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SON, THEY HAVE NO WINE!
Reflections on the Importance of Devotion to Mary
By Rev. John J. Raphael, SSJ

There is a growing trend in some Catholic institutions/communities that should be a cause for alarm to anyone entrusted with the care of souls and particularly with the spiritual formation of the youth. This trend is the ever lessening focus on the role of Mary in the faith journey of the disciples of Jesus. Traditional Marian prayers and devotions too frequently become the exclusive domain of the elders of the community who were formed in a different generation, as if the younger members of the faith community had no need to develop an intimate relationship with the Mother of Jesus. Consequently, the benefits of Marian devotion are lost to those who, often through no fault of their own, simply don't know Our Lady well enough and don't hear about her often enough to appreciate the richness she can bring to their relationship with her son.

Whereas this lack of Marian devotion used to be a primary characteristic of Protestant Christians, whose architects purposely minimized and in some cases rejected the role of Mary based on their own theological and liturgical reconstruction of Christian faith and worship, it now sadly characterizes many communities that identify themselves as Catholic and for some reason or other have simply cast Mary to the side. Usually this has not been done with great fanfare, or even animosity, it has been generally been done through inattention and neglect, or misguided cultural emphasis.

One hears phrases such as "I am not 'in' to Mary," or "The rosary is not my thing." Some go so far as to say that Marian devotions are "Eurocentric" and not suitable for Catholics of African descent, or at least not for African-American Catholics. This, of course, is absurd since Marian devotion in the Church has its origins not in Western Europe, but in the ancient Churches of the east, e.g. Alexandria, Antioch, Ephesus, and Jerusalem, to name a few. The Church of Rome was an integral part of the affairs of the ancient Churches and was recognized as the Mother of all Churches, but the entire ancient Church embraced the Mother of Jesus in obedience to him, "Son behold your Mother," and in imitation of the beloved disciple who "took her into his own home" (Jn 19:27).

It is true that many of the more popular Marian devotions that have been handed down to us in recent generations have been marked by a western stamp, but it is also interesting that some of the most powerful expressions of these devotions today can be found in non-western cultures, particularly in the Catholic cultures of Africa and Asia. The trans-cultural dimension of these devotions continues to shape the faith experience of Catholics around the globe; so much can still be said in support of fostering them.

It is important to understand why devotion to Mary is so important, for lack of knowledge often leads to these unhappy circumstances described above. One way to approach this is to look to Sacred Scripture to see what can be learned about the role of Mary in the life of Jesus and how her role is continued in the life of his disciples in the Church. One very beautiful and illuminative event in Scripture is found in the Gospel according to St. John, Chapter 2, verses 1- 12, the Wedding Feast at Cana.

On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."

Weddings are huge celebrations in our culture. Think about the time spent in preparing for them. But they were even greater celebrations in Jesus' culture, as can still be seen in other non-western cultures today. The celebration often lasted for two weeks or so. Hence the preparation for these events was more intense. Keep in mind that there was no corner store to run to at the last minute if something was forgotten or overlooked! Guests traveled long distances and had to be fed several times a day for the duration of the celebration. There were no hotels either, maybe an Inn or two, and we know that these frequently had no room!

Jesus, Mary, and the disciples were going to share in the couple's joy, and as often happens something went wrong, they ran out of wine. Is this a big deal? Does it really matter? Place yourselves in the family's situation. Have you ever run out of anything that was expected to be provided? Have you ever been caught in a bind? Move beyond wedding celebrations. Have you ever had the experience of not having what you needed when you needed it, or of not being what you needed to be in order to accomplish a task? I suspect that we have all "run out of wine" in that sense. The experience can be embarrassing or even humiliating. It can cause great hardship to us or to those who depend on us. It can make us feel helpless and abandoned. Running out of wine is a difficult thing indeed and it happened at this feast.

What is interesting here is that it was Mary who noticed it. Later in the passage it will be seen that Mary was aware of the problem even before the family was-they may never have known that there was a problem, talk about being proactive! Mary was the one who first responded to this situation and she brought it to Jesus' attention. Did Jesus need Mary to do this? Obviously he could have handled this all by himself as he did with other miracles, but the fact cannot be ignored that in this case he didn't act alone. Mary is shown here to be a real person, a real mother with motherly instincts and compassion not only for her own son but also for the children of these parents who would have suffered great shame and ridicule had this crisis come to a head. Mary's sensitive heart drew her to the fact that they had no wine and Jesus was drawn into the event because of her concern.

