Queen of Heaven

Mediatrix of Grace

In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen…
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and all the hills will flow with it.
Amos 9, 11, 13

And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine…
and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water;
and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord.
Joel 3, 1​

AND the third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee: and the mother of Jesus
was there. And Jesus also was invited, and his disciples, to the marriage. And the wine
failing, the mother of Jesus saith to him: They have no wine. And Jesus saith to her:
Woman, what is that to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come. His mother saith to the
waiters: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye. Now there were set there six water-pots of
stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three
measures apiece. Jesus saith to them: Fill the water-pots with water. And they filled them
up to the brim. And Jesus saith to them: Draw out now, and carry to the chief steward of
the feast. And they carried it. And when the chief steward had tasted the water made wine,
and knew not whence it was, but the waiters knew who had drawn the water; the chief
steward calleth the bridegroom, And saith to him: Every man at first setteth forth good
wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse. But thou hast kept the
good wine until now. And saith to him: Every man at first setteth forth good wine, and
when men have well drunk, then that which is worse. But thou hast kept the good wine
until now.
John 2, 1-11

And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith to him:
They have no wine.

Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is the one Mediator between God and humanity, as stated in 1 Timothy 2:5. This means that Jesus is the one who redeemed the world and reconciled all of humanity to God by paying the ransom for sin through the outpouring of his most precious blood (2:6). However, just because Jesus is the principal mediator in his humanity, it does not mean that the faithful cannot mediate or intercede through His merits by prayer and sacrifice. In fact, the faithful can pray and offer sacrifices so that everyone might be saved and know the truth, as mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:1-4.

The apostle did not intend to emphasize that Jesus is the only mediator in the salvation process. Instead, Christians are called to actively participate in Jesus’ mediation as members of His Mystical Body. This privilege is conferred upon them as adopted sons and daughters of God who participate in Christ’s divine nature (1 Pet. 2:5; 2 Pet. 1:3-4). Christ intercedes for us as the head of His Mystical Body, not in His divinity but in His humanity. The Letter to the Hebrews explains how Christ, our High Priest, continuously intercedes for us in the heavenly sanctuary. This perpetuates His sacrifice on Calvary, pre-presented in the Last Supper and re-presented in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Through this, our daily sins are expiated.

Exegete Manuel Miguens has pointed out that verse 5, when translated from Greek, should read: “There is one and the same God for all, and there is one and the same mediator for all.” This means that the Father’s merciful love and the Son’s obedient act of atonement are for both Jews and Gentiles alike. In verse 5, the Greek word for “one” is “heis” (εἷς), which denotes “a sameness of function” (commonality or universality). If Paul had meant that there is only one mediator in the whole economy of salvation, he would have chosen the word “monos” (μόνος) instead, which signifies “only” in the sense of exclusive uniqueness, but not in a “sameness of function.”

Paul does not proclaim that Jesus is the only mediator in the economy of salvation. Instead, he emphasizes that Jesus is the primary mediator between God and man for both Jews and Gentiles. This is because Jesus has redeemed all humanity from sin and death. Unlike any other human being, Jesus intercedes for us before God in a manner that no one else can because he is equal to the Father in his divine nature. It is important to note that while we are called to intercede for others through baptism, we do so in a different and subsidiary role as participants in Christ’s primary mediation. We do this by relying on his merits as members of his Mystical Body.

In the Old Testament, Moses acted as a mediator of the covenant between God and His people. However, this covenant was fulfilled in the New Testament by Jesus Christ, who established the New Covenant through His sacrificial death and resurrection. This unique act of mediation by Christ is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. While all baptized Christians have the opportunity to participate in this act, it is not guaranteed. God has called them to share in His grace and love as members of Christ’s Mystical Body and to work alongside Him (1 Cor 3:9).

Jesus is the primary mediator between God and humanity. However, he is not the only mediator in God’s plan of salvation. Through the merits of Christ, all baptized Christians can participate in their Lord’s mediation. As members of a royal priesthood, they can intercede for others through their prayers and personal sacrifices, earning actual graces that help save others. In the Gospel narrative of the Wedding Feast at Cana, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is presented as a factual mediator who dispenses her divine Son’s grace in his sole covenantal capacity.

