As we enter into ordinary time we do so while reflecting on a third epiphany experience in the life of Jesus. This time it happens during the first miracle of his public ministry when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana. Along with the veneration of the magi, and Jesus’  baptism at the Jordan His miracle at Cana helps us to see Jesus in the fullness of His humanity and the fullness of His divinity.  It may seem odd at first pass that His first miracle was to take water and turn it into wine so that a wedding feast, which had likely been going on for some time, could continue. However, God’s ways are not our ways, and this miraculous transformation tells us much about who God is and how He wants us to relate to Him.  
In the scriptures, wine is a symbol of celebration and abundance. It is a symbol of God’s blessings upon His people and the joy that the fruits of the world around us bring into our lives. Yes, the scriptures make clear the perils of excess and drunkenness but from early on the use of wine was an important part of how God’s chosen people celebrated and worshipped. God makes clear that He’s a God of abundance. He gives us the ordinary goods of human life and through the cultivation of our talents and of the world around us, God helps us to make those goods extraordinary. Sometimes God intervenes as He does in creation and in other miraculous moments when He brings something out of nothing, but most often His intervention begins first by asking us to give of ourselves and then by God taking what we’ve given and then turning it into an abundant gift. In relating to us in this way God moves us to a deeper expression of faith and participation in God’s work of salvation.    
When reflecting on the wedding at Cana, I wonder how often we pause to contemplate the complexities of the scene. We read of the transformation of water into wine and of the party being saved, but do we stop to think of the great depth of faith shown by Mary, and of the trust shown by the servants at the feast? Mary knows her Son and who He is. Throughout the gospels Mary’s words serve to prepare the way for Him to enter the world and for His mission to unfold. The servants know that the wine is gone, and in response, they’re being asked to fill six massive stone jars with water. What good is that going to do? They must have wondered, and yet they do it. There is no clap of thunder, no earthquake, no massive external sign to show that God has acted mightily, the only sign is an abundant quantity of wine, enough to fill about 900 of our modern wine bottles.  
In this miracle, Jesus makes three things clear. First of all, He is God, with full dominion over all creation. Second of all, He is attentive to our needs. Third of all, He can yield a great harvest through the most mundane elements of our lives. All that is required is that we are willing to do what He asks of us and have faith. As we enter into ordinary time, it may seem that the signs of God’s glory fade away with the putting away of the decorations of the Christmas season, but nothing could be further from the truth. God’s glory remains among us and its manifestation shines through the events of our daily lives. It’s not as though God is any less Emmanuel, God with us, outside of the Christmas season. So, have faith, turn to the Lord when the wine runs out in the various aspects of your lives, and above all do whatever He tells you! - Fr. Carlos