The seventh of the Twelve Days of Christmas

Image by Peter Dennis

The liturgical calendar calls us to celebrate today the Solemnity of the Mary, the Mother of God. When did Mary begin to recognize and understand who her son was? When did she begin to understand the angel's message to her? How did Mary come to understand that she was the Mother of the Son of God?

Perhaps she began to see more clearly the relationship she shared with Jesus at the wedding feast at Cana. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." (And) Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you."

Mother Mary,
Why did you tell Jesus about the problem with the wine?
What did you expect him to do?
What led you to believe he would do something?
What had you seen and heard
that led you to trust that he would help?
When he told you his hour had not yet come,
did you understand of what hour he spoke?
Did you know the hour of which he spoke?
So simply and confidently you told the servers,
"Do whatever he tells you."
We see your faith in him
and in his power to make things right.
As you told your son that they had run out of wine,
will you tell him that sometimes
we run out of hope, perseverance and faith?
Sometimes we run out of patience, wisdom and virtue?
Will you teach us to trust in him as you did?
Will you ask him to make good wine
of the water of our lives?
Will you help us do, willingly, whatever he tells us?
Will you, Mother of God,
intercede for us with your Son
in the everyday Cana of our lives?

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us...