St. John’s theology is said to be more profound than that of the authors of the Synoptic Gospels, which is why his gospel has a more mystical flavor. In his narrative of the wedding feast, he portrays Mary as the universal mediator of grace who is associated with her Son in His saving work through allegory. Grapes or any vine fruit signify God’s favor towards His children and spiritual regeneration throughout the Scripture. Deprivation of grapes symbolizes falling from God’s grace and losing true happiness, which can only be attained by living a life in which God rules the soul. The absence of grapes in the vineyard after they have been gleaned signifies the absence of grace and holiness in the souls of those who have reached spiritual ruin by rejecting God and replacing Him with false idols.

Spiritual famine is the outcome of losing faith and trust in God, which makes one vulnerable to the tricks of the devil. The devil’s agenda is to rob the soul of its grace, which is necessary for the soul to partake in the divine life. The prophet Micah expressed this sentiment: “Woe is me! For I have become like the summer fruit that has been harvested, like the grapes that have been gathered; there is no cluster to eat, no ripe fig that my soul desires.” Similarly, Obadiah (1:5) says, “If robbers came to you, they would only take what they need for themselves. If grape pickers came, they would leave some grapes behind.”

Deprived of grace, the soul suffers calamity and misery, leading to destruction. However, divine grace brings joy and cheers the soul as God’s love showers it with blessings. God’s grace purifies and refreshes the soul by removing all the stains of darkness that may cause unhappiness and despair. Divine grace invigorates the soul and sustains its strength by nourishing it with true happiness and real peace, even during trials and tribulations. The Psalmist confirms this by saying, “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart” (Ps. 104:14-15).

The grace of God is essential for us to grow in holiness and righteousness and bear more fruit. Without it, we cannot experience eternal life in the presence of God, which is the ultimate source of our happiness and inner peace. Jeremiah draws on the example of the Israelites to emphasize the importance of persevering in faith and seeking God’s grace after every grave sin so that we may receive Divine blessings. As he puts it, “Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and enjoy the fruit” (31:5). The exile of the ancient Hebrews symbolizes the fallen state of humanity due to original sin, and the need for reconciliation with God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, which restores us to a life of grace.
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You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit.
Ephesians 2, 3

In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses a common Jewish expression when speaking to his mother, Mary. He says, “What is that to us, woman?” At first, it may seem like Jesus is being dismissive of Mary’s concerns. However, Mary and Jesus share a deep concern for the salvation of both Israel and the Gentiles. In the original Greek text of the Gospel, Jesus uses the phrase “te emoi kai soi,” which translates to “what to thee and to me.” This expression indicates a close personal relationship between the two individuals and denotes sharing interests. The Greek word for “woman” is “gynai,” a respectful and polite way of addressing a woman. However, Jesus uses this title in a theologically significant way that goes beyond mere politeness.

The closest equivalent to this form of expression in English is “What is that between friends (mother and son)?” In the Hebrew NT, this expression reads mah-liy walak isah: “what is there to me and you?”. In other words, “What would you have of me, woman, that should concern us?” This is the polite form of asking, “What would you have me do, woman?” and it implies that the speaker already has an idea of what she would like him to do. Jesus is implicitly asking his mother a rhetorical question which is more a declaration and affirmation: “What concern is this matter of the wine to us?” (2 Kg. 3:13; 2 Chron. 35:21; 2 Sam. 16:10). This wine is the object of interest, but not in a practical and mundane sense. Mary and Jesus know it signifies something immeasurably more spiritually critical and connected to Jewish eschatology. For this reason, what concerns Mary does, in fact, concern Jesus and affects him.

In this passage, Jesus asks his mother how the situation might also concern him. In doing so, he draws her into his divine work of salvation, implying that she must be willing to go through with what he is about to do. This will change their relationship forever, as she will have to let go of her son and watch him suffer a cruel and humiliating death at the hands of ungrateful sinners. Despite the gravity of the situation, Jesus and his mother share a deep concern that transcends their common dignity. Mary knows that Jesus is about to begin his public ministry and expects him to perform a miracle. The time has come for him to enter this phase of his life, and both are prepared for what lies ahead.

