Second Sunday of the Year
Hearing the words ‘they have no wine’ as in today’s gospel can be a manifestation of the great scarcity and emptiness in people’s lives. The people who ran out of wine at the wedding symbolise a people who, like so many among us and around the world, have run out of hope despite well laid plans for a beautiful and plentiful beginning to a new life until it began to fall apart.
As we contemplate what is happening in our world, we might be fearful for the vulnerable, be empathic for the victims of war and violence, be concerned about misinformation and disinformation in our country and the world and how these can negatively impact on countless millions, as we know and knew about the invasion of Iraq. ‘They have no wine’ is the cry today of the Sudanese mother watching her children die of starvation or sickness. ‘They have no wine’ is the cry today of Palestinian parents in Gaza as their families are decimated under rubble or their children die of cold. ‘They have no wine’ is the everyday pain of people enduring personal or family tragedy. ‘They have no wine’ is the perennial experience of people in the Pacific whose island homes, culture and livelihoods disappear other countries, like our own, continue to burn fossil fuels. ‘They have no wine’ is the persistent lament of First Nations people around the world as their lands are confiscated by powerful mining companies, along with lost culture and language.
Mary’s “They have no wine’ was not a mere statement, but very political. Something needed to be done in the circumstances. This is followed by her words to us ‘Do whatever he tells you’ though we may feel we have little to offer. However, in this we see the possibility of recognising God’s abundant love, compassion, forgiveness, embrace and tenderness in Jesus’ encounters with people.
Though Jesus says to his mother, ‘My hour has not yet come’ in reference to his death and resurrection, on another level, as we raise objections and complexities, it can seem that there is never a right time to respond to injustice, conflict, violence, and inequality. The only time to raise our voices for truth or acting for justice, hope and peace is always ‘now’. She ignores Jesus’ objections, and ours, as speaks the authoritative words: ‘Do whatever he tells you’. This crisis, as every personal or social crisis, is entrusted to us, as to the servants at Cana, despite feelings of inadequacy or concerns about what difference action would make which can be a cop-out. The call is: ‘Do whatever he tells you’. Trust that any act of kindness, mercy, forgiveness and compassion can make a difference. A new world is possible.
‘Do whatever he tells you!’ A new world is possible. Peace is possible. Mary was being thoroughly political in ensuring peace and understanding at the wedding. She like women everywhere struggles to rebuild broken relationships in local communities and countries. Mary, an otherwise average Galilean Jewish peasant woman, with no claim to authority in any synagogue, council, or other official venue, commands exceptional power. And Jesus, even if he disagrees with his mother’s timing, follows her command.
There is considerable evidence about the internal workings of Roman households to suggest that the family matriarch was not a passive participant in family life but held an important role in the maintenance of the family and home with building social relationships and educating the children. Though Greco-Roman culture was no pioneer of women’s liberation, the mother of the family was held in high esteem and possessed many rights and responsibilities often overlooked. No doubt, she would have commanded the respect and obedience of her children – even as adults. Such respect is seen in ancient Israelite culture as well. The imperative to ‘Honor your mother and your father….’ (Exodus 20:12) was actually addressed to the entire Israelite congregation - young and old. We see this power in Italian and Lebanese families, as well.
Mary’s words to the servants are at the heart of her role in this narrative: “Do whatever he tells you.” For us today, following Jesus is not much about creeds and more about the way we choose to live. Out sacred texts repeat this principle of ‘doing’ which must be defined by love. Are we endeavouring to do what Jesus told us? Are we, too, expending our energy to make our world a safer, more compassionate, just home for those our present system makes poor, outcast, marginalised or excluded?
Even though Jesus claims it is not his time, Mary has touch into what Jesus represents. She tapped into God’s desire to fill a void and ensure that no one is excluded. If we take our cue from Mary’s Song <the Magnificat> where she knew Jesus came to be for them and by extension that God’s reign was a just future for the poor, the outcast, the marginalised and excluded (cf. Lk 6:22-24; Mt 5). She embodies a disciple who does not wait and do nothing until there is the right time but tries to bridge the void, the absence and isolation that exists. She lives out the faith and trust that God is in this place among us and that something we can all be part of transforming our world. Her care about others in need at a communal moment (a wedding) reminds us of what is possible this year. Who is excluded and forgotten? Who will be harmed if we do not speak up? Who is invisible, vulnerable, and unnoticed? Will we look for and see manifestations of God’s radical hospitality all around us as those among us seek to touch others with kindness, acknowledge that we are interconnected, and every person is a sister or brother. This principle is one of the greatest areas of misunderstanding today. Our actions can and do protect us. But they also have implications for others. Like others living lives of compassion, Jesus followers should be choosing a course of action that considers the potential for harming others. This is love. Love takes yourself into account, yes, and it also considers the wellbeing and safety of those around you.
In this week’s story, Mary simply says, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Those words have echoed over the centuries for every generation of Jesus followers. Jesus has told us to love. In the coming weeks, Jesus' words and actions will show God reaching out as a lover to all – especially those on the margins of life. But for now, ‘they have no wine’. Mary’s word ‘they have no wine’ provokes Jesus to ministry. It provokes us to ministry. ‘You can make a difference, here, now’. We have a great responsibility and opportunity to proclaim God’s generosity by working for justice.
Fritz Eichenberg’s engraving depicts Dorothy Day’s understanding of Christ in the poor from Matt