In our Gospel this weekend, our Blessed Mother, Mary, shows us how to approach Jesus in our prayers of petition. When we make requests of Jesus, we are to do so in perfect faith, that is, total trust that Jesus knows what is best and that He will accomplish that. In the words of St. John of the Cross, ours is to be the prayer of the discreet lover.
To be “discreet” means to be “tactful,” “restrained,” or, “intentionally unobtrusive,” and is modeled for us in the actions of our Blessed Mother, Mary. In our Gospel this weekend, taken from John and telling of the wedding feast at Cana, we hear that:
the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
“They have no wine.”
And Jesus said to her,
“Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servers,
“Do whatever he tells you.”
And of course, Jesus works the first of His miracles, turning water into wine. Notice what Mary said to Jesus, They have no wine. This simple sentence is an example of the prayer of the discreet lover, for by it, one “does not care to ask for what he or she lacks or desires, but only indicates [the] need that the Beloved may do what he pleases.”
And such should be our approach when we petition Jesus. Mary, our mother, help us to discreetly approach your Son with our needs and wants! Jesus, help us to know and embrace Your will for us.
David J. Conrad
To be “discreet” means to be “tactful,” “restrained,” or, “intentionally unobtrusive,” and is modeled for us in the actions of our Blessed Mother, Mary. In our Gospel this weekend, taken from John and telling of the wedding feast at Cana, we hear that:
the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
“They have no wine.”
And Jesus said to her,
“Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servers,
“Do whatever he tells you.”
And of course, Jesus works the first of His miracles, turning water into wine. Notice what Mary said to Jesus, They have no wine. This simple sentence is an example of the prayer of the discreet lover, for by it, one “does not care to ask for what he or she lacks or desires, but only indicates [the] need that the Beloved may do what he pleases.”
And such should be our approach when we petition Jesus. Mary, our mother, help us to discreetly approach your Son with our needs and wants! Jesus, help us to know and embrace Your will for us.
David J. Conrad
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