During this event, Jesus’ mother decided it was time for him to start his public ministry, which would bring spiritual benefit and salvation to Israel and all humanity. However, Jesus wanted his mother to confirm that she was willing to support this objective despite the sorrow that would eventually come. Mary’s concern was valid and in alignment with Jesus’ Divine will, which had taken charge in alignment with his human will. The miracle was inevitable, as it was the hour of our Lord in the form of a sign in the shadow of the Cross. Jesus had nothing more to say, but Mary, acting as the head steward on behalf of the bridegroom and host, instructed the servants: “DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.”

Expecting her Son to perform that first miracle that will inaugurate his public ministry on earth in the shadow of the Cross, Mary faithfully approaches him with her tacit request. Here, we must note the rich symbolism in this circumstance of the lack of wine, without which the wedding feast is a disaster in ancient Jewish culture. The wine is evocative of the blood of the new and everlasting Covenant (Mt.26:27-28). The elements of wine and blood are identified at our Lord’s paschal supper with his apostles on the eve of his passion and death at the Jewish Passover.

The Cana wedding feast represents the lamb’s eschatological wedding, which celebrates the marriage between the Divine Bridegroom and his Bride (the Church). This is achieved through the sacrificial outpouring of his blood (Rev. 19:6-9). Our Lady mediated on behalf of humanity when she agreed to become the mother of the divine Messiah. She continued to intercede on behalf of humanity by encouraging her Son to begin his mission, which ultimately led to the shedding of his precious blood as atonement for the world’s sins and the redemption of humankind.

Indeed, our Blessed Lady acted as our chief steward in distributing an infinitely superior wine by addressing her concern to the Bridegroom, the blood of her Son, which supersedes the blood of goats and bulls of the first covenant. In the spirit of the priesthood, Mary sacrificed her maternal rights to appease the Divine justice when she solicited her Son to perform his first miracle for something she understood was immeasurably far more critical than the replenishing of wine at a family wedding. By Mary’s solicitation, which her Son quietly anticipated as an affirmation of her faith and charity, the wedding day of the Lamb had been heralded. The bride, the Church, was to make herself ready to celebrate the marriage feast with her groom in his heavenly kingdom (Rev. 17:7,9).

In the Wedding Feast at Cana narrative, John characterizes Mary as a factual mediator who participates in the mediation of her divine Son. The Evangelist is affirming this Marian tradition of the nascent church by allegorically portraying Mary as our universal mediatrix who serves the Lord by morally channeling all the graces we might need through her solicitation and prayerful intercession. All these graces are ordained to pass through her from the Son in virtue of her divine motherhood. John tells us that “the mother of Jesus” was there.

Every man has received grace,
ministering the same to one another:
as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
1 Peter 4,1

In the order of grace, among all the faithful and righteous in the Mystical Body of Christ, Jesus has honorably conferred this pre-eminent prerogative on his most blessed mother. In honor of his mother, the Son has designated her as the chief participant in his principal mediation. The beloved disciple, moreover, is affirming that Jesus never intended to act alone in the Divine work of salvation but willed that his mother should collaborate with him in saving impoverished souls through the dispensation of his grace, as all faithful disciples of his are called to do as “stewards of grace” in keeping with the spiritual gifts they have received from the Holy Spirit. The Divine Maternity is the greatest gift any disciple of Christ can receive on earth since it belongs to the hypostatic order of our Lord’s incarnation.

​​If Mary had no active salvific role in her Son’s first and most important miracle, one with profound eschatological significance and prompted by her solicitation, John wouldn’t have included her involvement in the story’s development to its climax. He could have simply left it at this: ‘On the third day, a wedding occurred at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding (vv.1-2) …Jesus had noticed (not his mother) that the wine was gone’… Nearby stood six stone water jars…. Jesus said to the servants (without Mary having first adjoined them to obey her Son) … “Fill the jars with water…”’ (vv.6-11). Yet, instead, we have Mary mediating on behalf of the wedding guests (vv.3-5).

This action of hers isn’t purely incidental. Nothing is incidental in Scripture or even in a well-written piece of literature, not even the failure of the wine on this occasion, seeing that the wine is more than just ordinary wine in a spiritual sense. Mary is a principal character with a significant role in this story, which has a powerful impact on its anticipated climax: God’s establishment of His New Covenant through the outpouring of her Son’s blood (sacrificial wine) on the Cross. Our Lord’s sacrificial wedding ceremony begins at the Last Supper in anticipation of his sacrificial offering of himself on Calvary, where the new nuptial covenant between God and redeemed humanity is consummated: “It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30). His mother Mary sorrowfully stands beneath him at the foot of the Cross, having fulfilled her participatory role and assuming a new one, of being the Mother of all peoples (Matriarch of the New Covenant), belonging to this new dispensation of grace.

