Lectio 1
Lecture 1
Nuptiae in Cana
The wedding at Cana
2:1 Et die tertia nuptiae factae sunt in Cana Galilaeae. Et erat mater Iesu ibi. [n. 336]
2:1 And on the third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. [n. 336]
2:2 Vocatus est autem Iesus, et discipuli eius ad nuptias. [n. 341]
2:2 And Jesus also was invited, and his disciples, to the marriage. [n. 341]
2:3 Et deficiente vino, dixit mater Iesu ad eum: vinum non habent. [n. 344]
2:3 And when the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him: they have no wine. [n. 344]
2:4 Dixit ei Iesus: quid mihi et tibi est, mulier? Nondum venit hora mea. [n. 348]
2:4 And Jesus said to her: woman, what is that to me and to you? My hour has not yet come. [n. 348]
2:5 Dixit mater eius ministris: quodcumque dixerit vobis, facite. [n. 354]
2:5 His mother said to the waiters: do whatever he tells you. [n. 354]
2:6 Erant autem ibi lapideae hydriae sex positae secundum purificationem Iudaeorum, capientes singulae metretas binas, vel ternas. [n. 356]
2:6 Now there were six stone waterpots nearby, according to the purification of the Jews, containing two or three measures apiece. [n. 356]
2:7 Dixit eis Iesus: implete hydrias aqua. Et impleverunt eas usque ad summum. [n. 358]
2:7 Jesus said to them: fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them all the way to the brim. [n. 358]
2:8 Et dixit eis Iesus: haurite nunc, et ferte architriclino. Et tulerunt. [n. 360]
2:8 And Jesus said to them: draw out now, and carry to the head waiter. And they carried it. [n. 360]
2:9 Ut autem gustavit architriclinus aquam vinum factam, et non sciebat unde esset (ministri autem sciebant, qui hauserant aquam), vocat sponsum architriclinus; [n. 362]
2:9 And when the head waiter had tasted the water made wine and did not know where it was from (but the waiters, who had drawn the water, knew), the head waiter called the bridegroom, [n. 362]
2:10 et dicit ei: omnis homo primum bonum vinum ponit, et cum inebriati fuerint, tunc id quod deterius est; tu autem servasti bonum vinum usque adhuc. [n. 362]
2:10 and he said to him: every man at first sets forth the good wine, and when men have drunk well, then that which is worse. But you have kept the good wine until now. [n. 362]
2:11 Hoc fecit initium signorum Iesus in Cana Galilaeae; et manifestavit gloriam suam; et crediderunt in eum discipuli eius. [n. 364]
2:11 Jesus did this beginning of miracles in Cana of Galilee and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him. [n. 364]
335. Supra Evangelista ostendit dignitatem Verbi incarnati, et evidentiam eius multipliciter; hic consequenter incipit determinare de effectibus et operibus quibus manifestata est mundo divinitas Verbi incarnati, et
335. Above, the Evangelist showed the dignity of the incarnate Word and gave various evidence for it. Now he begins to relate the effects and actions by which the divinity of the incarnate Word was made known to the world.
primo narrat ea quae Christus fecit in mundo vivendo, ad manifestationem suae divinitatis;
First, he tells the things Christ did, while living in the world, that show his divinity.
secundo quomodo Christus suam divinitatem monstravit moriendo; et hoc a XII cap. et ultra.
Second, he tells how Christ showed his divinity while dying; and this from chapter twelve on.
Circa primum duo facit:
As to the first he does two things.
primo enim ostendit Christi divinitatem quantum ad dominium quod habuit supra naturam;
First, he shows the divinity of Christ in relation to the power he had over nature.
secundo quantum ad effectus gratiae, et hoc in III cap. ibi erat homo ex Pharisaeis Nicodemus nomine etc.
Second, in relation to the effects of grace, and this from chapter three on, at and there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus (John 3:1).
