Why should we always ask for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary when we pray? Let us examine the question from a Biblical point of view. Chapter 2 of St. John's Gospel, often called the Wedding at Cana, is an illuminating example of Mary's role as the preeminent intercessor to Our Lord on behalf of the Universal Church.
Mary is very aware of Her surroundings in the scripture. She notices that there is no wine left at the wedding feast (John 2:3). If someone were a guest at a wedding, they would not normally worry about the catering; it would be a concern for the hosts. Mary, however, is sensitive to the needs of those around Her. She turns to Her Son for His help. This is how the Blessed Virgin intercedes for us! Mary sees or is presented with a need, and out of love and compassion asks Her Son to fulfill that need. At Cana, Our Lady did not even ask Jesus to perform a miracle, She simply said to Him "They have no wine". Such is the relationship between the Mother and Her Divine Son.
After Our Lady tells Her Son that there is no wine left, He says to Her in John 2:4 "Woman, what is that to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come". At first this verse can read like a rebuke, as if Christ were saying something like “begone woman, you’re annoying me, I don’t want to do this”. If Jesus was rebuking Mary, however, Her natural reaction (submission to the will of God) would be to go from His side. Why then does She say to the waiters: "Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye” in John 2:5? The Wedding at Cana is the start of Jesus’ public ministry. He laments that “my hour is not yet come”, because He knows that when He reveals himself as the Messiah and starts this ministry that He will also start His journey to Calvary. Despite this, He loves His mother dearly and He does what She has requested. G. J. Brow identifies "What to me and to you?" as a Semitic phrase that was usually a response to someone's request to get involved in something that was none of their business. According to Brow, it can be impolite, but not always. The context of the verse is essential in determining its tone. The phrase is used sparingly in other books (2 Kings 3:13, Hosea 14:8) and these examples are more impolite. In comparison, Jesus' words in John 2:4 are entirely respectful and appropriate considering the situation in which they were used (see St. Augustine, Tractates). They are typical of a loving rapport between parent and child in which the child appears to argue or complain while they are already in the process of carrying out their parent's wishes.
Mary is very aware of Her surroundings in the scripture. She notices that there is no wine left at the wedding feast (John 2:3). If someone were a guest at a wedding, they would not normally worry about the catering; it would be a concern for the hosts. Mary, however, is sensitive to the needs of those around Her. She turns to Her Son for His help. This is how the Blessed Virgin intercedes for us! Mary sees or is presented with a need, and out of love and compassion asks Her Son to fulfill that need. At Cana, Our Lady did not even ask Jesus to perform a miracle, She simply said to Him "They have no wine". Such is the relationship between the Mother and Her Divine Son.
After Our Lady tells Her Son that there is no wine left, He says to Her in John 2:4 "Woman, what is that to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come". At first this verse can read like a rebuke, as if Christ were saying something like “begone woman, you’re annoying me, I don’t want to do this”. If Jesus was rebuking Mary, however, Her natural reaction (submission to the will of God) would be to go from His side. Why then does She say to the waiters: "Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye” in John 2:5? The Wedding at Cana is the start of Jesus’ public ministry. He laments that “my hour is not yet come”, because He knows that when He reveals himself as the Messiah and starts this ministry that He will also start His journey to Calvary. Despite this, He loves His mother dearly and He does what She has requested. G. J. Brow identifies "What to me and to you?" as a Semitic phrase that was usually a response to someone's request to get involved in something that was none of their business. According to Brow, it can be impolite, but not always. The context of the verse is essential in determining its tone. The phrase is used sparingly in other books (2 Kings 3:13, Hosea 14:8) and these examples are more impolite. In comparison, Jesus' words in John 2:4 are entirely respectful and appropriate considering the situation in which they were used (see St. Augustine, Tractates). They are typical of a loving rapport between parent and child in which the child appears to argue or complain while they are already in the process of carrying out their parent's wishes.
Why does Jesus, in John 2:4, call Her “woman” though? Some commentators have misunderstood verse 4, believing it a harsh rebuke. This is an example of the importance of scriptural exegesis and context. "Woman" very easily sounds pejorative in English, but the Greek word "γύναι" used in this verse is Jesus’ standard public way of addressing women in the scriptures. Indeed, the same term is used in Josephus' Antiquities (c. 93-94 AD) as a form of addressing one who is beloved. It is the same way Jesus addresses the grieving Mary Magadelene in John 20:15. Are we to believe that Our Lord intended to rebuke her tears at His tomb?
Ancient languages often have many ways of saying the same thing with subtle variations. The most well known example is the English word "love". I use the same word to describe my love for God and for my family, while the nature of the love is surely not the same. In Ancient Greek there are 5 words for love: ἀγάπη (agape - love of God), ἔρως (eros - passionate, sensual love), φιλία (philia - love between friends), στοργή (storge - natural affection, like that between mother and child) and ἐπιθυμία (epithumia - a strong ordered or disordered desire for something). Not all of the Greek words for love appear in the Bible, but the ancient authors had a much greater ability to express themselves with words compared to speakers of modern English. If a word in a New Testament scripture doesn't make sense the best thing to do is look at the Greek to ascertain the true intention of the author. This is much better than going to another English translation of the Bible because translators will often try even harder to reconcile the author's sentiments with the English language and this often leads to even more confusion.
