Asking Mom for Help
Jan 7: Christmas Weekday
Today’s readings are about intercessory prayer, asking for help. We can, of course, as God the Father to help us in our lives. But we can also ask Mary to request on our behalf, as she does for the newlyweds in Cana. Jesus is a good Son, so you know He’ll at least hear her out.
Reading 1
1 Jn 5:14-21
Beloved: We have this confidence in God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.
We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the Evil One cannot touch him. We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the Evil One. We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Children, be on your guard against idols.
In a fallen world, there are lots of things we can ask God for: restoration of health, ending a war, finding a loved one. But as John clarifies, God will answer if it is according to His will. Being omnipotent and omniscient, God knows what is truly good for us.
There is one thing you can ask for and count on it being God’s will, though—forgiveness. God will always forgive, so long as we are sincerely repentant. So, we should frequently go to confession, to restore our relationship with God.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 149:1-2, 3-4, 5 and 6a and 9b
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight in his people.
Of course we should praise God in whatever way we can, whether with dancing, singing, or playing the tambourine.
But also note that it says we should sing upon our couches. That’s not the couch in your living room; it’s the place you’d recline at a big banquet, after eating and drinking a lot. (Think this’ll come up in today’s Gospel?) We often pray to God when we need help, but don’t forget to thank Him once we get it.
Alleluia
Lk 7:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the response of people who saw Jesus raise the widow’s son from the dead.1 As we'll see in the Gospel, Jesus doesn't perform miracles just to be nice (although I'm sure it's very nice for the beneficiaries of the miracle); but rather, it's to help people see Jesus' power and have faith in Him.
Gospel
Jn 2:1-11
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. 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."
Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter."
So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now."
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.
The Wedding Feast at Cana is one of those stories that only appears in John. Today, I learned there’s a tradition that wedding is actually John’s,2 which would explain why the other evangelists didn’t write about it.
I also learned that “woman” is a slightly misleading translation of γύναι (gynai).3 It’s actually a polite, normal form of address, similar to “ma’am.” Jesus isn’t being rude to his mother.
But what about “how does your concern affect me?” Again, the literal translation is better: “What is this to me and to you?” We’re at a party, they’re running out of wine, it’s not the big a deal.
But it is a big deal, isn’t it? Mary has never asked Him for a miracle before, even though she knows, more than anyone else, that He is the Savior. So why?
One theory is that the married couple are poor, and can’t afford much good wine. But of course, most newlyweds are poor; it was the family’s responsibility to pay for the wedding feast. The fact that they’re running out of wine could imply that they don’t approve of the marriage.
But they are married. Jesus emphasizes the importance marriage is throughout His ministry. So He does as Mary asks, not just for the sake of this couple, but to demonstrate just how important marriage is in His Kingdom. His very first miracle is blessing a wedding!
Another important lesson for us is the strength of Mary’s intercession. She asks Jesus to perform His first miracle, and dutiful Son that he is, he obeys. That’s why we pray to Mary,4 especially the rosary.
One more thing to note, though—Mary instructs the servers to "Do whatever He tells you." When you pray for Mary’s intercession, this is very likely going to be her response. Are you listening?
Aquinas is said to have held this belief, but I can’t find a good citation.
It’s the same word He uses when telling John to take care of Mary.
But don’t worship her!