Dominium autem Christi super naturam proponitur nobis per hoc quod naturam mutavit: quae quidem mutatio facta est a Christo in signum
Christ’s power over nature is pointed out to us by the fact that he changed a nature. And this change was accomplished by Christ as a sign:
primo discipulis ad confirmandum;
first, to his disciples, to strengthen them;
secundo vero turbis ad credendum, ibi post hoc descendit Capharnaum.
second, to the people, to lead them to believe, at after this he went down to Capernaum (John 2:12).
Mutatio autem naturae ad confirmandos discipulos in nuptiis facta est, in quibus convertit aquam in vinum; et hoc est quod dicit nuptiae factae sunt in Cana Galilaeae: ubi
This transformation of a nature, in order to strengthen the disciples, was accomplished at a marriage, when he turned water into wine, at there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee.
primo describuntur nuptiae;
First, the marriage is described.
secundo illi qui nuptiis interfuerunt, ibi erat autem mater Iesu;
Second, those present, at and the mother of Jesus was there.
tertio describitur ipsum miraculum patratum, ibi et deficiente vino etc.
Third, the miracle performed by Christ, at and when the wine ran out.
336. Describit autem nuptias primo quidem quantum ad tempus; unde dicit et die tertia nuptiae factae sunt, scilicet postquam praedicta de vocatione discipulorum fecerat. Postquam enim manifestatus fuerat testimonio Ioannis, voluit etiam seipsum manifestare.
336. In describing the marriage, the time is first mentioned. Hence he says and on the third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, i.e., after the calling of the disciples mentioned earlier. For, after being made known by the testimony of John, Christ also wanted to make himself known.
Secundo vero, quantum ad locum; unde dicit in Cana Galilaeae. Galilaea namque provincia est, Cana viculus quidam in ipsa provincia.
Second, the place is mentioned; hence he says, in Cana of Galilee. Galilee is a province, and Cana a small village located in that province.
337. Quantum autem ad litteram pertinet, sciendum est, quod circa tempus praedicationis Christi est duplex opinio. Quidam namque dicunt, quod a baptismate Christi usque ad passionem eius, fuerint duo anni et dimidius. Et secundum hos, hoc quod hic legitur de nuptiis, eodem anno factum est quo Christus baptizatus est. Sed his contrariatur sententia et consuetudo Ecclesiae: nam in festo Epiphaniae trium miraculorum commemoratio fit, scilicet adorationis magorum, quae fuit primo anno nativitatis Dominicae; et baptismi Christi, quo baptizatus est eodem die, revolutis triginta annis; et de nuptiis, quae sunt factae eodem die, revoluto anno. Ex quo sequitur quod ad minus unus annus elapsus fuit a baptismo usque ad nuptias.
337. As far as the literal meaning is concerned, we should note that there are two opinions about the time of Christ’s preaching. Some say that there were two and a half years from Christ’s baptism until his death. According to them, the events at this wedding took place in the same year that Christ was baptized. However, both the teaching and practice of the Church are opposed to this. For three miracles are commemorated on the feast of the Epiphany: the adoration of the Magi, which took place in the first year of the Lord’s birth; second, the baptism of Christ, which implies that he was baptized on the same day thirty years later; third, this marriage, which took place on the same day one year later. It follows from this that at least one year elapsed between his baptism and this marriage.
In quo quidem anno nil aliud legitur Dominus fecisse nisi quod dicitur Matth. IV de ieiunio in deserto, et de tentatione a diabolo, et ea quae hic Ioannes refert de testimonio Baptistae et conversione discipulorum. A nuptiis autem coepit publice praedicare et miracula facere usque ad passionem, ita quod duobus annis cum dimidio publice praedicavit.
In that year the only things recorded to have been done by the Lord are found in the fourth chapter of Matthew: the fasting in the desert, and the temptation by the devil; and what John tells us in this Gospel of the testimony by the Baptist and the conversion of the disciples. After this wedding, Christ began to preach publicly and to perform miracles up to the time of his passion, so that he preached publicly for two and a half years.
338. Mystice autem per nuptias intelligitur coniunctio Christi et Ecclesiae, quia, ut dicit Apostolus Eph. V, 32, sacramentum hoc magnum est, dico autem in Christo et in Ecclesia.