At the famous climax of the chapter in verses 6-10, Christ changes water into wine. Some of the early church fathers argued that this miracle was not necessarily part of God’s plan, but because Mary asked, He performed a miracle. He changed the water into wine, despite His reluctance to reveal Himself when His hour had "not yet come”, because He did not want to say no to His beloved Mother. Not only did He do as She asked, He created the best wine (John 2:10) to honour Her and Her request!
Mary acts in total abandonment to the will of God. This is why Christ never refuses His Mother anything. She will never ask Him for something that is not in accordance with His will, and He out of great love, honour and respect for his Mother, will not rebuke Her but will grant Her request. It is not as though Mary exercises authority over God! Mary still subjects Herself to Her Son by saying "Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye” (verse 5). She does not demand of Him a miracle.
This is a beautiful example of Mary’s role in the prayer of Holy Mother Church, and the role that She plays in our personal prayer life, especially though the Most Holy Rosary. Her intercession only serves to lead us closer to Her Son. She wants us to follow Him and “do everything He tells us” for His glory, not our glory or Her own. There is a unique relationship between Jesus and Mary. We, of course, have a deeply personal relationship with Jesus - it doesn't get any more personal than receiving Him body, blood, soul and divinity in the Blessed Sacrament - but just as you cannot replicate the love between a parent and their child, we are unable to emulate this relationship between Jesus and Mary.
Asking for Our Blessed Mother's intercession in no way diminishes Christ's role as mediator between humanity and God the Father. God chose to come to us through Mary, and we continue to come to Him through Mary. No one ever loved Jesus as much as Mary, and no one loved Mary more than Jesus. As St. Maximilian Kolbe said: “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”
If we truly want to imitate Christ then devotion to His Mother is essential. We can’t pick and choose the ways we wish to imitate Christ, just as we decide which scriptures we want to obey and which we believe are too difficult. If we want to go to the Cross with Jesus, so too must we must go to His Mother with Him. Without Her total abandonment to the will of God by Her "fiat" at the Annunciation, Our Lord could not have been born! Jesus willed only to come to us as Mary’s child. We should never reject the Blessed Virgin out of pride, saying “I do not want you as my Mother”, for Christ, though God, humbled Himself to become Her child.
Mary, Mediatrix of all Graces, pray for us!
Ancient languages often have many ways of saying the same thing with subtle variations. The most well known example is the English word "love". I use the same word to describe my love for God and for my family, while the nature of the love is surely not the same. In Ancient Greek there are 5 words for love: ἀγάπη (agape - love of God), ἔρως (eros - passionate, sensual love), φιλία (philia - love between friends), στοργή (storge - natural affection, like that between mother and child) and ἐπιθυμία (epithumia - a strong ordered or disordered desire for something). Not all of the Greek words for love appear in the Bible, but the ancient authors had a much greater ability to express themselves with words compared to speakers of modern English. If a word in a New Testament scripture doesn't make sense the best thing to do is look at the Greek to ascertain the true intention of the author. This is much better than going to another English translation of the Bible because translators will often try even harder to reconcile the author's sentiments with the English language and this often leads to even more confusion.
At the famous climax of the chapter in verses 6-10, Christ changes water into wine. Some of the early church fathers argued that this miracle was not necessarily part of God’s plan, but because Mary asked, He performed a miracle. He changed the water into wine, despite His reluctance to reveal Himself when His hour had "not yet come”, because He did not want to say no to His beloved Mother. Not only did He do as She asked, He created the best wine (John 2:10) to honour Her and Her request!
Mary acts in total abandonment to the will of God. This is why Christ never refuses His Mother anything. She will never ask Him for something that is not in accordance with His will, and He out of great love, honour and respect for his Mother, will not rebuke Her but will grant Her request. It is not as though Mary exercises authority over God! Mary still subjects Herself to Her Son by saying "Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye” (verse 5). She does not demand of Him a miracle.
This is a beautiful example of Mary’s role in the prayer of Holy Mother Church, and the role that She plays in our personal prayer life, especially though the Most Holy Rosary. Her intercession only serves to lead us closer to Her Son. She wants us to follow Him and “do everything He tells us” for His glory, not our glory or Her own. There is a unique relationship between Jesus and Mary. We, of course, have a deeply personal relationship with Jesus - it doesn't get any more personal than receiving Him body, blood, soul and divinity in the Blessed Sacrament - but just as you cannot replicate the love between a parent and their child, we are unable to emulate this relationship between Jesus and Mary.
Asking for Our Blessed Mother's intercession in no way diminishes Christ's role as mediator between humanity and God the Father. God chose to come to us through Mary, and we continue to come to Him through Mary. No one ever loved Jesus as much as Mary, and no one loved Mary more than Jesus. As St. Maximilian Kolbe said: “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”
If we truly want to imitate Christ then devotion to His Mother is essential. We can’t pick and choose the ways we wish to imitate Christ, just as we decide which scriptures we want to obey and which we believe are too difficult. If we want to go to the Cross with Jesus, so too must we must go to His Mother with Him. Without Her total abandonment to the will of God by Her "fiat" at the Annunciation, Our Lord could not have been born! Jesus willed only to come to us as Mary’s child. We should never reject the Blessed Virgin out of pride, saying “I do not want you as my Mother”, for Christ, though God, humbled Himself to become Her child.
Mary, Mediatrix of all Graces, pray for us!