The Wedding At Cana
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We have been reflecting on the events, the mysteries from the life of Jesus. Today we meditate upon the second Luminous Mystery, the Wedding of Cana. To understand the role Mary plays in the life of Jesus and our life it is helpful to grasp the connection between the Holy Spirit and Mary. In the Old Testament, Wisdom 8:1, speaking about the Holy Spirit, Scripture says: “She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well.” In the Book of Wisdom, “she” refers to the Holy Spirit who carries out a maternal mission in the world, providentially watching over and guiding all things for good for those who love God. The Holy Spirit working through Mary watches over and guides all things to good! Mary, as the human expression of the Spirit, participates in this providential care of the Holy Spirit as the Spiritual Mother of all people. Therefore, what Mary does for her children extends to our every care and need, both spiritual and material needs. In this sense, Mary looks after every aspect of the life of a Christian as she did for Jesus. Mary is your Spiritual Mother, she is present to help you in every area of your life. She is not going to do everything for you, allowing you to remain infantile and immature. On the other hand, it is not wise to live in a prideful, radically self-reliant way that results in fear. The Holy Spirit and Mary are there for us; entrust everything to them, big or small, and let them bring to bear on all things their providential care! Mary I am all yours and all that is mine is yours!
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John 2:1-11 The event of the Wedding of Cana we see the Maternal Care of Mary for the big and little things in life. At Cana Mary takes care of launching the Public Ministry of the Messiah, a pretty big thing; and she watches over the catering details of a wedding, not as big a thing as the Messiah, but for the bride and groom, a big thing for sure.
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said ‘Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’, and they filled them to the brim. ‘Draw some out now’ he told them ‘and take it to the steward.’ They did this; the steward tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. Having no idea where it came from – only the servants who had drawn the water knew – the steward called the bridegroom and said, ‘People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink; but you have kept the best wine till now.’ This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.
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John Paul writes: “The description of the Cana event outlines what is manifested as a new kind of motherhood according to the spirit and not just according to the flesh, that is to say Mary's solicitude for human beings, her coming to them in the wide variety of their wants and needs. At Cana in Galilee there is shown only one concrete aspect of human need, apparently a small one of little importance "They have no wine." But it has a symbolic value: this coming to the aid of human needs means, at the same time, bringing those needs within the radius of Christ's messianic mission and salvific power. Thus, there is a mediation: Mary places herself between her Son and mankind in the reality of their wants, needs and sufferings. She puts herself "in the middle," that is to say she acts as a mediatrix not as an outsider, but in her position as mother.”[1]
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Jesus is the son of Mary
He has already been baptized by John in the Jordan River which marks the beginning of His public ministry but He doesn’t seem concerned or in a hurry to kick things off. Mary however, intuits this is the right time for His first public miracle – so she goes to Jesus and says, They have no wine.” Jesus said ‘Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother responds, in a sense saying, “Now is the time.” And she turned and said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ In response Jesus works His first public miracle and his disciples believed in him.
Like Jesus, we are the sons and daughters of Mary. We need to be responsible, think, make plans and act, but let us not forget that God is our Father and He has given us the Holy Spirit and Mary to inspire and carry forth all we do by their gracious assistance. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit and Mary. We can do the same simply by making the habit of turning to the Spirit and turning to Mary. They are real persons, one divine, the other human, who are always there to help us if we turn to them, ask, listen, wait and respond.
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Amid all troubles and setbacks St Maximilian Kolbe faced establishing a Missionary Community in Poland, then Japan and venturing into India, his trust in Mary only grew stronger and stronger: “Do you have many worries?” he writes to his brother, Fr. Alfons; “You know, I now worry less and less and I realize that the Immaculata is really much more involved. May she guide all things.”
To the Community in Poland he confesses: “I feel in an ever more tangible way that SHE is directing all things.” His own awareness of his own many limitations and flaws causes him neither anxiety nor upheaval: “Our personal weaknesses must not deter us at all. Rather, let us remember that the more wretched an instrument is, the better it can convey the goodness and power of the Immaculata.”
[1] Redemptoris Mater 21