Thus, God Himself implicitly tells us something deeply important about Mary through the literary technique of His co-author (sensus plenior). Our Blessed Lady is a central character in the story and has a significant role. She is, in fact, first mentioned as being present at the wedding feast, followed by Jesus and his disciples. This is because the Evangelist wishes to draw our attention to Mary before he proceeds with the miracle that is performed by Jesus at his mother’s behest. Mary has an essential role in performing her Son’s first and most crucial miracle, which serves as a sign that the Divine Bridegroom is about to consummate His marriage covenant with His bride, Israel, and all peoples of the world. As the mother of our Lord, she is giving her Son away in marriage.

If Mary’s presence weren’t meaningful, concerning her moral contribution to the Divine dispensation of grace, and all the author was concerned with was the miraculous event and what it resulted in, the mother of our Lord would not have been included in the events leading up to the miracle and the start of Jesus’ public ministry in the shadow of the Cross. A literary protocol presupposes this. Mary’s participation affirms the nascent church’s perception of her active collaboration with the Son in the redemption of humankind.

Traditionally, Mary was understood to be the Mediatrix of Grace. In the Old Testament, as we have seen, the fruit of the vine (grapes/olives/figs) symbolizes God’s grace and the need to be rejuvenated by it. “Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned; there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires” (Micah 7:1). Analogically, the Jews’ fall from grace and exile parallels humanity’s need for redemption and restoration to the life of grace.
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Shall not Zion say:
This man and that man is born in her?
and the Highest himself hath founded her.
Psalm 87, 5

The wine likely ran out during the fifth of seven stages of the week-long family wedding ceremony, the chuppah or “canopy.” The chuppah would have been a decorated piece of cloth held aloft as a symbolic home for the new couple. It was usually held outside, under the stars, as a sign of the blessing given by God to the patriarch Abraham that his children shall be “as the stars of the heavens.” The groom would be accompanied to the chuppah by his parents and usually wore a crown and a white robe (kittel) to indicate the fact that for the bride and groom, life was starting anew with a clean white slate since they were uniting to become a new entity, without past sins. While the bride followed and came to the chuppah with her parents, a cantor would sing a selection from the Song of Songs (an allegory of the marriage between Christ and his Church in Christianity), and the groom would pray that his unmarried friends find their true partners in life.

When the bride arrived in joyful procession at the chuppah, she circled the groom seven times with her mother and future mother-in-law while the groom continued to pray. The groom’s mother danced with the bride and her parents to unite the two families. The bride, too, wore a crown, and like Christ’s bride in the Apocalypse, she wore a gown made of pure white linen. Under the chuppah, an honored Rabbi or family member then recited a blessing over wine that praised and thanked God for giving them laws of sanctity and morality to preserve the sanctity of family life and the Jewish people. The bride and groom then drank the wine. The blessings were recited over wine since wine was symbolic of life.

Given the traditional Jewish wedding, John appears to envision Mary as meeting the family of her Son’s bride (the Church) and dancing with her as she is about to put her past sins behind her and start with a clean slate by uniting with the groom. The wine he serves isn’t merely symbolic of life; the transformed substance of his blood is the source of eternal life with God. So, to understand the meaning of this Gospel narrative, we must look through the Jewish lenses of the Evangelist and see his story in a Jewish context.

In Jewish eschatology, it was (and still is) expected that when the Messiah came, he would cause manna to fall once again from heaven and lead the sacrifices consisting of the Bread of the Presence and miraculous sacrificial wine for undoing the sin of Adam and Eve in the (restored) Temple at Jerusalem in the order of the priest-king Melchizedek in which his forefather David belonged. During the periods of the two Temples, the priests would perform unbloody sacrifices for the temporal forgiveness of sins with holy bread and wine every Sabbath. The Bread of the Presence or Face of God was kept in a tabernacle in the holy sanctuary in the Temple. This bread signified God’s merciful love for the people of Israel and was a sign of His providential presence.

