DAILY HOMILIES #wedding at cana

Some children grow up not knowing their mothers, some have no respect for their mothers, some have abandoned their mothers and so on, but nothing can take away the fact that those women are their mothers. Even if you have no regard for Mary (or feel offended by those who do), as long as you believe that Jesus is God and didn’t fall straight from heaven, Mary is your Mother.

Prayer is never about commanding God; it is pleading with God knowing that He is not our servant but our Father. Hence, obedience to God should naturally proceed from our prayer. After pleading with Jesus, Mary said: “Do whatever He tells you.” How can you be asking from God when you are not ready to do whatever He tells you?

Today we celebrate the fact that Mary intercedes for Africa. When Herod sought to kill the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph took shelter in Africa. At a time when our continent is faced with turmoil, suffering under the yoke of neo-colonialism, we need Mother Mary’s intercession more than ever.

In the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus revealed his true identity as God who has power over the whole of creation. By agreeing to turn water into wine at a wedding, Jesus, who (during His temptations), refused to turn stones to bread teaches us the importance of marriage, his love for us as our Groom, and his respect for Mary his Mother. Jesus gave the couple the gift of a miracle teaching us to generously offer ourselves as gifts to others.