Prayer

1. An Invitation
By Kathleen McCauley
We have all heard many time the famous scripture passage of the Wedding Feast
at Cana (John 2:1-12) and the miracle of the wine. For most of my life I was dazzled and
perplexed by the actual miracle of water turned to wine…into GOOD wine at that!!! As I
got older, I heard this reading in a way that made me think Mary was a demanding Jewish
mother, one who didn’t know boundaries and wheeled power. But this past week when I
heard this passage I heard an invitation.
I actually saw Mary as a good mom who knew her child well and invited him to
share his gifts. I related to that. Most moms really feel that they know their children,
almost better and sooner than their child have truly actualized their own selves. When
my children use to leave for school every day I’d yell out to them “Show them all that
you’ve got”. I knew their skills and abilities and I wanted them to share them and shine.
Maybe that is simply what Mary was doing at this wedding? She knew Jesus’s
abilities, she recognized his giftedness and she simply invited him to share those gifts.
Now for Jesus’s part, his response was “No, it is not my time.” Well, I don’t know about
you, but when I am scared I always throw out a “No” and put up my wall. But then I calm
down and relax, say a few prayers and come around to doing whatever it is that scared the
dickens out of me. I wonder if that is simply what Jesus was doing? Mary was essentially
inviting him to come out from “under his bushel basket” (Matt 5:15). Perhaps he was
terrified as I am so often, in work, in ministry…in sharing my giftedness, but he calmed
himself down, thought about it and came around to taking Mary up on the invitation.

2. This invitation then empowered the famous miracle that goes down in history.
What this tells me is two things: 1. We can all be participants in miracles 2. We are called
to invite others to give of their giftedness, and give glory to God, by sharing their
gifts…and being all that God called us to be.
We are all called to “invite”, our child, our neighbor, our partner, our co-worker or
our church members, to share their gifts. It is often the threshold to the miracle and we
are then a part of that as well. Of course this means we need to begin to know people at
this level. Being in relationship is vital, so that when the invitation is extended, that
person can trust that you know them and that the invitation is grounded in what is sound
and true. This is what can make the invitation, genuine and authentic as Mary’s was. In
turn this helps to dispel those fears Jesus expressed in his first response “No.”, that “No”,
that I know better sometimes than a “yes”.
So as we move beyond the story and the wedding, let’s remember to extend those
invitation that will grow God’s church and allow others to be all that they can be. And,
let us be open to hear others invitation to us, to come out from our secured bushel
baskets and say “YES” to the invitation that makes miracles out of everyday living.
Perhaps living like this, will make all of life feel like a wedding feast? Who knows?...enjoy
being invited, inviting and being a part of the miracles that happen daily!!!
Peace!