Posted by
Corthell on Saturday, May 09, 2009 6:25:01 PM
Can't let this Mother's Day slip past without some remembrances. And a tribute. Poets and philosophers and songwriters have long since decided there is no sweeter word in any language than "Mother." Well, maybe "Mama," my personal favorite. Even "Lord" or "God" may rank second, probably because, at least to those who don't know Him intimately, there are austere and ominous connotations in the name of the Creator who will eventually judge all mankind.
But most of us have few negative or fearful feelings about our mothers; we seem most to remember the loving, nurturing, encouraging, forgiving and self-sacrificing attributes of our moms. While Dad may have been demanding, exacting, short-tempered or distant at times, Mom was always understanding, supportive and easy to wheedle out of something extra. She expected the best of us, and sometimes actually seemed to get it.
I've always gotten such a kick out of the account of Jesus' first miracle at Cana in Galilee, the changing of water to wine at the wedding feast. The young apostle John, who was an eyewitness, describes the event in his Gospel, chapter 2.
There was no TV in those days, no movies or other entertainment of the type we're used to – so a big wedding, with food and wine plentiful, was a major thing. So, while the evening was far from over, running out of wine was a catastrophe. Jesus, the disciples he'd begun gathering and his mother had come to the wedding from Nazareth, probably because the hosts were close friends, and Mary was understandably concerned for those friends who were about to be terribly embarrassed.
She hurried to her son, took him aside and confided: "They have no more wine, son …"
"Dear woman, why are you telling me this?" Jesus answered. "My time has not yet come." We can only guess what Mary had already seen of Jesus' power or ability, but it's clear that she felt he could do something about the wine shortage, and it wasn't making a quick trip to a nearby 7 Eleven. At least he had "connections," a relationship with his real Father, and she hoped he could somehow save the day.
So Mama Mary said to the nearby servants, "Do whatever my boy tells you." And she walked away.