338. In the mystical sense, marriage signifies the union of Christ with his Church, because as the Apostle says: this is a great mystery: I am speaking of Christ and his Church (Eph 5:32).
Et illud quidem matrimonium initiatum fuit in utero Virginali, quando Deus Pater Filio humanam naturam univit in unitate personae, unde huius coniunctionis thalamus fuit uterus Virginalis; Ps. XVIII, 6: in sole posuit tabernaculum suum. De istis nuptiis dicitur Matth. XXII, 2: simile est regnum caelorum homini regi, qui fecit nuptias Filio suo, tunc scilicet quando Deus Pater humanam naturam Verbo suo copulavit in utero virginali. Publicatum autem fuit, quando Ecclesia sibi per fidem coniuncta est; Oseae II, 20: sponsabo te mihi in fide etc. De istis nuptiis dicitur Apoc. XIX, 9: beati qui ad caenam nuptiarum agni vocati sunt. Consummatum autem erit, quando sponsa, idest Ecclesia, introducetur in thalamum sponsi, in caelestem scilicet gloriam.
And this marriage was begun in the womb of the Virgin, when God the Father united a human nature to his Son in a unity of person. So, the chamber of this union was the womb of the Virgin: he established a chamber for the sun (Ps 18:6). Of this marriage it is said: the kingdom of heaven is like a king who married his son (Matt 22:2), that is, when God the Father joined a human nature to his Word in the womb of the Virgin. It was made public when the Church was joined to him by faith: I will bind you to myself in faith (Hos 2:20). We read of this marriage: blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9). It will be consummated when the bride, i.e., the Church, is led into the resting place of the groom, i.e., into the glory of heaven.
Nec vacat a mysterio quod die tertio nuptiae factae sunt. Primus namque dies est tempus legis naturae; secundus tempus legis scriptae; tertius vero dies tempus gratiae, in quo Dominus incarnatus nuptias celebravit; Oseae VI, 3: vivificabit nos post duos dies: in die tertia suscitabit nos.
The fact that this marriage took place on the third day is not without its own mystery. For the first day is the time of the law of nature; the second day is the time of the written law. But the third day is the time of grace, when the incarnate Lord celebrated the marriage: he will revive us after two days: on the third day he will raise us up (Hos 6:3).
Locus autem congruit mysterio: Cana enim interpretatur zelus; Galilaea vero transmigratio. In zelo ergo transmigrationis hae nuptiae celebrantur, ut denuntiet eos maxime Christi coniunctione dignos existere qui zelo piae devotionis ferventes transmigrant de statu culpae ad gratiam Ecclesiae, Eccli. XXIV, 26: transite ad me, omnes qui concupiscitis me etc., et de morte ad vitam, idest de statu mortalitatis et miseriae, ad statum immortalitatis et gloriae; Apoc. XXI, 5: ecce nova facio omnia.
The place too is appropriate. For Cana means zeal and Galilee means passage. So this marriage was celebrated in the zeal of a passage, to suggest that those persons are most worthy of union with Christ who, burning with the zeal of a conscientious devotion, pass over from the state of guilt to the grace of the Church. Pass over to me, all who desire me (Sir 24:26). And they pass from death to life, i.e., from the state of mortality and misery to the state of immortality and glory: I make all things new (Rev 21:5).
339. Consequenter cum dicit erat autem mater Iesu ibi, describuntur personae invitatae: ubi agitur de tribus, scilicet de matre, de Iesu, et de discipulis.
339. Then the persons invited are described: the mother of Jesus was there. Mention is made of three: the mother of Jesus, Jesus himself, and the disciples.
340. De matre quidem, cum dicit et erat mater Iesu ibi. Quae quidem praemittitur, ut ostendatur quod Iesus adhuc ignotus erat, et non vocatus ad nuptias sicut insignis persona, sed ex quadam familiaritate, tamquam notus, et unus aliorum: sicut enim vocaverunt matrem, ita et filium.
340. The mother of Jesus is mentioned when he says, the mother of Jesus was there. She is mentioned first to indicate that Jesus was still unknown and not invited to the wedding as a famous person, but merely as one acquaintance among others; for as they invited the mother, so also her son.