(John 2: 1 – 11)
On Sunday 29 March, after two years of preparation, our country was rededicated as the ‘Dowry of Mary’. The ceremony took place at England’s National Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham in Norfolk, where in recent years Cursillistas have been on pilgrimage.
The ceremony was, because of the continuing Coronavirus pandemic, a very low key occasion but many, like myself, will have taken part in it online. The circumstances made it particularly moving and greatly appropriate.
A dowry was a sum of money, which a bride brought to her wedding from her family. It was intended to be used to support the bride should her husband predecease her, which in ancient times was a frequent occurrence.
The Marriage at Cana is the first of the signs in St. John’s Gospel and Our Lady has, a very important and high-profile, role in what took place. We are told in the first words that ‘on the third day’ there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. ‘Third day’ from what? We do not know – but Christians will immediately link this with the resurrection of Christ, who rose on the ‘third day’. All the signs in John’s Gospel point to the resurrection, the last and greatest sign.
It seems that Mary, ‘the mother of Jesus’, is a very important guest as we are told firstly that she was there and, as a kind of afterthought, ‘Jesus and his disciples had also been invited’. Why is this? At that time Mary will have been approaching middle-age, which, in those days meant being in one’s forties. She may have been a close relative of either the bride or the groom which meant that this was probably a family occasion.
Mary may even have had a role in making the arrangements for the wedding because someone seems to have come to her to let her know of the crisis – no wine. Remember, Jewish weddings were elaborate and long drawn our occasions; something like a week. No wonder the wine ran out! Her assistance is sought in order to resolve the situation.
What does Mary do? She turns to her Son. Christians, particularly Catholics, have long known the power of Mary’s intercession with her Son, Jesus Christ. Now, as she does so in heaven, she asks her Son to help. His response to her may seem to English ears a little abrupt, if not dismissive. This is not so. Jesus holds his mother in great respect (as we all should) and speaking to her as ‘woman’ he is addressing her as an equivalent of ‘madam’.
He reminds her that ‘my hour has not come yet’ meaning that the moment to reveal himself is still in the future. Remember that ‘the hour’ in John’s Gospel always refers to his passion and death. Revealing himself at this stage will hasten the coming of ‘the hour’. Yet, Jesus accedes to the ‘prayer’ of his mother by asking her to instruct the servants (another sign that she seems to be in charge). The servants are to fill the ‘purification’ jars to the brim for which a minimum of 180 gallons of water was needed! (There must have been a lot of guests).
Only when Jesus gives the instruction for the ‘water’ to be taken to the steward of the feast is it realised that the much-needed wine had arrived. The steward seems to think that it was the bridegroom who had produced the wine (Jn.2:10) and not just wine, but the highest quality and best vintage.
We see in this story that the role of Mary is crucial. Her request to her Son is heeded and is acted upon, leading to the revelation of his ‘glory’ and then, we are told, ‘his disciples believed in him’.
If we link ‘the third day’ the ‘hour’ and ‘his glory’ (Luke 18:33 etc; John 12:23-28; 17:1) together with the transformation of water into wine, we have a proclamation of the resurrection. We need to remember that all the gospels and indeed the whole of the New Testament were written post-resurrection so that we, like the disciples, may believe (John 20:31). Our Lady, the mother of Jesus, has a crucial role in this.
Canon Michael Leadbeater
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