Jump to Any Step (17 of 36 · Click to Expand All 36 Days & Exercises)
01. The Presupposition & How to Enter the Exercises02. Principle and Foundation03. The Daily & Particular Examen04. Meditation with the Three Powers on the First, Second & Third Sin05. Meditation on Personal Sins & The Exclamation of Wonder at God’s Mercy06. Repetitions of the First & Second Exercises with the Triple Colloquy07. Meditation with the Five Senses on Ultimate Separation08. The Call of the Temporal King & The Oblation to the Eternal King09. The First Contemplation: The Incarnation10. The Second Contemplation: The Nativity & Application of the Five Senses11. The Presentation in the Temple & The Flight into Egypt12. The Hidden Life at Nazareth & Finding the Boy Jesus in the Temple13. Meditation on the Two Standards & Second Week Rules for Discernment14. Meditation on the Three Pairs of Men15. Departure from Nazareth & Baptism in the River Jordan16. Christ Fasting & Tempted in the Desert17. The Call of the Apostles & The Wedding at Cana18. The Sermon on the Mount19. Calming the Storm & Walking on the Waters20. Sending the Apostles, The Sinful Woman Forgiven, Feeding the 5,000, The Transfiguration & Preaching in the Temple21. The Raising of Lazarus & The Supper at Bethany22. Palm Sunday: The Humble Entry into Jerusalem23. The Three Manners of Humility24. Making an Election25. The Last Supper, Washing the Feet & The Agony in Gethsemane26. Betrayal, Arrest & The Night at the Houses of Annas and Caiaphas27. Christ Before Pilate & Before Herod28. The Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning with Thorns & ‘Ecce Homo’29. Carrying the Cross & The Crucifixion30. The Descent from the Cross, The Burial & The Silence of Holy Saturday31. The Resurrection: Christ Appears to His Mother & to Mary Magdalene32. The Road to Emmaus, The Appearance to St. Peter & The Upper Room33. St. Thomas’s Confession & Breakfast by the Sea of Galilee34. The Great Commission & The Ascension of Christ Our Lord35. Contemplation to Gain Love36. The Three Methods of Prayer
Movement II · The Second Week (Illuminative Way) · Step 17 · Week 2, Day 7
St. Ignatius of Loyola · Exx. 161, 275–276

The Call of the Apostles & The Wedding at Cana

How Christ calls Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew in three patient stages—from ‘Come and see’ along the Jordan to leaving their nets by the Sea of Galilee—and turns water into wine at Cana.

Assigned Scripture Reading (NIV) & Mystery Points

Scripture Reading: John 1:35–51 · Luke 5:1–11 · Matthew 4:18–22 · John 2:1–11

John 1:35–51 (NIV)
35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). 43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” 50Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
Luke 5:1–11 (NIV)
1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Matthew 4:18–22 (NIV)
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20At once they left their nets and followed him. 21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
John 2:1–11 (NIV)
1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” 11What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Points of the Mystery from St. Ignatius

Step 1 · Entering the Hour (2 Minutes)

Before You Start

Read John 1:35–42 and Matthew 4:18–22 (or John 2:1–11). Stand a step or two from your place of prayer for an Our Father (Exx. 75), reverence the Lord, and pray the Preparatory Prayer (Exx. 46).

Step 2 · Orienting the Heart & Imagination (5 Minutes)

The Preludes

First Prelude · The Narrative (Exx. 275–276)

Recall how Jesus gathers His first companions not all at once, but through three patient encounters along the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee, and brings them with His Mother to a wedding feast in Cana.

Second Prelude · Composition of Place

See the stony shore of the Sea of Galilee at dawn with wet fishing nets spread over the pebbles, and the joyful courtyard of a village wedding in Cana with six large stone water-jars standing by the door.

Third Prelude · Asking for What I Desire (Exx. 104)

Ask for an interior knowledge of our Lord, Who for me has become man, that I may more love Him and follow Him.

