On the third day
there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there...
When the wine ran short Mary said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus
said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet
come." His mother told the servers, "Do whatever He tells you.’ Nearby
stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each
holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”;
so they filled them to the brim. (John 2:1-7).
Mary has one role
in her life that takes precedence over all others: she is our personal intercessor. Mary will go to Jesus
with needs we don’t even know we have, and ask Him to help us. Look at what we
learn about her at Cana. Although there are many guests, servants and wine
stewards at this wedding, it is Mary who notices the wine is gone. Ever
vigilant for her children, Mary makes sure a happy and blessed occasion does
not end in embarrassment. Mary watches over us as well. As Fulton Sheen tells
us in his book “The World’s First Love”:
…Mary intercedes to gain us what we need,
without our always knowing our need. Neither the wine steward nor the diners
knew that the wine was failing; therefore, they could not ask for help. In like
manner, if we do not know what our soul needs, how can we put such needs into
prayers? Often we do not know what is vital to our lives…There are so few of us
who know the reason for our unhappiness. We pray for wealth…we ask for peace of
mind, we are at the end of our strength and even of our hope; and we do not
know that we ought to be asking for Divine strength and Divine love. That is
where devotion to Mary comes in….one thing is certain – no one will ever call
on her without being heard or without being finally led to her Divine Son,
Jesus Christ, for Whose sake she alone exists – for Whose sake she was
made pure – and for Whose sake she was
given to us….And as the mother knows the needs (of a baby) better than the
babe, so the Blessed Mother understands our cries and worries and knows them
better that we know ourselves. As the baby needs the doctor, so the Blessed
Mother knows we need her Divine Son. As Our Lord mediates between us and the Heavenly
Father, so the Blessed Mother mediates between us and Our Divine Lord. She
fills our empty pots, she supplies the elixir of life, she prevents the joys of
life from ebbing away. Mary is not our salvation – let us not be absurd on
that. The mother is not the doctor, and neither is Mary the Savior. But Mary
brings us to the Savior. (Ignatius Press, 1952).
So beautiful is the
role of Mary in our lives! How loving a God we have to provide us with a Mother
who only has our best interest at heart! God loves His purest daughter; Jesus
loves His devoted Mother, and the Holy Spirit loves His faithful spouse. Let us
never forget that to go to Mary is to go to the most perfect adorer of the
Trinity that has ever existed. We must always understand that to love Mary is
God’s desire for us, and in no way takes away from our love for Him. Just as
our love for our earthly mother does not interfere with our love for our
earthly father, or our love for our sister does not interfere with our love for
our brother, so our love for Mary will never do anything but bring us closer to
God. She will fill us with the wine of God’s love, and our cups will never run
dry.
The Memorare
Remember, O most
gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy
protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this
confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come,
before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
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