerful and overbearing were to seize something from our possessions or property, would we not regard him with the utmost hatred? Would we not rightly detest him as an enemy? And yet, with what mind do we consent to sin with the devil, who does not seek to take away our wealth but our very life, not to deprive us of earthly land but of heaven, not to narrow the borders of our possessions but to rob us of the infinite expanse of eternity? In light of this, O man, if you consider the dignity of your creation and the love your Lord has shown for you in the price He paid, you cannot doubt the promise of His kingdom.

⁷ Dearest brothers, let us consider the passage we heard today when the Gospel was read—how on the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee and how water was turned into wine. Let us understand what this wedding signifies. Here, our redemption and restoration are represented through the joy and celebration of a wedding feast, just as in another passage the return of the younger son is welcomed with music and dancing. The six stone water jars symbolize the six ages of this world: the first from Adam to Noah, the second from Noah to Abraham, the third from Abraham to David, the fourth from David to the Babylonian exile, the fifth from the exile to John the Baptist. Throughout these times, prophecy concerning Christ was never absent, and the righteous foreshadowed and prefigured the Lord. Each jar holds two or three measures, signifying that within them is contained faith in the Trinity. But let us consider what the divine Word says—let us examine the sacred oracles of the Gospel.

⁸ In Cana of Galilee, He turned water into wine and, through this work of power, revealed the Lord hidden within His human nature. The Gospel says, “On the third day, a wedding took place.” But what is this wedding if not the joy of human salvation? And why on the third day? Either because it reveals to us the mystery of the Trinity or because He rose again on the third day. Thus, like a bridegroom coming forth from His chamber, He descended to earth, taking on flesh to be joined to the Church, which was to be gathered from the Gentiles. To this Church—of which we ourselves are members—He gave both a pledge and a dowry. He gave a pledge when He was promised to us according to the Law; He gave a dowry when He was sacrificed for us. Another way to understand this is that the pledge represents the grace we receive now, while the dowry signifies eternal life. Now, let us see what He does in Cana of Galilee—here, through His wondrous miracles, let Him reveal Himself to us as God.

⁹ Six stone water jars were set out, each holding two or three measures. The jars were filled, and suddenly the water was transformed—just as people themselves would later be transformed. And as they were changed for the better, they symbolized the power of baptism. In a certain way, they expressed an image of rebirth: as one thing was made into another, and as a lesser substance was elevated into a more glorious form, the mystery of the second birth was revealed.

¹⁰ Nothing of the water’s original quantity was diminished, yet while remaining itself, it was completely altered by a noble transformation. It lost its former substance and acquired a new one. A richer taste was imparted to what was once thin and flavourless, and an unseen power was infused into the simple flowing liquid, so that the very nature of water became something intoxicating. In this way, the water—by a new and marvelous process—bore witness to the power of its Creator. Who could accomplish such a transformation except the One who created all things in the first place?

¹¹ When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine”. First, let us consider: what was this wine that is said to have failed? And what is the other wine that was miraculously provided, which the steward declared to be superior, saying: “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the inferior one. But you have kept the good wine until now”.

¹² In many places, we understand wine as representing the divine commandments and sacred Scriptures, which contain the purest strength of heavenly wisdom. Through them, our hearts are set aflame with love for the Lord, and our affections are intoxicated, in accordance with what is said of wisdom: “She has set her table, she has mixed her wine in a bowl”. Thus, when the power of divine Scripture fills a person’s innermost being, they may say with the prophet: “You have given us wine to drink that makes us reel”, and again: “How glorious is your cup that brings inebriation!”.

¹³ Therefore, when Christ acted in Cana of Galilee, the old wine failed, and new wine was made. That is, the shadow was removed, and the truth was revealed; the Law gave way, and grace took its place; the carnal was transformed into the spiritual; the observance of the old covenant was poured into the new. As the blessed Apostle says: “The old things have passed away, and behold, in Christ all things have become new”.

¹⁴ Just as the water jars, when filled, did not lose what they were yet became something they had not been before, so too the Law was not abolished by the coming of Christ, but rather brought to fulfillment. When the old wine ran out, another kind of wine was given. The Old Testament is indeed good, but without spiritual understanding, it fades away in the letter; the New, however, has restored the fragrance of life through grace.

¹⁵ Since this is so, let us consider the steward of the feast, the one appointed over the bridegroom’s house, and understand who he represents. Who else should we recognize in this role but the blessed Paul? After receiving the Law, he was filled and intoxicated with the most delightful fragrance and taste of the mysteries of the New Testament, with the scent of spiritual understanding. In his joy, he exclaims and praises: “You have kept the good wine until now”.

¹⁶ Let us also see how he praises this very wine: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love Him”.

¹⁷ Behold the true and wondrous miracles that are accomplished within us! When God makes the wicked into the good, the proud into the humble, the impure into the chaste, and those devoted to the world into friends of God—what could be a greater miracle than this? What could be more extraordinary than when He, in His mercy, raises up a mere human—a creature of dust and decay—and grants them the dignity of an angelic state, lifting them from earthly things to heavenly ones and adopting them as His own children by grace? May He Himself, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for all ages of ages, grant this to us. Amen.