“Do Whatever He tells you.”

As we enter into the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, our Gospel reading this week has Jesus, his mother, and his disciples attending a very ordinary event: a wedding. At this event, a rather unfortunate, though ordinary, thing happens: they run out of wine! Such a thing at a wedding feast would certainly have been an embarrassment to the couple and to those who planned out the feast. And yet, the compassionate gaze of Our Lady recognizes this and decides to take action by asking Jesus to intervene.

The conversation that follows, again, seems rather ordinary. Mary points out the situation to Jesus. Jesus tells Mary, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” And Mary then utters words to the servers that, while seemingly ordinary, carry a depth that echoes in the hearts and minds of Christians up to this very day: "Do whatever he tells you.” 

In that moment, the people present listen to Mary's advice and witness Jesus' first miracle where he turns water into wine. However, her advice of doing whatever Jesus tells us remains the bedrock of all we do as a Church and as the People of God. Whether in the ordinary or extraordinary moments of our days and lives, doing whatever Jesus tells us can bring about amazing and even miraculous results. 

So today and this week, let us heed Mary's advice! May our prayer, reading of Scripture, and participation in the sacramental life and merciful work of the Church attune our minds and hearts to hearing God's voice. And then, may we truly, in both the ordinary and extraordinary moments of our days and lives, do whatever Jesus tells us!

Want to prepare your heart and mind for Sunday's Mass? Click here to find the readings.