At any rate, Mary’s participation affirms the nascent church’s perception of her active collaboration with the Son in redemption – by being his mother. John does not say that Mary was at the wedding feast but that “the mother of Jesus was there” out of due reverence for her maternal prerogatives in the order of grace. The groom’s mother met his bride and her parents to unite their families by dancing with them during the traditional wedding ceremony. Mary has assumed this mediatory role in the marriage between Christ and his Church. She formally unites us, the human family, with her Son at our wedding banquet in the kingdom of heaven.
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And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith to him:
They have no wine. And Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is
that to me and to thee? My hour is not yet come. His mother saith
to the waiters: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.
John 2, 3-5

We should remember that the narrative of The Wedding Feast at Cana is a literary work, and, as such, all the characters in the story have a significant role to play, including the servants. Nothing further is said of the disciples after their attendance is recorded. What is intriguing, though, is that John presents the servants at the wedding feast as types of disciples. We read: His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). Dr. Edward Sri (Walking with Mary) points out that instead of using the Greek word duolois for “servants” in the ordinary sense, the Evangelist uses diakonois, the Greek word used for Jesus’ true disciples in the NT. For instance: “If anyone serves (diakonei) me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant (diakonoi) be also” (Jn. 12:26). Hence, John is presenting Mary as the mother of all her Son’s disciples (the bride of Christ) who faithfully follow and serve him. And the first thing she must say to all her children as Mother of the Church is “Do whatever he tells you.”

As their loving mother and caretaker of their souls, our Blessed Lady is encouraging them to live their lives in perfect obedience to her divine Son (Jn. 19:26-27; Rev. 12:17). Moreover, John does not say ‘Mary’ spoke to the servants but that it was our Lord’s “mother.” He is alluding to her dual maternity, which Jesus ratifies on the Cross just before he concludes the New Passover meal by consuming the sour wine or fourth cup. His mother is the faithful disciple’s mother as well, though spiritually.  So, John’s gospel is far more mystical in flavor than the Synoptic Gospels. The narrative of The Wedding Feast at Cana is indeed allegorical in aspect.

When Jesus asks his mother how the wine concerns them, he implicitly refers to the Last Supper and Calvary, where he publicly designates Mary, Mother of the Church. In the context of the traditional Jewish ceremony, the wedding feast is a prelude to the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven by the blood of the new and everlasting covenant, the marriage between the Bridegroom and his Bride, the Church. Mary must formally unite her Son to his bride to become her mother and Advocatrix of grace on and through the merits of her divine Son. Her mediation is a formal act of uniting God with redeemed humanity, which now begins with a clean slate and the sin of Adam put behind.

Mary’s maternal prerogative is most efficacious by merit because of her salutary consent to be the mother of our Lord. By her faith working through love, the divine Word became incarnate to redeem the world and justly merit the dispensation of divine grace, without which we cannot be regenerated and personally justified before God. So, it is only fitting that she who brought the living Source of all grace into the world should continue to act in a primary mediatory capacity, as the neck that connects the Head to all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body, in the dispensation of his signal or actual graces.

No miracle of Jesus was ever performed through the solicitation of any apostle, including those present at the marriage feast. Mary approached her Son, expecting a miracle. She did not suggest that the wedding feast should now end and the guests return home, unlike the apostles who suggested to Jesus that the crowds be sent away for want of food (Mt. 14:15-21). As we have seen, she promptly instructed the servants to do what her Son would tell them. Moreover, Mary did not approach the bridegroom with her concern, though it was his responsibility to provide enough wine for a one-week celebration. She simply and confidently said to her Son: “They have no wine.” Mary solicited Jesus because she knew that her Son was the long-awaited Bridegroom who would come into the world to provide the wine of salvation for the redemption of Israel and mankind. This was the “best wine” flowing in abundance, as foretold by the prophets. Jesus produced over one hundred gallons of wine from the water held in the six stone jars used for domestic purification rituals. John tells us in his First Epistle (5:6) that Jesus came into the world “not by water only” (regeneration/baptism) but “by water and “blood” (justification/the Eucharist).