And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come."

Whoa! What kind of response is this? Is this anyway for any son to respond to his mother, much less for Jesus to respond to Mary? Volumes have been written on this text. Some have legitimately seen a symbolic usage of the title "Woman" here. Examining other techniques in John's gospel, they have argued a connection here between the "Woman" of Genesis whose seed crushes the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15) and the "Woman clothed with the Sun" in the book of Revelation (Rev 12:1). There are other possibilities as well, but for our purposes, let us simply evaluate the text from a literal perspective.

This seems to be a rather strange, if not disrespectful, way of addressing one's mother. Not surprisingly, some who have a pre-determined antipathy to honoring Mary favor this reading of the text. But does the context support the interpretation that somehow Jesus is denigrating Mary, or demeaning her presence? The explanation is to be found in what follows this response. Before we get to that, however, the other portion of Jesus' response must be considered, "My hour has not come." In John's Gospel, Jesus' hour refers to his glorification on the cross, his obediential sacrifice. Whatever is taking place, Jesus relates it to his hour. Even this commonplace occurrence of lack of due preparation for a wedding feast is related to the cross. For Jesus, nothing falls outside the mystery of the cross. Every human endeavor, every instance of suffering, every need is drawn up into Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Jesus reinforces this with Mary in response to her query, for he knows that she will one day be the woman at the foot of the cross, when he beckons her to "behold her son" (Jn 19:27).

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

No one knows their sons like mothers! If anyone did have questions about the nature of Jesus' response to Mary and what it really meant, Mary was not one of them! Mary's response was spontaneous and without hesitation. She heard not only the words of her son, she heard the meaning of those words. She did not question him or ask for clarification because she didn't need it. Such was her intimate knowledge of her son. To understand this, we only have to draw from human experience-and that is the beauty of the Incarnation, it makes human experience a real and legitimate source of knowledge about things divine-God's son became a man like us in all things but sin, thus he had real and true human experiences including his relationship with his mother. Scripture gives us a few examples of this. A powerful one is Mary and Joseph's experience of worry at the loss of Jesus and bewilderment upon finding him in the temple in Jerusalem. Mary's anguish as a mother is not concealed when she addresses Jesus before the elders in the temple. Jesus' response to her is very mysterious, but also very definitive. Mary ponders it in her heart and Jesus returns to Nazareth under Mary and Joseph's authority (cf. Lk 2:42-52).

At Cana, however, there is no anguish, no hurt feelings, no misunderstanding, there is only action. "Do whatever he tells you!" Mary's words echo the words of the Father that were heard at the Transfiguration of Jesus, "listen to him." (Mt 17:5; Lk 9:35). At Cana Mary is both Mother and Disciple, as mother she responds to her son Jesus, as disciple she models for us the quintessential quality of discipleship, trusting obedience to the master. Who could go wrong, if they put this advice into practice each and every moment of their lives?

Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they took it. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."

Then there is the miracle, or as it is appropriately called in John's Gospel, the sign. There is something quite ordinary in this sign. One is struck by the fact that Jesus is modestly involved in the whole in the process while at the same time he involves so many others in it. Those familiar with the Scriptures know that sometimes Jesus just speaks a word and a miraculous cure takes place or a force of nature is quieted. Yet at other times, he uses something else, such as paste made out of spittle and dust, in order to effect a change. This time, just as at the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus involves several to "assist" him. Those assisting him as well as those who are the direct beneficiaries of the miracle are all transformed by the experience.

The steward is blown away by the quality of the wine to the extent that he vigorously compliments the bridegroom on his "generosity" in saving the best wine for last. What can the bridegroom say? Did he even know there was a problem? Was he aware of how close he came to public disgrace? Yet, it was the lowly servants who saw what really took place. Imagine them now. They put the water into the jars. They were probably aware of the impending disaster as well since it was their job to bring more wine to the invited guests upon demand. What were they thinking and feeling now? "Who is this man…?"

