The miracle of the wine at the wedding at Cana in Galilee reveals a new covenant that is fulfilled at the Last Supper, where this wine now becomes the blood of Christ that we receive at every Mass.
Here are some of the themes that emerge in the Mass readings for the 5th Sunday of Lent.
1st Reading – Jeremiah 31:31-34
The Lord will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.
The covenant will be written on their hearts, and God will forgive their sins.
Psalm – 51:3-4,12-15
“Create a clean heart in me, O God.”
The Lord mercifully renews our spirit, gives us joy, and leads us back to God.
2nd Reading – Hebrews 5:7-9
During his earthly life, Jesus offered prayers and supplications to God.
Christ learned obedience through his suffering and became the source of our eternal salvation.
Gospel – John 12:20-33
Like the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies in order to bear much fruit, so also a disciple of Christ must lose his life in this world in order to preserve it for eternal life.
When the Lord was lifted up from the earth, he drew all people to himself…indicating his death on the Cross.