Isaiah 62:1-5 / 1 Cor 12:4-11 / John 2:1-12
Back in 1979, Singapore launched a rather interesting campaign. It is called the National Courtesy Campaign.
It was launched as a means of encouraging Singaporeans to be more kind and considerate to each other, so as to create a pleasant social environment.
Its purpose was to have a smooth transition to a new Singapore which would be densely populated, where people lived and worked in high rise towns, offices and factories, while travelling in crowded buses, trains and lifts.
The courtesy campaign was to encourage Singaporeans to adopt a more courteous attitude and lifestyle.
Whatever we may remember of the Courtesy Campaign, we may at least remember Singa the Courtesy Lion and that jingle “Make courtesy our way of life”.
That courtesy campaign may have left some effects in our lives.
For example we may not be so blunt as to say “No!” to a request.
So we will say “Later” or “See how” or “Let me think about it” and we hope that the matter will be forgotten.
Once I was a friend’s house and when we sitting at the living room, he called out, “Hey waiter, get a cup of coffee for Father.” As I wondered who he was calling, his son came out of the room and went to get a cup of coffee.
I was amused and I asked him why he called his son “waiter”. He explained: Every time I asked him to do something, he would tell me “Wait” so after a while I decided to name him “Waiter”. ; P
So we won’t say “No!” We will try to be courteous and say “Later” or “See how” or “Wait”
In the gospel we heard about the event of the wedding at Cana. It is a unique story that is not found in the other gospels.
It is also a peculiar story because of the conversation between Jesus and Mary.
The wine for the wedding had finished and Mary came to know of it. And she said to Jesus, “They have no wine.”
The reply that Jesus gave to Mary was almost equivalent to a “So what?” or “It’s none of my business.” Whatever it may be, the reply of Jesus to His mother seemed rather blunt.
Yet, it can be said that Jesus was clear with His reply. He didn’t say “See how” or “Later” or even “Wait”. It was as clear as a “No”; no wine means no wine.
So the wedding feast was going to turn into a wedding fiasco.
Celebration was going to turn into embarrassment.
It seemed like nothing can be done, and even Jesus don’t seem to want to do anything about it.
But for Mary, no wine does not mean no hope.
She was like putting her own faith to the test when she said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”
So even though Jesus said that His hour has not come, Mary was willing to wait and see how things will turn out.
She dared to believe that Jesus will do something, sooner or later. It may not be there and then, but His hour will come as He had said.
A priest told me of this occasion when he and a few students went to do some social work.
They took a lift to the house they were going but as the lift was going up, it jolted and stopped.
Of course they were alarmed and one of the students asked the priest to pray for the lift to get working.
The priest was hesitant and told them to wait for the lift technicians to come but they pestered him to pray.
So he casually prayed like this: Lord, if You are willing, please get this lift working so that we can get out safely.
But the students said: Father, just ask God to get this lift working again so that we can get out quickly.
So the priest prayed again: Lord, can you please sent the lift technicians over quickly so that we can get out safely?
Again the students said: Father, just ask God to get this lift working quickly.
The priest became a little flustered and so he retorted: Why not you pray and ask God yourself.
So one of the students prayed like this: O God, help us to get out of this lift quickly!
Well, you may guessed it. The lift jolted a little and got working and running and got to the floor and the lift door opened and the students jumped out and saying “Thanks be to God.”
The priest was the last to get out of the lift, and as he did so he looked upwards and sighed. Maybe he should have prayed with more conviction like that student, and get to the point instead of trying to be courteous with his prayers.
So when we pray, let us not be too courteous with our prayers. God knows what we need but we need to have more conviction and confidence in our prayers and that His hour will come.
Mary had that conviction and confidence that the hour of Jesus will come and that was why she was able to tell the servants “Do whatever He tells you.”
What Jesus wants to tell us is to pray with conviction and with confidence.
Let us not “see how” or “wait” or “later”. When the Lord’s hour has come we must do whatever He tells us.
May Mother Mary pray for us to have faith like hers, so that we too will see water turn to into wine.