The story of the wedding feast at Cana of Galilee in the Gospel of John describes the first of Jesus Christ’s many miracles. The story has special significance because of the role of Jesus’s mother Mary who intercedes on behalf of the wedding guests to convince her son to perform the miracle. The miracle also convinces Jesus’s disciples, who were also present at the wedding, to believe in him.
This lesson plan will help you teach your students about the significance of the Wedding Feast at Cana and reflect on some connections between the story and their own lives today.
Wedding Feast at Cana Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to (SWBAT) summarize the story of the Wedding Feast at Cana.
- SWBAT explain why this first miracle in the Gospel of John is important.
- SWBAT ask Mary the Mother of God to pray for a specific intention today.
- Students will feel excited to bring the joy of a wedding into the world today.
Wedding Feast at Cana Lesson Activities
1. Read the Story of the Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1-11)
Read the story of the Wedding Feast at Cana and answer these comprehension questions:
- Who was at the wedding? (Jesus, Mary, and Jesus’s disciples)
- What miracle did Jesus perform? (Jesus turned water into wine.)
- Who convinced Jesus to perform this miracle? (Jesus’s mother)
- How did people react to this miracle? (The steward of the wedding was surprised because the wine was so good. More importantly, Jesus revealed his glory in the miracle and the disciples believed in him because of what they saw and experienced.)
2. Summarize the Story
Have students work on creative summaries for the story of the Wedding Feast at Cana using one of these options:
- Skit: Have students act out the story.
- Storyboard or Comic Strips: Have students draw pictures of each part of the story with speech bubbles.
- Diary: Have students imagine that they were at the wedding and write a diary entry about what they experienced.
- One Sentence Summary: On a slip of paper have students summarize the story in just one sentence.
3. Meditation & Prayer: Miracles and Mary the Mother of God
The Blessed Virgin Mary plays an important role in this story. She asks her son Jesus to perform the miracle, which he does after some hesitation. Today we can still turn to Mary the Mother of God to pray to her Son on our behalf. There are many traditional Catholic prayers asking for Mary to pray for us such as the Hail Mary, the Memorare, and the Hail Holy Queen. Pick one of these prayers, but first have your students think about a miracle they would love to see in the world today.
Say to your students:
- What miracle would you like Mary to ask her Son to perform today?
- Pray asking Mary to bring this prayer request to Jesus.
- Turn to her with one of these Marian prayers: Hail Mary, Memorare, or the Hail Holy Queen.
4. Meditation: Listen to Your Parents
Just as Jesus listened to his mother Mary, your students can reflect on the reasons why they should listen to their parents using this worksheet:
Wedding Feast at Cana Lesson Assessment: Exit Card
On a notecard have students draw a picture of the Wedding Feat at Cana on one side and then on the lined side have them describe why this story is important.
Other Wedding Feast at Cana Activities
Here are a few more activities to help you teach about the Wedding at Cana to your students:
- Wedding at Cana Lesson (The Catholic Toolbox)
- Wedding at Cana (Mission Bible Class)
- The Wedding in Cana Printable and Games (True Way Kids)
- The Wedding at Cana Lesson (Children’s Church)
