Good morning, this is Cardinal Francis George, and I invite you to join me for the next few minutes to reflect with Father Robert Baron on the Word of God, which is the Word on Fire.

Father Baron will challenge us to open our hearts to the Word on Fire, which is God's Word of Love for each of us.

If our hearts are open, the Lord can change and transform us, who we might speak with love about the one who is love.

The Archdiocese of Chicago through the generosity of Sacred Heart Parishing Winnetka now presents the Word on Fire.

Peace be with you.

I want to talk to you today about one of the most beautiful and familiar Gospel stories, the story of the wedding feast at Cana.

Now, in talking about this story, we have to talk about the Gospel of John.

John was seen by the Church Fathers as John the Theologian, John the Mystic, because his work is so redolent of theological and mystical themes.

Even from a literary standpoint, the Gospel of John is extraordinarily rich.

What I want to do is go through this story and show you some of this great spiritual and theological richness.

You know, the symbol of John the Evangelist, and you see it up and down the Christian centuries. His symbol is the eagle.

That's because the early Church Fathers felt that the eagle could fly all the way up to the sun and look at it with an open eye.

So John flies up to the highest theological and spiritual truths and can look straight at them.

First, let me read you some of the story of the wedding feast at Cana.

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, they have no more wine.

And Jesus said to her, woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour is not yet come. His mother said to the servers, do whatever he tells you.

Now, there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding 20 to 30 gallons.

Jesus told them, fill the jars with water, so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, draw some out now and take it to the head waiter, and so they took it.

And when the head waiter tasted the water, they had become wine, without knowing where it came from.

He called the bridegroom and said to him, everyone serves good wine first, but then when people have drunk freely and inferior one, but you have kept the good wine until now.

That wonderful story, rich story.

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