All our unmerited graces originate from Christ, the Head of his Mystical Body. Yet they sufficiently flow through Mary, its neck. For his mother’s sake above all else and out of his perfect love for her, signal graces are given to us despite our unworthiness. John’s allegorical narrative of the wedding feast illustrates this intimate association between the Mother and the Son in the dispensation and application of divine grace in our lives. Being our spiritual mother, by having conceived and borne Jesus so that we may be reborn in the Spirit and have a new life with God, the Church has designated Mary to be the New Eve.

By being the second Eve, Mary is the Mother of the Church and, as such, the culmination of Mother Zion, in whom the Church is symbolized as the sacrament of grace for the entire world. It is in the heavenly sanctuary that the Lamb of God intercedes for us all through the merits of his precious blood. The grace he has produced for us by his infinite merits is dispensed first and foremost through our Blessed Mother, by whose mediation we are formally united to Christ, our Divine Bridegroom.
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May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
Psalm 20, 2

That John perceived Mary to be Eve’s anti-type, the spiritual “mother of all the living,” by her association with the Son, the New Adam, is evident in how he constructs his Gospel from the beginning up to the narrative of the marriage feast at Cana. The Evangelist begins with a type of creation story that, in its day-by-day format, remarkably parallels the Story of Creation in Genesis 1. What follows in the Gospel is a seven-day model of the world’s new creation, culminating in the inauguration of Jesus’ public ministry in the shadow of the Cross and Mary’s vital participation with him in undoing the sin of Adam and Eve. Remarkably, the Evangelist presents us with a ‘New Creation’ story in which we have the new Adam and his ‘helpmate’ the new Eve, collaborating to reproduce the fruit of the tree of life.

Day 1

In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.
Genesis 1, 1

That was from the beginning, that which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes;
that which we contemplated,
and our hands handled,
concerning the word of life;
John 1, 1

And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night;
and there was evening and morning one day.
Genesis 1, 5

And the light shineth in darkness,
and darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1, 5

Day 2

And the earth was void and empty,
and darkness was upon the face of the deep;
and the spirit of God moved over the waters.
Genesis 1, 2

The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him,
and he saith: Behold the Lamb of God, behold
him who taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1, 29

And John gave testimony, saying: I saw the Spirit coming down,
as a dove from heaven, and he remained upon him. And I knew him
not; but he who sent me to baptize with water, said to me: He upon
whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon him,
he it is that baptizes with the Holy Ghost.
John 1, 32-33

​Day 3

And he said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit
tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was
so done. And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yields seed according to
its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit having seed each one according to its own kind.
And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1, 11-12

The next day again John stood, and two of his disciples.
And beholding Jesus walking, he saith: Behold the Lamb of God.
When the two disciples heard him say this,
they followed Jesus.
John 1, 35-36

In this is my Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit
and become my disciples.
John 15, 8

Day 4

And God made the two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to
rule the night: and the stars. And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon
the earth. And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And
God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1, 16-18

On the following day, he would go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip.
And Jesus saith to him: Follow me… Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him:
and he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.
John 1, 43-44

Again therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying: I am the light
of the world: he that follows me, walks not in darkness,
but shall have the light of life.
John 8, 12

Day 5

And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’
Genesis 1, 20

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1, 29

I have come so that they may have life,
and may have it more abundantly.
John 10, 10

Day 6

And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind:
Genesis 1, 24

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.
When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
John 1, 35-36

Day 7

Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness;
Genesis 1, 26

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee.
Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
John 1,43

Jesus is journeying to Cana in Galilee, while John continues to baptize people in the Jordan, many of whom will follow Jesus and have the light of life through the regenerating baptismal water: men and women of every kind, the great and the small alike. Up to three thousand people were baptized on the first Pentecost Sunday (Acts 2:41). The second creation story begins in Chapter 2 of John’s Gospel with the marriage feast in Cana attended by the New Adam (Jesus) and his helpmate the New Eve (Mary) present there with him.

