Quote:
Originally Posted by
dwashbur
This is laughable. The water that changed to wine was real wine; it looked like wine, it tasted like wine, and so on. The claim about transubstantiation is totally different; supposedly it remains bread and wine to the senses. There's no comparison at all except in someone's imagination.
Then why have scripture at all if we are to assume that everything we object to is silly or irrelevant, or nonsense? I thought the non-Catholics got their faith straight from the Book, like a book of magic spells. And you want to relegate the few words we have of Christ as irrelevant? Do you think John would waste precious time and parchment telling us of Christ's 'party-time' if it were irrelevant? Especially that little Cana should be a subject of three, not one, but three pericope in the precious few writings we have of Christ?
The point is that water transubstantiated to wine, and in less time than it took for the waiter to fill the jugs. Matter of one essence became the essence of wine. If Christ is willing to take such strong measures as to transubstantiate water into wine to please his mother it shows what might he do to save the world; thus bread becomes the body, soul and Divinity of Christ.
Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three measures apiece. Jesus says to them: Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And Jesus says to them: Draw out now and carry to the chief steward of the feast. And they carried it. And when the chief steward had tasted the water made wine and knew not whence it was, but the waiters knew who had drawn the water: the chief steward calls the bridegroom, and said to him: Every man at first sets forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse. But you have kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. After this, he went down to Capharnaum, he and his mother and his brethren and his disciples: and they remained there not many days. (John 2:7-12)
Just an irrelevant party trick?
The wine made of water wasn't just watered down wine, like you might after everybody Is a bit tipsy. This is the 'good wine', a drink that was once water. The verse tells us there's more from Cana.
He came again therefore into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain ruler, whose son was sick at Capharnaum… The ruler said to him: Lord, come down before that my son die. Jesus said to him: Go your way. Your son lives. The man believed the word which Jesus said to him and went his way … it was at the same hour that Jesus said to him: Your son lives. And himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he had come out of Judea into Galilee. (John 4:46-53)
Christ gave faith and hope to the father and then saved the boy from death. If we look strictly at the physical aspects of this miracle we'll miss the point. Christ reminds the father that he's not there to provide “signs and wonders” for the party goers, there is a real mystery in His presence.
There's more; you do remember Nathanael from John's 1st Chapter? Nathanael said to him: Whence do you know me? Jesus answered and said to him: Before that Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. Nathanael answered him and said: Rabbi: You are the Son of God. (John 1:48-49) Nathanael (otherwise known as St. Bartholomew), was a man Christ seemed to warm to; “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile” An Israelite under a fig tree – there's significance in being seen under the fig tree, but I don't want to confuse with more extraneous Catholic exegesis, so I'll leave it for another time.
After the Passion of Christ Peter, Thomas, Nathanael along with the sons of Zebedee went fishing. They left shore in the night and at first light saw a man on shore, the resurrected Jesus. He yelled out “Children have you any meat?” It's not immaterial that Christ had asked about meat, what had he said to them in Capharnaum; For my flesh is meat indeed?
Jesus stood on the shore: yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them: Children, have you any meat? They answered him: No. He says to them: Cast the net on the right side of the ship; and you shall find. They cast therefore: and now they were not able to draw it, for the multitude of fishes. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter: It is the Lord. Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, girt his coat about him (for he was naked) and cast himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the ship (for they were not far from the land, but as it were two hundred cubits) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they came to land they saw hot coals lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus says to them: Bring hither of the fishes which you have now caught. Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three. And although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus says to them: Come and dine. And none of them who were at meat, dared ask him: Who are you? Knowing that it was the Lord. And Jesus comes and takes bread and gives them: and fish in like manner. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to his disciples, after he was risen from the dead (John 21:4-14)
Why did they go 'fishing' for meat? Every good Catholic knows that fish isn't meat. (Just in case you don't know it, fish weren't considered meat in the same sense as red meat is. That's why when we fast on Friday's we can eat fish without breaking fast. ) By the time the Apostles got to shore, Christ had fish on the fire and bread. Where did the bread come from?
Consequently, we see the wedding ceremony at Cana prefiguring the wedding of the faithful to His Kingdom; the wine is a heady spiritual drink, Christ's blood. It is meant for the faithful, those without guile, a real meat for the soul.
JoeT