“On the third day there was a wedding in 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.” (JN 2:5)
A wedding is a joyous occasion. It is a new beginning, a grand celebration, a happy feast. It’s just a great day. We know a wedding involves lots of coordination, preparation, planning, prayer. When the big day arrives, all the invited guest, relatives and family, friends and neighbors, peers and coworkers come together, they gather, they come to share in this happy day. Throughout our lives, we have many opportunities to celebrate joyous moments and happy occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, baptisms. retirements. The question is, did we remember to invite everyone? Was Mary part of your coordinating, preparing, planning, prayer? How about Jesus? Did you remember to invite him, to ask him for help, support, encouragement, prayer? We tend to forget to invite the members of the Holy Family to our events, family gatherings, daily prayer. They love when we call upon them – they are happy to join us, intercede for us, to be with us in all stages of life, in every happy occasion and in every sad moment. They are happy to help. One of the prayers I recite often, especially when I am about to embark or start something new, like a new project, a new assignment, a new meeting, a new gathering is to say, “Lord, may everything I do begin with your loving inspiration, continue with your help and come to perfection under your guidance through Christ our Lord.” In other words, Lord, I invite you to join me before starting anything and to help me see it through. It is important that we understand before undertaking anything, especially something new, to ask Mary and Jesus to please accompany us along the way. To please come into this moment, into this idea, into this plan, into this celebration, into this situation, into this project – come so that everything begins, continues and finishes with the support of the Holy Family. The scene of the Wedding at Cana tells us that the couple took the time to invite Jesus and Mary to their special day. It was important for them to have Jesus and Mary there and share in their joy. As Mary so graciously does, she anticipates a need and asks Jesus to help. Although Jesus says, “Woman, how does your concern affect me?” Jesus remains lovingly obedient to his Mother because she loves us. She is our Mother of Perpetual Help. Have you invited Jesus and Mary into the planning and preparation of your life? Have you involved them in every decision, in every situation, every aspect of your life? Have you invited them to be a part of your life because they certainly are a part of you.