With one heart the disciples continued in steadfast prayer with Mary,
the mother of Jesus.
After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostles
returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.
When they entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
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Commentary on Acts 1:12-14
This passage provides part of the introductory comments of St. Luke as he begins the Acts of the Apostles. Like any well written story, he connects the events that have just taken place in his first volume – The Gospel of Luke – with what will follow. In the first verses Jesus ascended and told them to expect the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this selection the disciples with Mary the Mother of Jesus and his extended family return to Jerusalem and enter the locked room. Important to recognize is the presence not just of the apostles but of Mary, ever faithful to her son.
"Here we see Mary as the spiritual center round which Jesus' intimate friends gather: tradition has meditated on this 'tableau', and found it to depict our Lady's motherhood over the whole Church, both at its beginning and over the course of the centuries." [1]
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. (3) Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
The LORD loves the city
founded on holy mountains,
Loves the gates of Zion
more than any dwelling in Jacob.
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
But of Zion it must be said:
"They all were born right here."
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
The Most High confirms this;
the LORD notes in the register of the peoples:
"This one was born here."
So all sing in their festive dance:
"Within you is my true home."
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
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Commentary on Ps 87:1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7
This post-exilic song was probably sung by pilgrims from around the known world returning to Jerusalem to celebrate in God’s holy city the joys of his bounty. The psalm proclaims the centrality of Jerusalem (Zion) as the source of holiness. The psalmist sings of how Jerusalem is the mother of faith and that, by implication, all are joined to her in faith.
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GOSPEL
The mother of Jesus was there, and his disciples believed in him.
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.
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Commentary on Jn 2:1-11
The author gives us the story of Jesus' first revelatory action following his baptism by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan. Jesus and his disciples are invited to a wedding and the wine runs out. Jesus’ mother lets her son know that the time has come for his revelation, even though Jesus does not think so. The Greek in the exchange between Jesus and his mother is ambiguous; some would interpret it, "‘What concern is that of mine or yours?’, but it is more probably to be understood as a Hebrew idiom, ‘What have I to do with you?’, that is, ‘Leave me alone, do not interfere with me’, as in Matthew 8.29, and in many passages of the Old Testament." [2]
Significantly the stone water jars were there for the ceremonial cleansing, the very Hebrew custom John the Baptist used in his call to repentance. The Hebrew custom was symbolic (as was St. John's invitation to be baptized in the Jordan); the Lord would later make baptism efficacious as sins were forgiven. We also note the Hebrew numerology applied to this scene. The number six represents one less than the perfect number seven. It was not yet Jesus’ time. The water became wine, not his blood which was yet to be poured out for the salvation of mankind.
The final statement in this story: “his disciples began to believe in him,” is the only time in the Gospel of St. John where there was any doubt about the Lord’s true identity on their part.
Significantly the stone water jars were there for the ceremonial cleansing, the very Hebrew custom John the Baptist used in his call to repentance. The Hebrew custom was symbolic (as was St. John's invitation to be baptized in the Jordan); the Lord would later make baptism efficacious as sins were forgiven. We also note the Hebrew numerology applied to this scene. The number six represents one less than the perfect number seven. It was not yet Jesus’ time. The water became wine, not his blood which was yet to be poured out for the salvation of mankind.
The final statement in this story: “his disciples began to believe in him,” is the only time in the Gospel of St. John where there was any doubt about the Lord’s true identity on their part.
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Reflection:
Have you ever wondered what our world and faith would be if not for the Mother of Jesus, our Blessed Virgin Mary? It is amazing, if you think about it, the sometimes subtle role she played in our ability to understand the person and image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the passage from the Acts of the Apostles we see the apostles and the tiny group that is the very seed of Christianity gather. We note that Mother Mary was included and explicitly named. She was certainly venerated and deferred to by those who traveled with Jesus. She was their heart, the heart that suffered with a mother’s love as he endured his passion, a heart that had seen God’s vision for his adopted people from the very beginning.
Pax
Reflection:
Have you ever wondered what our world and faith would be if not for the Mother of Jesus, our Blessed Virgin Mary? It is amazing, if you think about it, the sometimes subtle role she played in our ability to understand the person and image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the passage from the Acts of the Apostles we see the apostles and the tiny group that is the very seed of Christianity gather. We note that Mother Mary was included and explicitly named. She was certainly venerated and deferred to by those who traveled with Jesus. She was their heart, the heart that suffered with a mother’s love as he endured his passion, a heart that had seen God’s vision for his adopted people from the very beginning.
While it is not stated directly, it has long been understood that Mary’s
role in the formation of the Church cannot be underestimated. What we know about her from the short pieces
of the bible that speak about her actions paints a clear picture. While humble and completely dedicated to God
(“My soul proclaims the greatness of the
Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my savior…”), we also see she was not shy
when it came to making sure God’s purpose was achieved. The story of the Wedding Feast at Cana
demonstrates that clearly.
Jesus was invited to this wedding along with his disciples. It was probably a follower of his teachings who was getting married. That would explain
why Jesus, his disciples and his mother would have been on the guest list
(there were probably other women from that community of followers there as
well). When Mary becomes aware of the “wine
problem” she immediately takes steps. (Oh, and by the way, anyone who has been to
a gathering of families who are close would recognize the fact that the mother
of one of the guests would become aware of this problem before almost anyone
else is totally realistic. She was
probably helping out with preparations.) She obviously knew that her son could
resolve the issue. She did not have to
be pushy. All she said to the Lord was: “They have no wine.” This would have been a real embarrassment to
the new couple.
Mary knew the heart of our Lord.
Out of love, he was compelled to act. Mary’s next action proved how well
she knew the mind of her son by her next action. We see her making the profound statement to
the servants “Do whatever he tells you.”
It is a direction each of us must hear if we are to be the Lord’s
disciples. It is the mission statement
for Holy Mother Church. It is the most
difficult thing we will ever be asked to do because of the great love he has
for all things in God’s creation.
We are stung by the words of the Mother of Jesus and driven by
them. Indeed, her dedication to our Lord
is the image of the Church, whose mother she is.
[1] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 722.
[2] Knox Bible footnote on Jn 2:4
