In the affluent society that we live in today, we have gotten used to having a continual supply of the things that we need. We plan ahead. We buy in advance. We stockpile. And it is because we don't like to run out of things. From milk to gas, from toothpaste to bathroom tissue, there are just several things that you don't want to get caught without. And I think that's why we get so frustrated today when we do run out of something. This past week, for example, I ran out of shampoo. And of course, you never remember that you're out of shampoo until your in the shower and you're all wet, and then it like dawns on you, "Gee, I was supposed to stop and buy some shampoo yesterday". So I'm standing in the shower with wet hair and wet everything, and then I remember that I have a bottle of shampoo in my travel bag, which is in my luggage, which is in the attic. So I grab a towel and, dripping wet, I go into the attic. Now, that morning it was about 15 degrees in the attic. So I'm doing this little dance trying to stay warm, and I'm dripping water all over the place, and I'm trying to get the zipper on my luggage to work in the cold. And right before I have this major meltdown where I act like a three-year-old, I think to myself, this is all my fault. I should have remembered. I should have planned better. I should have been more on top of things. And this newsflash just makes it worse.

Is this the same way the bride and groom from our Gospel today feel? It very possibly could be. They, too, are in a mess. They should have planned better when it came to the wine. And while it might not be the world's greatest catastrophe that they run out of wine, they are about to be humiliated in front of all their family and friends. Mary and Jesus care about this concern. And Jesus performs His first miracle to help this couple.

This Gospel passage is important because, at one time or another, we have all been running on empty. Whether we are talking about our cars, or the milk, or our shampoo, or our souls. Jesus wants to make up whatever is lacking. He wants to give us whatever we need. This is a Gospel then of hope. It is hope for all of us.

Another indicator of this is to look at who else transformed water in the Bible. The first person to do it was Moses in the Book of Exodus. Moses transformed the water of the Nile River into blood for Pharaoh. Then, it was a symbol of death. Jesus comes along and He turned water into wine. Wine is a symbol of life and joy. Jesus is sending a message here that the Kingdom that He had come to embody, proclaim, and inaugurate would be characterized by life and joy. There was a French priest who once put it this way: "Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of Christ." Whenever Jesus is present in our lives, He produces the fruit of joy. This hope and joy is what we, as Christians, most need to keep going. It is Jesus promising us that He will keep filling us up no matter how empty we might get.

You see, for as much as we worry about empty gas tanks, and empty milk jugs, and empty shampoo bottles, there is a deeper worry that each one of us has, about empty hearts and souls. We worry that if we keep giving so much to our jobs, how will there be time left over for the more important things? We worry about how we can best love and take care of our children. We worry about how we can be good and holy in the middle of a world that is increasingly neither. We worry about where will go when our time in this world is over. Jesus takes care of all of our worries as He helps this young couple on their wedding day, because this God loves us. From our smallest problems to our biggest worries, this God wants to be there for us. And that, my brothers and sisters, gives all of us all the joy and hope that we need to make it in this world.

Now we need to live that joy and hope out in our lives. Far too often, Jesus, God, and Christianity, especially Catholic Christianity, are seen as spoilsports. We are wrongly defined by what we are against. For way too many people, joy and Christianity are polar opposites. Now you and I know that that's not true. But how many joy-less Christians have given that impression to the rest of the world. We should have more joy than anybody. Nobody knows how to celebrate better than a Catholic Christian. Just look, even our Lord did His first miracle at a party, and He did by making more wine none-the-less. This Jesus is the God that we are going to want to hang out with for all eternity. If that's the case, then let's start living the joy now. We need to celebrate our life and our faith. We are most blessed people. It's time that our attitudes and dispositions reflected that, even when we run out of things.

May God bless us and watch over us in good times and bad, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN!!!

St. Maria Goretti . Pray for us!!!