Wedding at Cana

In this fresco, unfortunately badly damaged by time, we find a detail of the episode of the miracle at the wedding at Cana, narrated in the Gospel of John. This episode marks the beginning of Jesus' public life and is also found in the liturgy at the beginning of Ordinary Time, after the feast of the Baptism of Jesus. We have already discussed this episode, but this time we have chosen this detail for its freshness of movement, given by the immediacy of the lines which, while maintaining the iconographic canons of stylisation, nevertheless manage to give the figures an extremely natural movement. Even the colours, although faded, give us an idea of the iconographer's skill and help us to enter the scene more easily than usual.

What is most striking about this detail is the dialogue between Jesus and Mary, the gestures of their hands, the closeness of their faces, which indicate extreme confidence, a quick and immediate understanding, typical of those who are used to doing things together, working towards the same dream, looking not at themselves but in the same direction. This was very evident between Mary and Jesus, even in an episode such as this, in which – at first glance – it may seem that Mary is ahead of her time, asking Jesus for a sign that he had not planned to give, and that he responds a little abruptly. In reality, precisely from their dialogue and their actions, Jesus tells us with facts that he denies his mother nothing, that through Mary we can ask him even for impossible graces, because she can truly intercede. He tells us with facts that both want the same good for creatures, that both are animated by the same will, Jesus by nature, Mary by grace.

And it is precisely this unity of will, and of heart, and therefore of action, of merciful attention to people and their lives, that answers Jesus' question, according to a more literal translation: “What is there between me and you, O woman?”, in which “woman” is a term that indicates the bride.

And in turn, Mary's words - ‘Whatever he tells you, do it’ - confirm this deep union, this extreme trust in her son and the certainty that he will grant her request. In John's Gospel, Mary opens Jesus' public life, and here he announces his hour, then she will reappear under the cross with him, at the fulfilment of the “hour”, at the fulfilment of Jesus' mission. And this also tells us how Mary remained united, involved inwardly (and then also physically) in the whole life of Jesus, from the beginning to his death, to his resurrection and forever...

Let us ask this powerful Mother to intercede for us, let us insist with confidence in asking her for the greatest graces, things that seem impossible to us, let us ask her for peace for the whole world. Knowing that with her and with Jesus everything is possible. We just have to do our part, believe, trust, and be intimately willing to do “whatever she tells us”.


Chiara Dal Corso
NP February 2025