Just as Jesus "chose" to make Mary a part of this sign, so also did he choose these others to play a role in it. Does he not continue to work this way in the Church, choosing us not because he needs us, but because we need him and we need each other? Does he not continue to transform us through the sacramental life of the Church, as in the sacraments he transforms ordinary things, bread and wine, into extraordinary realities, his body and blood? Was not this particular transformation witnessed at Cana spurred on by a simple observation and intervention by Mary?

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Caper'na-um, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples; and there they stayed for a few days.

Jesus' glory is manifested whenever his gift of salvation is realized, recognized, and received. As at Cana, it always involves a reference to and participation in the mystery of the Cross-no cross, no crown, no suffering, no salvation. Cana reveals the very special and unique role that Mary plays in God's salvation plan. Mary is here as mother not only to Jesus, but to all who are born of water and the Spirit. As a young mother, with her child in her arms, Mary was told that "…a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed" (Lk 2:35). A causal relationship is established between the sorrow of Mary and the unveiling of the secret thoughts of many. Mary was given a real and indispensable role to play in Jesus' work of salvation. She was the catalyst that resulted in the Miracle at Cana, she continues to be the catalyst in so many other miracles, acknowledged and unacknowledged, in our lives.

This knowledge alone should give us pause to reflect on the degree to which we have allowed Mary to enter our hearts as indeed she entered the heart of Jesus and all the intimate followers of her son, beginning with his disciples and evidenced in the lives of all the saints from every time, race, and culture-"For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name" (Lk 1:48-49).

This knowledge should motivate us to recapture what we may have lost either through ignorance or indifference in jettisoning our great Catholic legacy of devotion to Mary. If our children especially are not introduced to the loving motherhood and powerful intercession of Mary, what will our parishes and institutions look like in the future? It should not surprise us that as adults so many youths raised Catholic leave the Catholic Church for Protestant and Non-Denominational fellowships when they have not been nurtured and formed in an environment that was fully Catholic in its doctrinal, sacramental, and devotional life.

We can begin by reclaiming simple practices and by infusing them with culturally relevant embellishments (images, stories) when necessary. The rosary in particular, since it is one of the most beloved and universally practiced devotion to Mary among Catholics, is a very good place to start. The rosary can be viewed as the family album of the Holy Family. How often do families pull out the old albums at gatherings small and great? Always the same pictures, usually the same stories, but each time they are viewed and told with renewed vigor because they mark the ties that bind. An album is one of the few truly irreplaceable things that a family can lose, but even when the photos are lost the memories remain. The rosary can be approached by every parish and every family as a time to re-visit (weekly, daily) the Joys, Lights, Sorrows, and Glories in the family album of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, which is also the family album of the Church.

To the frequent protest that it is just repetition of prayers, one can respond "it all depends!" Have you ever listened to rap? As painful as that activity is for some of us, one would be surprised at how many times the same things are repeated ad nauseum in supposedly different songs-"Raise your hands in the air" if you are with me! How often do we repeat ourselves with meaning every day? "Good morning!" "How are you?" "Thank you!" You're welcome!" "I love you!" Can these and other things be said mindlessly and without feeling or meaning? Yes, but they can also be said with great feeling and meaning a thousand times a day. It is how we say something and not simply what we say, or how many times we say it that makes the difference.

Devotion to Mary, especially the rosary, can once again teach us how to respond during those times when we run out of wine. There is no need to panic, no need to fear. Rather we can trust that just as she did for that family at Cana, Mary has already anticipated our needs and brought them to Jesus. She continues to charge us to "do whatever he tells [us]," and we can rest assured that he is already taking care of it according to his Wisdom. By opening our hearts to Mary through devotion and prayer, we become far more in touch and in tune with the conversation that Jesus and his mother are already having about us and we are invited to join with them in this conversation. This will most assuredly be for our eternal good.

O Mary Conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee and for all who have not recourse to thee!

All biblical passages were quoted from the Revised Standard Version, http://quod.lib.umich.edu/r/rsv/

Fr. Raphael is the principal of St. Augustine High School (Josephite) in New Orleans, LA.