In today’s Gospel, we witness Jesus’ first public miracle at the wedding in Cana. It’s a story full of joy, surprise, and abundance. But instead of focusing on the bride and groom, the disciples, or even Mary, I want to focus on a group of people that we may have overlooked.  Let’s look at the waiters – ordinary people caught up in an extraordinary moment.

As we’ve just heard the story told, Mary notices the wine has run out and, in her quiet confidence, she turns to Jesus. “They have no wine,” she says, and although Jesus seems hesitant, Mary trusts. She turns to the waiters and says, “Do whatever he tells you.” Those words may have sounded simple, but the task Jesus gave them was anything but simple. He asked them to fill six stone jars with water, each holding 20 to 30 gallons. Now imagine the scene: these waiters, likely tired and busy serving guests, suddenly have to draw water, jar by jar, and fill those enormous containers. And it begs the question: where did they get the water from? Remember in those days, there were no faucets they could just turn on. So they likely had to go to a well to find as much water as they needed. And they probably thought, “Why are we doing this? It doesn’t solve the problem – they need wine, not water.”

But here’s the key: they obeyed. They didn’t argue, they didn’t protest, they simply did what they were told. And it was their obedience that set the stage for a miracle. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, he was astonished by its quality. The waiters must have stood there in amazement, realizing they had played a role in this miraculous moment.

The story of the Wedding at Cana shows us something profound about how God works. Jesus didn’t need the waiters to perform this miracle. He could have spoken a word, and wine would have appeared. But He chose to involve them, to let their ordinary actions become part of something extraordinary. Isn’t that how God often works in our lives? He invites us to cooperate with His plan, to participate in His blessings – not because He needs us, but because He wants us to share in the joy of His work.

Think about the areas of our lives where God might be asking us to “fill the jars.” Maybe it’s a situation at home, at work, or in our community where we’re called to step out in faith. Perhaps it’s a call to serve in a ministry, to spend more time in prayer, or to be a source of encouragement to someone who’s struggling. At times, these tasks might feel small, sometimes even tedious, or maybe even unrelated to the larger problem. But just as the waiters didn’t see the bigger picture until the end, we too are invited to trust that God is working through our efforts.

We should also reflect on Mary’s role in this story. Her simple instruction to the waiters – “Do whatever he tells you” – applies to us as well. The Blessed Mother was, after all, the first disciple. Because of that, she models for us what it means to trust and obey Jesus, even when we don’t fully understand His plans. Her faith was a catalyst for this miracle, and her words remind us that trust and obedience are essential, they’re crucial for us in our journey with God and in our attempts to do His will.

So for us today, how is God asking us to trust Him right now? What “jars” is He asking us to fill? It may feel like hard work, or it might not make sense in the moment, but know that God is always faithful. He takes our small, simple acts of obedience and transforms them into something far greater than we could ever imagine.

The waiters at Cana remind us that God’s miracles often begin with ordinary people saying “yes” to seemingly ordinary tasks. This week, let’s pray for the grace to cooperate with whatever plan God has for our lives, to trust Him in the small things, and to have faith that He is working through us to bring about His blessings. Because you never know…our cooperation with God might just result in an incredible miracle.

Image: The Marriage Feast at Cana, Juan de Flandes. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Used under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

Readings for Mass: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time