As a child, my family had many wedding celebrations. I fondly remember them as good times: good food, relatives not seen for years, and all-around happiness. John chose such a celebration, a feast of the sanctity of marriage, as the venue for the first recorded miracle of Jesus, the wedding at Cana. It takes place on the third day, the fullness of time. It was a desert, a sparse land for the Spirit. "They have no wine," Mary said. The wine of the spirit had no place to lay its head.
Later, it would be overflowing. It would be so abundant among the apostles that even unbelievers would say: "They are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13). John the Baptist was born filled with the Holy spirit, and had no need for more (Luke1:15).
But not now. At this time, "They have no wine," said Mary. And so, Mary told them to follow Jesus. She said, "Whatever he says to you, do it." And then, the vessels will be filled, like us, with water, and Jesus turned that water into wine. This is what he does with us too.
So very many times I have heard this story, have read it, have thought about it. Yes, we are the vessels, God is the potter, the wine, the water.... It's all very familiar. Then, suddenly, something dawned on me: the jars had to be emptied of old wine before the new wine could be placed in them.
Of course, this makes sense. You have to empty a container before you fill it with a new product. But you see, we oblates have a vow of daily conversion. Daily, we must receive new wine, but to receive it we must daily empty ourselves. Each day, we can personally participate in a wedding feast by emptying ourselves to be filled with the spirit of God. A daily renewal, a daily refreshing, and a daily conversion. And at our wedding with Christ, our honeymoon is never over.