Did He Miss the Opportunity?
By M. C. W.
—One would naturally think, if our Catholic friends have the right of it in the honor and exaltation which they give to the mother of our Lord, that Jesus missed a great opportunity of stating her exalted position at the marriage in Cana of Galilee. The wine failed, and the mother of Jesus “saith unto Him, They have no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.” John 2:3-5. What a splendid opportunity it was for Jesus to exalt as divine His highly honored human mother,—honored by being the channel through which the Word was made flesh. But He does not do this. We do not understand that His language was disrespectful, but it clearly indicated that she was not to be the guide, or governess, or leader, or ruler, in any way, of His work. Nor did she herself feel that at all. She quietly submitted to His kindly reproof, if so we may call it, and simply said to the servants, “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.” He needed no solicitation from her; He needed no daysman to come between Him and humanity’s needs. It is He Himself who said to the poor and the needy, to the weary and the worn, to the sick and the sinful, “Come unto Me.” No cordon of saints or angels or prelates or priests is needed to give the needy soul a connection with the divine Lord. He Himself has opened the way, and He invites all to enter.