Overflowing joy!

Exploring the role of Mary during the wedding at Cana

WORD OF FAITH: A breakdown of each week's upcoming Sunday readings to better understand the Word of God at Mass.

The extravagance and excitement of a wedding are palpable in Sunday’s readings. Isaiah bursts forth with a tremendous announcement — even though the people have not been faithful to the covenant they made with God, even though they have been taken into exile, even though they feel desolate and forsaken, the Holy One is faithful. The people of Judah and Jerusalem have behaved like an unfaithful spouse, but God remembers the promises they share and takes them back in complete restoration, beginning again, as if they were newlyweds. The Holy One rejoices in the chosen people who are returning from exile in Babylon and re-inhabiting the Holy Land. God forgives and renews the covenant, the marriage vows, with great rejoicing!

This rejoicing continues in the Gospel account of the wedding at Cana. A wedding in Jesus’ time was a lavish affair. Peasants who had little time or funds for entertainment would pull out all the stops for a wedding! The wedding ceremony and the celebration lasted seven days. This explains why it was critical for the couple to have ample food and wine to last that long! Running short would have been a terrible embarrassment and a very poor way to start their life together. Since most of the invited guests were relatives, this humiliation would have been remembered for a long time in family circles.

Mary steps into the breach and finds a way to rescue the occasion. She simply makes Jesus aware of the dire shortage, “They have no wine.” Jesus’ response sounds harsh — addressing his mother as “woman.” He seems to be gently putting Mary off, especially with the phrase, “Woman, how does your concern affect me?” Perhaps Jesus didn’t want to reveal “his hour;” perhaps he didn’t feel ready.

But Mary sidesteps all of that. She says to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Then she steps back. She must have enjoyed watching the way Jesus fulfills her silent request. She must have been amazed at the extravagance of the amount of wine — the equivalent of 600-800 bottles! She must have been relieved for the bride and groom and their parents who were saved from social devastation and praised for keeping the best wine until the end of the party. Was she “holding all these things in her heart” and wondering where this “sign” would lead her son?

Jesus did officially begin his public ministry with this first of seven signs that John would record as he revealed the true identity of Jesus. These powerful miracles showed God operating through Jesus — operating in people’s lives, “revealing his glory” and inviting people to believe in him.

But let’s linger with Mary as we experience her in this story. Mary is with Jesus and his disciples. She is celebrating the joy of a young couple. Mary pays attention. There were signs that the wine was running out and Mary anticipated the need. She refrains from telling Jesus how to fix the problem; she simply shares the awkward situation. She waits to see how he will attend to the couple and their dilemma. Mary is a model of prayer: she is aware of the needs of others, even unspoken needs. She is compassionate and attentive. But she doesn’t tell Jesus, the Son of God, what to do. She waits hopefully, saying to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” She believes that Jesus will act! In our prayer, we don’t need to tell God what to do; we need to share our need. We must patiently wait and know God will help — usually not in the way we had planned. But God finds ways to aid us. Many times, the gifts and graces overflow like an abundance of wedding wine!