For all who are suffering from the ravages of war or violence, may the Lord grant them safety and peace, Lord, send your peace.
Dear Parishioners,
Mary, the mother of Jesus, has many titles. Mother of God. Our Lady of Sorrows. Mystical Rose. Queen of Peace. The list goes on and on, and each reflects something about who Mary is. Many of these titles also shed light on her role as our intercessor before God. In today’s Gospel, we focus on Mary as a mother who intercedes for us.
Mary plays a discreet but essential role at the wedding at Cana. Indeed, it is through her intercession that Jesus performs his first miracle. She sees the need –the newlywed couple has run out of wine for their guests – and she knows what her son is capable of. “They have no wine,” she says to Jesus. Then, she is the one who tells the servers to do whatever Jesus tells them to do, even before he gives them any directives.
What follows is Jesus’ first public miracle in the Gospel of John. We are accustomed to hearing of Jesus’ miracles occurring when there is a need for healing or deliverance from some kind of physical or spiritual peril. But the placement of this miracle is striking. It signifies a new beginning as the guests celebrate a new life for this married couple. The miracle at Cana is heralding a new time as Jesus’ public ministry begins.
This new time is described in the first reading from Isaiah. The prophet describes the time of the messiah. The Lord shall pronounce a new name for his people: My Delight and Espoused. What was once forsaken and desolate will now be the Lord’s delight to whom he will unite himself as a bridegroom is united to his bride. There will be much rejoicing. This new time will initiate an unbreakable bond between God and his people. This time of rejoicing began with the Incarnation – and, in a sense, it could be said that it began publicly when Jesus performed his first miracle at Cana – and continues with us today.
Mary’s words to Jesus: “They have no wine” were an act of intercession on behalf of the married couple. She interceded for them with God and now she continues to intercede for us. Likewise, her words to the servers can help us on the path of discipleship. Each of us in baptism is called to do whatever God tells us to do. God speaks to us now, whether in small or big ways. Mary encourages us to listen to God’s call and respond with our whole hearts.
Let us entrust ourselves with confidence to Mary. She will intercede for us and will obtain the graces we need to be faithful to God and do whatever he tells us.