Step 3 · The Body of the Exercise (30–40 Minutes)

How to Pray the Call of the Apostles & Cana (See · Hear · Watch)

Ignatius notices something remarkable in the Gospels (Exx. 275): Jesus calls His disciples in stages, patiently deepening their commitment over time. Walk through the three rounds:

Round 1 · SEE the Persons (Exx. 106, 275–276)

  • See Andrew and John walking timidly behind Jesus by the Jordan; see Jesus stop, turn around, and look straight into their eyes.
  • See Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John on the shore of Galilee, tired from a night of fishing, washing and mending their nets—and see Matthew sitting at his customs table surrounded by coins and ledgers.
  • See Jesus at the wedding in Cana, not aloof or grim, but rejoicing with a young couple and their village friends alongside His Mother.
  • Reflect on yourself: Look back over your own life. Can you see the three stages in how Christ has called you—first introducing Himself, then drawing you closer, and now inviting you to a deeper, more total surrender?

Round 2 · HEAR What They Are Saying (Exx. 107, 275–276)

  • Hear the very first words Jesus ever speaks in John’s Gospel: “What seek ye?” (What are you looking for?). And when they ask, “Rabbi, where dwellest Thou?”, hear His warm invitation: “Come and see.”
  • Hear Him say by the lakeside: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
  • At Cana, hear Mary’s simple, compassionate observation—“They have no wine”—and her final recorded words in Scripture to the servants (and to us): “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.”

Round 3 · WATCH What They Are Doing (Exx. 108, 275–276)

  • Watch Andrew and John spend that unforgettable first afternoon at the place where Jesus was staying (“it was about the tenth hour”—four o’clock in the afternoon; fifty years later John still remembered the exact hour).
  • Watch the fishermen drop their nets, and watch the servants at Cana fill the heavy stone jars to the brim with plain water—only to draw out royal wine.
  • Reflect on yourself: When you bring Jesus the plain, ordinary ‘water’ of your daily routine, your marriage, your work, and your 4:00am prayer watch, watch how He quietly transforms it into wine.
Step 4 · Friend to Friend & Looking Back (15–20 Minutes)

Colloquy, Post-Prayer Review & Repetitions

1. The Colloquy (5 Minutes)

Answer Jesus’ question directly in your Colloquy today: “What seek ye?” Tell Him what you are truly seeking from Him at this stage of your life. Ask Our Lady for the grace to live her words: “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.” Close with an Our Father.

2. The Post-Prayer Examen of Prayer (15 Minutes · Exx. 77)

After finishing the Our Father, remain quiet for ten to fifteen minutes (sitting or walking slowly) to examine how your prayer went. Ask: Where did my heart feel warmed, expanded, drawn to trust, or moved to tears (consolation)? Where did I feel dry, distracted, defensive, or negotiating with God (desolation or resistance)? Write down two or three honest sentences in your notebook.

3. Repetitions & Carrying the Mystery Through the Day

In your Repetition today, sit with Jesus at that ‘tenth hour’ (John 1:39), spending the afternoon in His quiet room simply enjoying His company.

Primary Text · From St. Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises (Exx. 161, 275–276)
[275] OF HOW THE APOSTLES WERE CALLED First Point. First: It appears that St. Peter and St. Andrew were called three times: first, to some knowledge; this is clear from the first Chapter of St. John: secondly, to follow Christ in some way, with the intention of returning to possess what they had left, as St. Luke says (Chap. v); thirdly, to follow Christ our Lord forever (St. Matthew, Chap. iv, and St. Mark, Chap. i). Second Point. Second: He called Philip (first chapter of St. John), and Matthew, as Matthew himself says in the ninth chapter: "And Jesus passing from there saw a man sitting at the treasury." Third Point. Third: He called the others, of whose special vocation the Gospels do not make mention. [276] OF THE FIRST MIRACLE PERFORMED AT THE MARRIAGE OF CANA (John ii.)
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