The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh…
No more do they drink wine with singing…
There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
all joy has reached its eventide; the gladness of the earth is banished.
Isaiah 24, 7, 9, 11

On this mountain (Zion), the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all
peoples, a feast of fat things, a banquet of aged wine – of fat things full of marrow, of
fine wine well refined. And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over
all peoples, the covering that is cast over all nations. He will swallow up death forever,
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he
will take away from all the earth.
Isaiah 25, 6-8

AND the third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee: and the mother of Jesus
was there. And Jesus also was invited, and his disciples, to the marriage.
John 2, 1-2
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And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the
voice of great thunders, saying, alleluia: for the Lord our God the Almighty hath reigned. Let us
be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath
prepared herself. And it is granted to her that she should clothe herself with fine linen, glittering
and white. For the fine linen are the justifications of saints. And he said to me: Write: Blessed
are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith to me: These words of
God are true.
Revelation 19, 6-9

In St. John’s account of the new creation, the story climaxes at the Cana wedding feast. This event occurs on the seventh day, not a day of rest for Jesus, but when he begins his work of salvation. This is the second creation story, with Jesus as the New Adam and Mary as the New Eve. The narrative is filled with literary and theological symbolism. The first miracle that Jesus performs, through the solicitation of his mother, is to turn water into wine. This resembles Moses’ first miracle, which involved turning water into blood. In this story, Jesus turns the water into wine, referred to as the “blood of the grape” in Genesis 49. This metaphor suggests that Jesus is converting the wine of salvation into the substance of his own blood at the Last Supper or the sacrificial New Passover meal of the heavenly wedding banquet.

On the second day of creation, John saw Jesus coming towards him. John stated, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the world’s sin.” (Jn. 1:29). In John 2, the Lamb of God is attending a wedding feast with his mother and disciples. This wedding feast symbolizes the eschatological wedding banquet of the Lamb in the new order of creation that John envisions in the Apocalypse. What happens allegorically at the wedding feast in Cana is celebrated in the New Jerusalem that has come down from heaven (Rev. 21:1-5). This invisible reality is made visible in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. It is celebrated in Holy Mass (the re-presentation of Calvary) in the pilgrim Catholic Church since Apostolic time (1 Cor. 10:16).

The Evangelist draws our attention to a more profound divine mystery than what first meets the eye. He mentions Mary and constructs her dialogue with Jesus in a way intended to illustrate their close association with the Divine work of salvation. Mary’s presence at the wedding feast, together with that of her Son, is of providential design, no less than the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Mary is in the Gospel of Luke. Nothing is merely incidental in the Scriptures. By the time his Gospel was written, the author could draw from a Marian tradition flourishing in the nascent Church. First and foremost, through the mediation of the faithful Mother, we receive the blessings of the faithful Son. It is at the celebration of the wedding feast of the Lamb that Mary, as the mother of the Son, has passed him on as groom to the bride, which is the Church and sacrament of divine grace for the entire world (Rev. 21:1-2, 9-22).

It may seem strange that Mary did not appeal to the bridegroom directly when the wine ran out at the wedding feast. However, this can be explained by Mary’s knowledge of ancient Judaic tradition. Mary understood the prophetic teachings that described Israel’s longing for the “wine” that would be poured out at the Messianic wedding. This wine symbolized the consummation of the marriage covenant between God and Israel and was offered by people of all nations in the Temple on Mount Zion. Mary’s request to her son was, therefore, a recognition of his role as the Messiah who would bring about this long-awaited fulfillment of prophecy.

The Jews long expected this banquet to be universal for both Israel and the Gentile nations. It would be a sacrificial wedding banquet of wine. Isaiah speaks of “fat things” and “fine wines,” which refer to the fat of the sacrifices and refined wine that were offered to God as bloody and unbloody sacrifices in the Jewish Temple (Lev. 3:16; 23:13). And, finally, this sacrificial wedding banquet hosted by the Messiah would undo once and for all the ill effects of the sin of Adam and Eve. It would “destroy the covering that is cast over all peoples” and “swallow up death forever… God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from the earth.”

During the time of Jesus and his mother Mary, it was believed by the Jews that the eschatological wedding banquet would celebrate the consummation of the spiritual marriage covenant between YHWH (the groom) and Israel (the bride), including all nations. This banquet was considered a return to the Garden of Eden before the fall of Adam and Eve. The righteous would drink miraculous wine and feast on the Beatific Vision of God. When Mary said, “They have no wine,” she expressed the Jewish hope for the wine of the Bridegroom YHWH at His banquet – the wine of salvation. Mary meant that the best wine saved for last was in the transubstantiated form of her divine Son’s blood (Jn 2:10).

