Today in church we read the story of the Wedding in Cana. It’s a fun and surprising story: Jesus, in his first miracle, turns water to wine for people already deep into their party.

I’ve often been moved by Mary’s role in this story. We don’t have many of her words written down, but here she says two things:

  1. To Jesus: “They have no more wine.”
  2. To the servants: “Do whatever he says.”

I’m not part of a tradition that venerates saints, so I don’t have any special connection to Mary as a saint.

But I like the simplicity of her words: she sees a problem, and she tells someone about it, someone she believes can help. Then she tells others that they should follow his lead.

It’s not boisterous or bold or brash. It’s just a clear statement of the problem, followed by a clear directive about how to solve the problem.

And then she gets out of the way. No protests, no explanations, no demand for recognition. Just a few simple words.

And it’s all so that the party won’t end too soon.

What a marvelously simple approach to being a leader.