The Words of Mary Continued
The fifth “word” of Mary can be heard in the next chapter of St. Luke, as Mary and Joseph locate the adolescent Jesus among the elders in the Temple: Luke 2: 48 – “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been searching for you with sorrow.” Her invocation “Son” unlocks the meaning of the whole phrase. The preoccupation of Mary’s life is Jesus Christ. Her whole person is Christ-focused. In Mary is Scripture’s premiere example of singlehearted concentration on Christ. One could characterize her whole earthly journey as a continuing “search” for Jesus.

The sixth “word” of Mary is spoken in the Gospel of John 2:3, at the wedding feast of Cana, when the Mother of Jesus brings to Jesus’s attention a pressing need: “They have no more wine.” The “wine” of Cana foreshadows the wine of the New Covenant to be outpoured on Calvary as the Precious Blood of the Redeemer. Similarly, the “hour” about which Jesus speaks to Mary at Cana ultimately means his “hour of glory” on Calvary. Accordingly, this sixth word of Mary is linked to the Holy Eucharist. She continually presents humanity’s needs to her Son, knowing that he will satisfy their thirsts with the Eucharist. Mary’s Christ-focus in the Church becomes Eucharist-focus. Until the end of time and into eternity, she will point the way to the Blessed Sacrament.

The seventh “word” of Mary, in John 2:5, stands as her last word, her final message to be reported in the Scriptures. This fitting “testament” is addressed to the Cana waiters: “Do whatever he tells you.” The action verb “do” is a mandate to mission. The command of Cana extends far beyond the circumstance of a small Galilean wedding. All humanity is to work for Jesus Christ. Mary’s challenge at Cana is a timeless word spoken to everyone: Your deeds must conform to God’s plan, and that plan is summarized in the teaching of Jesus Christ.

Mary's Words Lead Us To Heaven

This seven-faceted prism through which the Scriptures present the person of Mary is also a seven-sided mirror in which all of us can see ourselves. In her How?, Servant, Fiat, Magnificat, Son, Wine, and Do, we are invited to look at a model of Christian life. Mary’s earthly journey pioneered the path that God wishes us to walk in this world. Those seven words led Mary to heaven. As we make her words our own, she gently beckons us to the same heavenly destiny. There God is the final Word – and that Word is Love.