Not unlike John the Baptist, Mary knew that her son was the lamb of God who came to take away the world’s sins by offering himself as a living sacrifice. By making her request, she implicitly asked him to provide the sacrificial wine of salvation spoken of by the prophets and long-awaited by the Jews. The Jews expected YHWH to send his Messiah to lead the unbloody sacrifices of bread and wine for the forgiveness of humankind’s sins on Mount Zion. However, they had no idea that the celebration on Mount Zion would take the form of the holy sacrifice of the Mass in the Catholic Church or New Jerusalem as a visible sign of the invisible heavenly marriage banquet until the end of this age. The bread and wine offered by our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, in union with the pilgrim Church on earth, would actually be the substance of his own body and blood in appearance.

Our Lady of the Holy Eucharist

Mary understood that the sacrificial victim would be the Divine Groom Himself in the person of her Son Jesus by the outpouring of his blood: the wine of the new and everlasting covenant. His bride would be redeemed humanity and His Church. The Groom’s gift to his bride would be the giving of himself in his sacrificial act of love: the regenerating water and justifying blood that poured out from his pierced side upon the consummation of their eternal marriage covenant (Jn. 19:28-35). On this occasion, a sword would also pierce Mary’s soul (Lk. 2:34-35). Therefore, Mary approached Jesus as she usually would have the bridegroom of the wedding feast at Cana, who was responsible for providing the wine. Mary did not expect her Son to sacrifice himself at the wedding feast, but she understood that it was time for him to begin his public ministry in the shadow of his self-immolation for the forgiveness of sins. Our Lord knew that his mother knew (what to thee and to me), and so he told her: “My hour has not yet come.”

Jesus implied to his mother that the Last Supper, or sacrificial wedding banquet, was still three years away, along with the consummation of the marriage between God and forgiven humanity on the Cross. This would occur when he received the sour wine extended to him on a hyssop branch: the fourth Hallel cup (Cup of Consummation) that concludes the traditional Passover meal but was excluded at the Last Supper in the Gospel narratives (Jn. 19:28-30). The guests at the wedding in Cana would have their wine for the feast. Still, as a sign that the Divine Bridegroom had come to host the sacrificial wedding banquet of salvation and consummate his new marriage covenant with redeemed humanity, fulfilling the prophecies, he would honor his mother’s request. In a Jewish religious context, Mary asked her Son to reveal himself as the long-awaited Divine Bridegroom YHWH and provide the wine of salvation (his own blood) for the redemption of humanity by saying, “THEY HAVE NO WINE.”

Mary is considered the spiritual mother of all people. It is believed that she prompted her son, Jesus, to provide the wine of salvation to undo the sin of Adam and allow humanity to return to the Garden of Eden. Mary’s role as the mother of Jesus means she is also seen as the universal Mediatrix of Grace, responsible for dispensing actual graces to help people grow spiritually. Her Assumption into Heaven, in body and soul, increased her maternal responsibilities. By taking the body and blood of Christ, her children can achieve spiritual growth and work towards perfection in their journey towards Heaven.

“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth,
the time for pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!
Song of Solomon 2, 10-13
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Early Sacred Tradition

“With the Mediator you are the Mediatrix of all the world.”
St. Ephraem of Syria (A.D. 373)

“Raised to heaven, she remains for the human race an unconquerable
rampart, interceding for us before her Son and God.”
St. Theoteknos of Livias (ante A.D. 560)

“Mary the Ever-Virgin — radiant with divine light and full of grace,
mediatrix first through her supernatural birth and now because of the
intercession of her maternal assistance — be crowned with never ending
blessings …seeking balance and fittingness in all things, we should make
our way honestly, as sons of light.”
St. Germanus of Constantinople (ante A.D. 733)

“O, how marvelous it is! She acts as a mediatrix between the loftiness of God
and the lowliness of the flesh, and becomes Mother of the Creator.”
St. Andrew of Crete (ante A.D. 740)

“From her we have harvested the grape of life;
from her we have harvested the seed of immortality.
For our sake, she became Mediatrix of all blessings;
in her God became man, and man became God.”
St. John Damascene (A.D. 749)
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Salve Regina Caeli