The Transformation of Suffering
Reflections on September 11
& the Wedding Feast at Cana in Galilee

The Wedding Feast of Cana

The Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary

    It would be hard to imagine a moment full of greater significance than this, yet it is an ordinary social event that sets it off. Just as ordinary life is filled with casual remarks and little concerns, it is precisely these very trivialities that God sometimes uses to communicate with us or to initiate some significant movement of grace for the healing of a family, a community, or the world.

    Many of the religious orders, for instance, came into being by that kind of chance. Some goodhearted soul noticed a group of people with a special need--the poor, the sick, orphans, or some other group in straitened circumstances--and decided to do something about it. Most founders did not have the grandiose idea of instituting a religious order. They simply did what seemed to be appropriate at the time. In this case, what they did was actually inspired by the Spirit. 

    Sometimes a joke is only a joke. At other times, as in the case of the headwaiter, God uses the joke as a word of wisdom that sets in motion the action of grace that goes far beyond what the occasion might warrant, or that anyone suspects.

    To return to the theme of what occurred on September 11, the wedding feast at Cana suggests that while nobody is asking all of us to go to Afghanistan and shoot terrorists, there may be someone down the street or in our family for whom we could show concern. It is the raising of the quality of one's life, something that Mary exemplifies in this particular case, that is an occasion for God to pour compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation into a troubled situation.

    One of the things each of us can do to contribute to the peace of the world right now is to think of how we could bring more kindness and concern into our daily activities, however trivial. If your husband is constantly burning his fingers on the old coffeepot, you might think of buying a new one. Or, if you notice how somebody is finding it hard to get to an event, you might arrange some kind of transportation. These are trivial, everyday things, but this is exactly where the kingdom of God is normally at work, at least in Jesus' teaching. The kingdom of God is not only in sacred places, nor does it operate mainly on sacred feast days--although these may sometimes be contributory factors. What the kingdom of God points to is the fact that daily life in its ordinary routines is the place where the kingdom is most active and where anybody can do something of great value. Like Mary's tiny ace of concern, a simple loving concern can be turned into a cosmic event by the power of the Spirit.

    There are basically only two things needed for transformation: suffering and love. Everybody has this capacity Hence, everybody is a possible subject for divine transformation.

    God does not do everything by himself. Instead, he prefers to operate through us. As human being we have a certain intelligence, and every now and again God thinks it is time for us to use these faculties and do something for the benefit of those around us. But that act does not have to be grandiose or sensational. It can be something in easy reach.

More information can be obtained by reading the book The Transformation of Suffering by Fr. Thomas Keating.  It is offered in our Book Store.