"They Have no Wine"

This seemed a good day to talk about motherhood, family, and why Minnesota has the start of fishing season fall on Mother's Day weekend.

My wife says it may be so that mothers can have some time alone. If that's so, Minnesota's DNR blundered. They say this weekend is "Take-a-Mom fishing weekend."

Ephesians and Diapers

'Family' is very important to Catholics, or should be. The Catechism devotes quite a bit of space to what a family is, and how families should work. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2201-2233)

What the Church teaches is not the 'good old fashioned' notion that women are useful household items: ranking somewhere between the dog and the refrigerator in terms of importance and status. I've discussed Ephesians, responsibility, and getting a grip before. (September 24, 2009)

On the other hand, I'm not allowed to see marriage as a casual agreement between consenting adults. For starters, we all have duties: children and parents (Catechism, 2214-2220, 2221-2231).

When I married my wife, I knew what I was signing up for.

Ephesians 5:22-25 points out that as her husband, I must love my wife "even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her."

That sets a high standard, since my Lord washed the disciples' feet: and walked to Golgotha. (John 13:4-7 and Matthew 27:33; for starters)

Considering what my duty might require, I didn't mind cleaning diapers now and then.

Queen, Yes: Passive, No

I expect that we'll pay special attention to Mary at the parish church today. As the mother of my Lord, she has a prominent place in the Catholic Church. That's "prominent," not "top." She is, in a sense, our mother. (Catechism, 484-507, 963-972)

I had a soft spot in my heart, and a great deal of respect, for Mary long before I became a Catholic. (March 20, 2011)

One of her titles, by the way, is Queen (or Lady) of Angels, which is where my parish church got its name.

In movies like "Knights of the Round Table" (1953), queens don't do much other than stir up trouble: intentionally or not. My guess, based on the number of Marian apparitions over the last two millennia, is that Mary is nowhere near as passive as that.

As a Norwegian-Irish American whose mother was as ekte norsk as you're likely to find, I had no trouble thinking of a woman as a sort of 12-star general. I've said that before. There's probably a post lurking around the idea. (August 18, 2013)

Devotion to Mary is a very important part of being Catholic, one which looks odd to many non-Catholics in my native culture. We see Mary as a Saint, someone who "practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God's grace." (Catechism, 828)

There may be some among the world's 1,100,000,000 or so living Catholics who think Mary is a goddess: but that's idolatry, a very bad idea, and strictly against the rules. (Catechism, 2112-2114)

A Woman of Few Words

(From John William Waterhouse, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)

Let's remember that Mary was quite likely in her teens when Gabriel said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."

Gabriel did most of the talking in that meeting, mostly responding to Mary's question: and reassuring her. (Luke 1:26-38)

I don't think that means Mary is timid or diffident. She had the guts to accept an assignment that would be extremely difficult to explain to her family, friends, and neighbors.

Years later, she had this conversation with my Lord:

"¹ On the third day there was a wedding ² in Cana ³ in Galilee, and 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.' "
(John 2:1-5)

"Do whatever he tells you" is pretty good advice: and that's another topic.

Vaguely-related posts:

• "Mary, a Message, and a Mural in Minnesota"
  (August 18, 2013)
• "Unconsidered Optimism and Diaper Changing Tables"
  (June 23, 2013)
• "Mother's Day, 2012"
  (May 13, 2012)
• "Family Values: Addams and Otherwise"
  (July 12, 2011)
• "Mother's Day: A Nice Cultural Tradition, and a Quite Catholic Celebration"
  (May 10, 2009)

Mother's Day, 2012

This is the first weekend of fishing season, here in Minnesota. I'm not sure why it's synchronized with Mother's Day.

Paraphrasing what C. S. Lewis said about Christmas, Mother's Day is two things:

• A popular holiday
• A commercial racket

Although we have a special set of prayers for Mother's Day, at least in my home parish, today is mostly the Sixth Sunday of Easter.

Not that the Catholic Church doesn't respect mothers: and that's another topic.

I'll be back in about an hour, with a post about being an individual, the common good, and being Catholic.

Vaguely-related posts:

• "My Take on the News: Jingle Bells, Jangled Nerves, and Good Advice"
  (December 16, 2011)
• "Halloween, Emperor Palpatine, Electric Eyeballs, and Getting a Grip"
  (October 29, 2010)
• "Father's Day, 2010"
  (June 20, 2010)
• "Three Things That Go By the Name of Christmas"
  (December 24, 2009)
• "Mother's Day: A Nice Cultural Tradition, and a Quite Catholic Celebration"
  (May 10, 2009)

Background:

• "Regina Caeli - Fifth Sunday of Easter, 9 May 2004"
  Pope John Paul II (May 9, 2004)

Mother's Day: A Nice Cultural Tradition, and a Quite Catholic Celebration

Today is Mother's Day (or Mothering Sunday). In Minnesota, at least, it's also the start of fishing season. Why, I don't know. My wife suggests it may be a way for mothers have some time alone.

This is also a time when Catholics make make a bit of a fuss over Mary.

I was brought up as a Protestant, but can't remember when I didn't have a soft spot in my heart for Mary. And a great deal of admiration. Her gutsy response to the message Gabriel brought her (first chapter of Luke) led to what we celebrate at Christmas - and the huge victory celebration we call Easter.

I'll probably come back to Mary in this blog, but today I'll link to "Honoring the Mother of God and all mothers" (Examiner.com (May 10, 2009)).

The article starts out:

"The Virgin Mary has had many titles given to her throughout the course of history. The one that is most significant today is 'Mary, Mother of God.' You might be asking how God, the eternal and almighty, could have a mother. The answer really is quite simple...."
(Examiner.com (May 10, 2009))

Simple, yes. Easy to accept, no. The matter of Jesus being God and man was hard to swallow in the early years of the Church, and hasn't gotten any easier with the passing of millennia. But, Jesus was pretty clear about it: and I'm inclined to believe Him. (I'll limit myself to one reference: Article 2 of the Catechism. This is a topic I don't have time to get into tonight.)

I hope you had a good Mother's Day/Mothering Sunday.

Related posts, in another blog:

• "It's Mother's Day in the Philippines - 'Read All About It' "
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (May 9, 2009)
• "Mother's Day, Mothering Sunday, Goes 'Way Back"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (May 8, 2009)

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Thanks to Pamluter, on Twitter, for the heads-up on the Examiner.com article.