How much wine did Jesus create at Cana? A lot.

Today’s Gospel from the Mass recalls the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11).  

These short 11 verses are packed with amazing meaning; during the next few days there will be additional posts of several of the amazing aspects of the Wedding at Cana. Today, the miracle of changing water into wine will be considered.

Many people have heard about Jesus’ miracle at Cana; a common phrase that most people know today is “changing water into wine”.  What Jesus did has had lasting impact…people are still talking about it 2000 years later.

But sometimes, the miraculous loses its impact; “water into wine” becomes just a phrase to describe the unusual, not the miraculous.

To way to avoid becoming unmoved by Jesus is to 1) Make an act of will to have faith that “Only Jesus is Awesome”, 2) Seek and learn from Scripture and Tradition about the words and acts of Jesus and why Jesus is awesome, and 3) Attempt to draw closer to Jesus by considering Jesus’ words and acts in a modern context; in short, to personalize it.  See here for more on how to grow in awe of Jesus.

Here is what happened at Cana:

• The wine at Cana ran out (John 2:3), leaving the hosts embarrassed.
• Jesus directed the servants to fill 6 purification the stone water jars with water (John 2:6-7).
• The servants did that exactly, filling the stone jars to the brim.
• Each jar held 20-30 gallons (John 2:6) for a total of 120-180 gallons of water; about 680 liters.
• When the steward tasted the “water” it was “wine”; not only wine, but “good wine” (John 2:10).

To put the miracle in perspective, consider that Jesus created about 2 pallets of wine.  Here’s a picture of what two pallets of wine looks like.  Now, that is impressive.