Listening to Mom

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. John 2:1-11

We are in Cape May Point today, making final arrangements to move down here for a while with my mother. She is 88, proud and upright, in her own mind and thoroughly strong of will. She has lived alone for a long time and managed to thrive in a tiny community a long way from big city life. She has incredible hands, hands that show the marks of the years, and yet, they move to reach out in love, to smooth a tormented brow and to hug the smallest to the largest friend. These hands have made a million biscuits, stirred thousands of pounds of spaghetti sauce and sewn late into the night. There is so much to learn from her and I have spent so much of my time ignoring her. Mothers chide us and urge us when we are small and we often take a long time to let go of all our stubborn childhood ways.

Jesus and his Mom are at a wedding, probably that of a family member. The wine runs out and she starts giving him orders. He really doesn't want to do this, he is not ready and he sure as heck does not want to listen to her. He has practiced this for some time like all humans do. And yet, her urging brings about a miracle, and the start of his ministry - a ministry which transformed time, space and our understanding of
God. So I guess it behooves us to listen to our Moms, our aunties, our wise women, who have lived and reached towards the heart of God.

I pray that God will give me new eyes and ears with which to begin again this relationship. I want to open my heart to her listening to the heart of God. May we all have the courage to welcome the wise women in our lives, the moms who have given us so much and want to urge us all on to serving others.