The Assumption
First, very briefly, I would like to address some aspects of the Assumption of Mary body, soul and spirit into heaven.
This event reveals that evil in no way affects her body. Death is the separation between, on the one hand the body, and the soul and spirit on the other. Death entered the world because of Original Sin. The general view regarding Our Lady tends to avoid compromising the integrity of her being. As a consequence of the above there is an opinion in the Church that prefers to avoid using the verb “to die” for the Assumption of Our Lady. In fact, Pope Pius XII avoided it in the definition of the Assumption (CCC 966). The Oriental churches use the word “Dormition” instead of “Assumption”. Some theologians and mystics compare this final solemn moment of her life with a gentle ecstasy of love. In fact, the description of Christian death given by St. John of the Cross in the Living Flame of Love (stanza I v.6) sheds an amazing light on the Assumption. If for the normal human being he describes death as a powerful act of love moved by the Holy Spirit, just imagine what it was like in Our Lady’s case!
Consequently, if on the one hand we know that Jesus ascends into heaven and that He sits “at the right hand of the Father”, on the other hand, we can say that Mary, “ascends” into heaven. Therefore, we can also say that she sits at the right hand of Jesus.
We can say that Jesus is victorious in Her, in the sense that Mary is experiencing the total effects of the Resurrection of the body of the Lord in an exceptional way: her body is now (before the final Resurrection) admitted to being close to the body of the Lord, who is seated at the right hand of the Father.
Since Mary is the archetypal follower of Jesus, we can say that the Church, and each one of us is, in a way, in Her, and already victorious. This is why she is said to be “our hope”. We hope to reach the point where she is. She has already reached the final destination, with her body.
Also, since we are invited to receive Mary as our Mother (John 19), our Mould, and receive in us her immaculate capacity to say “yes”, to believe, to follow Jesus, and become “like her”, “for Jesus”, we may say that the fact that she now is at the right hand of Jesus, in heaven, this gives her (and us, in her) a totally different status and “power” – or “influence” if you prefer.
There is no place closer to Jesus, right now, than Mary’s place. In this sense, He is totally victorious in her and, in a way, she is “equal” to Him, in the sense that she loves Him as He loves her.
Note: see what St. John of the Cross, in the Living Flame of Love, says about the possibility of “equality of love” for us already on earth. Very important!
The Wedding at Cana
Now, let us go back to the Transfiguration and its very personal formulation in his Gospel by St. John (see above).
This equality between Jesus and Mary, or Mary’s status vis a vis Jesus, is vividly presented to us in Cana (John 2:1-11). It might not appear at first glance, but if you examine it minutely, you yourself will discover the truth of this.
After years and years of pondering over what had happened and all the Graces he was continuing to receive from God, and all that he had received from Mary, it seems that John on re-visiting the scene, saw with new eyes the simple wedding at Cana which he had attended.
He saw through it, like through stained glass, a multitude of deep meanings, to the point that he decided (certainly inspired by the Holy Spirit) to build his Gospel around this event thereby providing the entire Gospel with a readymade structure, while aiming of course toward the Cross, Death and Resurrection.
With the Help of the Holy Spirit let us now consider how through this simple human wedding, the Holy Spirit showed him that “other marriage” that takes place between the real Groom and the real Bride (Mary). That “other marriage”, secret and sacred, occurs on the day of the Resurrection. Nobody saw this, but John wanted to mention it in a very respectful and discreet way.
That “Marriage” reaches, in a way, a new completion on the day of the Assumption. Jesus and Mary meet, finally, equally, with their bodies. They “sit” at the same level, with no change anymore. The final victory is expressed here in the person of Mary.
This victory will have a long-lasting influence on us.
Let us take a closer look at Cana: Mary says: “they don’t have wine”. She doesn’t say: “we don’t have wine” because forevermore she is (sitting at his right hand) victorious (see image above). She possesses the Wine, in total quantity and quality. What a poor word we use for this statement when we say “intercession”. It is infinitely much more.
It is first: Union. There is no barrier between Jesus and her. Who can understand the union between Jesus and Mary? Since she is pure, He fills her totally, there is no space in her not occupied by Jesus and His Spirit. Linked to union, there is love, namely, the exchange of the Holy Spirit.
It is secondly: Influence. She has a powerful influence over Him. She desires; He fulfils. Indeed, it is very difficult for us to understand this consequence of the total transformation of Mary’s being in Jesus. But one can try to understand by seeing what the saints already experienced, as seen through the descriptions given by St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila of the final stages of holiness. And then, if the saints can acquire all this, how much greater will be what the “Mother of all the saints” can obtain! Wouldn’t you agree?
Since she is filled by His Grace, she always asks that things be done according to His will. But still, her “agenda” is “to take the side” of us humans.
Let us then accept and explore that “new world order”, that “wedding” of another dimension.
The servants (us) must still listen to Him (“do as much as He’ll tell you to do” (John 2))… but now, with “new ears”. Hers.
They will deal with water.
Wine will appear.
They make a human effort (water), helped with the ordinary initial grace, and, through Mary’s help/faith, the “new wine” appears. They couldn’t even ask for it, they didn’t know what it was!
Thirdly: She has the “new wine”. Constantly. She knew the “new wine” would appear. She had no doubt. She has the “new wine” already, therefore what she is asking for in Cana is not for herself (even if she is totally grateful to Jesus, in anticipation, for her own salvation).
John is writing his Gospel very late in his life, much after the Assumption of Mary. This means that he can contemplate Mary even better in this “position” and can tell us about her in greater depth. With John can’t you see her sitting, body, soul and spirit, at His Side? Jesus’ “door” is totally and constantly open to her. She has total access to Him. This also is His will.
It is a fact.
Try to contemplate her, beside Him, you’ll see that “she has the new wine”. All the new wine. Any time. All the time.
The Transfiguration
Fourthly: did you notice that for the Transfiguration, we have a powerful, almost inhuman, event, that scares the three Apostles, and that for Cana it is much gentler. For the Transfiguration the Eternal Father speaks. For Cana, Mary speaks. Both point toward Jesus. Both remind us of Moses, coming down from the Mountain, mentioning the Words of God (the two tables of the Covenant), and that the people of God have to listen to them and put them into practice.
– The Father says: “here is my only begotten Son, listen to him”.
– Mary would say: here is my son, listen to Him. She actually says: “do whatever He asks you to do” (see John 2).
The Father shows* us His own Son • Mary shows* us her own Son
(* “shows”: guides us toward) I am in awe. John seems to have humanised the Transfiguration. Determined to offer it to everybody, through Cana he seems to have made it more accessible, more possible: he saw right through that simple wedding that happened in Cana.
More on Cana
Jesus still won’t call his mother: “mother”. In fact, He’ll do something better. He’ll call her “Woman”, “Ishsha”.
“Ishsha” (Mary) is taken from the word “ Ish” (Jesus). Now, when for the first time the word “Ishsha” (woman) appears in the Bible, who uses it?
“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman (Ishsha), because she was taken out of Man (Ish).“(Genesis 2:23) Mary is the “New Eve”.
This was the case for the first creation (Genesis 2).
However, for the “new creation”, through Redemption, for the “New Day” that God made (the Resurrection) at Cana on “the third day” (see John 2:1), the New Man, Jesus, the New Adam, calls the one who resembles him and can help him (Genesis 2:18), Woman, that is, Ishsha.
Mary is “bone of his bones” and “flesh of his flesh”. Woman is the First being to come out of the side of Jesus on the Cross, Mary, the New Eve.
This description of Mary goes far beyond what we can imagine!
More on St. John’s Gospel: