Dear St. Paul Family and Friends,

Since we hear this weekend the story of how Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana, I want to share with you some catechetical notes on the wine that is used at mass.

First, altar wines can come in many forms: red or white, sweet or dry, weak or strong. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) #322 only stipulates that “the wine for the celebration of the Eucharist must be from the fruit of the vine (cf. Lk. 22, 18), natural, and unadulterated, that is, without admixture of extraneous substance.” Very plainly, it means that only a pure juice of a grape that’s naturally and properly fermented can be used for mass.

Second, you may also notice that during the Preparation of the Gifts, the priest pours wine into the chalice and mixes it with a small amount of water. This commingling of water and wine is accompanied by a prayer often inaudibly recited: “By the mystery of this water in wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”

St. Thomas Aquinas provides the following symbolic explanation in his Summa Theologiae, III pars q 74, 6-8: First, “because it is believed with probability that our Lord instituted this sacrament in wine tempered with water according to the custom of that country.”

Second, “because it harmonizes with the representation of our Lord's Passion… ‘because we read that both flowed from His side in the Passion.’”

Third, “because this is adapted for signifying the effect of this sacrament, since as Pope Julius says: ‘We see that the people are signified by the water, but Christ's blood by the wine. Therefore, when water is mixed with the wine in the chalice, the people [are] made one with Christ.’”

And fourth, “because this is appropriate to the fourth effect of this sacrament, which is the entering into everlasting life: hence Ambrose says: ‘The water flows into the chalice, and springs forth unto everlasting life.’”

St. Cyprian’s explanation is closer to my heart: “We see that in the water is understood the people, but in the wine is showed the blood of Christ… when the water is mingled in the cup with wine, the people [are] made one with Christ.” (On the Sacrament of the Cup of the Lord, #13).

Hopefully, these notes open your eyes to the beauty of the mass and its parts. Understanding every part and detail leads to a deeper appreciation of the mass as a whole. Our faith is rich and beautiful. Explore it.