Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week!
I write to you tonight, half asleep, so forgive any rambles. It’s been one of those weeks where the procrastinator in me would say, “oh just post tomorrow”. I am incredibly tired and it would be so easy to buy into that little voice in my head. Telling me, “just go to sleep!!!!” But NOT TODAY SLEEP!
This week we read the Wedding Feast at Cana, one of my all time favorite readings. 1) Because what girl doesn’t love a good old-fashioned wedding (and how much older can you get…) 2) Because this is the first time we see Jesus perform a miracle and 3) He performed this miracle at the request of His mother.
But first let us reread John 2:1-12
The Wedding at Cana
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” [And] Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him. After this, he and his mother, [his] brothers, and his disciples went down to Capernaum and stayed there only a few days.
Don’t you just love that?! Here we have Jesus – the Son of God, but also God Himself, attending an average wedding. We then have a wine shortage. In comes Mary, who like any good mother wants to fix the problem. She asks Jesus to help them, but He responds by saying, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” At this point Mary could easily think, well darn, let’s figure out plan B, except she doesn’t. She turns to the waiters and simply tells them to listen to whatever Jesus tells them to do. Hello that’s some faith and trust in the Lord if you ask me! (anyone else thinking of the saying “Pray, Hope, and Don’t Worry.”??) He without hesitation instructs them to get water, turns it into wine, and performs His first miracle. All at the request of His mother.
Y’all this right here shows just how much Jesus values and respects His mother. He could have easily said no. But He didn’t. Out of respect for her, he obeyed. He, Jesus Christ, God manifested as man, obeyed a human. Why? Because she was His mother and He respected her.
Is it just me or is your mind blown and still trying to wrap itself around that? We as Catholics are often accused of worshiping Mary, or saying we find her more important than Jesus. Well, no. If that’s what someone believes, then they are breaking the first commandment. Period. We Catholics VENERATE Mary. Meaning, we hold her in great regard. Why? Because Jesus did! What more of a reason do we need?
This passage is beautiful for so many reasons. I would love to hear what one of those reasons is for you!
I think that it speaks to the influnence that mothers can have over their children. Yes the face that the wine is out is not his problem but Jesus respects his mother so much he is willing to perform this miracle for an average wedding. I think that mothers should be respected. Look at everything the Mary went through for her son.
This passage is a perfect example of Mary’s role as Mediatrix. We may go to her but she will only point us to her Son with essentiallly the same message: “Do whatever He tells you,” , have faith that He can and will handle it.
Yes yes yes yes!!