Tuesday 8 December 2015

"They Have No Wine" by Fr. John Harris


In her Diary, St. Faustina recorded the details of a vision she had of Our Blessed Lady and the Child Jesus at the Shrine of Ostra Brama in Vilnius, Lithuania on November 15, 1935.
Extract from the Diary about this vision:

“On the evening of the last day of the Novena at Ostra Brama, after the singing of the litany, one of the priests exposed the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance. When he placed it on the altar, I immediately saw the Infant Jesus, stretching out His little arms, first of all toward His Mother, who at that time had taken on a living appearance. When the Mother of God was speaking to me, Jesus stretched out His tiny hands toward the congregation. The Blessed Mother was telling me to accept all that God asked of me like a little child, without questioning; otherwise it would not be pleasing to God. At that moment, the Infant Jesus vanished, and the Mother of God was again lifeless, and her picture was the same as it had been before”. (Diary 529)

When the vision ended, the young nun said to the Lord, "Do with me as You please; I am ready for everything, but You, O Lord, must not abandon me even for a moment" (Diary 529).

Wedding Feast of Cana

This vision of St. Faustina reminds us of the moment between Mary and Jesus at the wedding feast in Cana when Mary says, “They have no wine”. The reaction of Our Blessed Lord takes us by surprise when He says, "Why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come." (John 2:4) The Gospel tells us she simply went to the servants and said, "Do whatever He tells you". This is exactly what she told St. Faustina in the vision in 1935.

The Love of Our Lady

This story shows the sensitivity and strength of Our Lady and her love and compassion for people. It would have been deeply humiliating for the married couple and their families to run out of wine. She did not demand, but she knew He wouldn’t say ‘no’, not out of fear, but out of love. It also shows her faith that she knew that nothing was impossible to Him. (Like any good mother, she just suggested!) It is as if she is saying, "I trust in you". Her whole life was one of openness to God's activity. Mary is the woman who always said “yes” to God. For Mary, prayer is not telling God what to do but an attitude of loving trust in His goodness.

She wants us to trust in her son

Mary wants us all to know that this is the true nature of the heart of her Son. She knows that it’s only when we meet Him and learn to trust in Him that great things can happen in our lives. No matter what is going on, what disasters may be threatening us or what fears we may hold, we can turn to her and she will intercede for us with Him. Of course, Our Lady would never take advantage Him, but I am certain, that if Our Lady sees a need in our life, she will ask Jesus to help, even if requires a profound miracle.

Out of sync with God’s Plans

The miracle of the wedding feast of Cana was an act of love and mercy. But it was out of sync with God’s plans. Jesus was concerned about this, otherwise He would not have said, “My hour has not yet come”. But it just goes to show the depth of God’s love, that He was willing to change His plans to help this couple with something as insignificant as extra wine at a wedding.

Beginning of His Mission

Once Jesus preformed this miracle, He began His works of mercy and they would not stop until the greatest work of mercy, His Passion on the Cross. At the foot of the Cross, she will be with Him again. But this time, He has a request for her and she will not refuse Him either.

We can trust Him

There is no better way of getting to know her Son than by trusting in Him. We can trust Him because He is mercy. When His mercy touches our lives, and at times our very troubled lives, He can transform them beyond all recognition. He turns our water into His wine.

Dirty Water Jars

We must remember that the water-jars held water that was used by the Jews for cleaning the dust off their hands and feet. No one would ever think of drinking from them. It is symbolic of His mercy as He transforms a situation of grime and dirt into the celebration of His goodness and generosity.

So, it is for us, when we do as Mary tells us, and meet Him in our trust. He can transform situations which we may be ashamed of, despairing of but with the touch of His presence make them into celebrations of His wonderful goodness and generosity. Only He can do such a wonderful thing and Mary knows this.

He will not let us down

We are the servants at the wedding feast in Cana. When Our Lady tells us “Do whatever He tells you”, we must trust that He will not let us down. In the Devotion to Divine Mercy, Jesus has asked us to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to help Him to save souls, so we must do what He tells us and He will wash clean the souls of countless sinners and change them into holy, joy-filled people.

Original Article