I love especially the part about how she’s sinless, but that her role was not effortless. I think, many times, I associate sinless with effortless, and in doing that, I forget much of what Mary has to teach me, where she has to lead me, how she can help me.

There is the humor aspect already mentioned.

Also, look at how Jesus is redirecting Mary so that she continues to deepen her obedience to God, to perpetually abandon herself to do His will, rather than her own, and to call others to do the same. Born without sin, Mary still had to sublimate her own will as part of daily life.

Finding Jesus in the temple, he responds in this way, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know I would be in my Father’s House?” but He obeys his parents by going back with them.

In the first story, Jesus essentially is reminding Joseph and Mary of his Divinity, of what is to come.

At Cana, Jesus responds again with what seems like a rebuke; but again follows through. Mary is the intermediary, she intercedes for the couple, for the family having the feast, and Jesus answers “yes.” despite the seemingly smallness of the request. So we are shown that we can ask of Jesus through Mary, even if what we need or think we need is little, big, or by some accounts, silly.

In the second story, this is a wedding. There are many there, probably a Rabbi and other officials. Calling attention to Himself via a miracle would start people focusing on the miraculous, the wondrous, and not His words or the Love of His Father. My hour has not yet come, but Mary tells the servants to obey him. Their obedience to Him through Her is part of what allows Jesus to reveal himself at that feast.

Mary comes at another point, and people tell Jesus his Mother and brothers and sisters are waiting for him and he asks, “Who are my brothers, mother…sister.” One imagines Mary waiting and listening as one amongst many rather than an honored guest, simply being in the presence of her son, but again choosing to allow herself to simply be a handmaiden to the Lord.

Being the Mother of God may have been sinless, but it was not effortless. Loving infinitely, pouring one’s self out is a constant act of sublimation, of denying personal will and even sinless, that required effort, energy and persistence. Mary is our role model perfected, but part of that was her obedience throughout her life.

The interior part of Mary is revealed by her responses to these moments that seem conflicting to our sensibilities. Often God’s requests/will seems contradictory to our sensibilities. Mary obeys. Obedience is only revealed when to not obey would seem reasonable as an alternative.

My long winded two cents.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Great, as always, to have your comments! :)