And Mary Was There…
Written by: Sister André Marie Masney
The Gospel according to St. John begins its second chapter by telling of the wedding feast at Cana. Jesus and His disciples were invited. It simply states that Mary was there. It doesn’t mention whether or not she was invited. Knowing Mary, we cannot imagine that she would “crash” the party. She was just there.
(In the narrative that follows, the words of Mary are typed in blue italics).
As Mary entered the kitchen of the banquet hall, we hear, “Hello!” “Oh, Myriam. So glad to see you! You came just in time. The Chief banqueteer is waiting for you.” “What’s up?” “You’ll find out! She’s giving us all new positions for this banquet.” “Miryam, I have just the job for you. Here’s a new apron for you.” “What is it?” “Your work will be to see that the beverage supply is divided evenly among all the tables. With all the excitement of planning the wedding this month, the host forgot that it was his turn to stage a ‘stock the bar’ party.” “Oh, dear. I’ll start checking right now.”
Just as she left the kitchen the friends of Jesus began to arrive. Some of the fellows noticed her and waved, “Shalom.” A couple others saw their moms as they passed the kitchen. They moved quickly!
“Be careful, Miryam,” the ‘chief’ cautioned. “Keep them away from the tables.” “I’m on it,” as she ushered them past the banquet hall.
As Jesus watched His friends headed toward the dance hall in a semi-ruckus manner, He thought to himself, “I have a hunch that I will soon become a part of this scenario.”
… and Mary was just there.
