All Holy Vessel of Honor (III)

Saint John's Gospel (...) seems to emphasize her role as an intercessor. There we see that it was Mary who triggered Jesus' public ministry. She pointed out a need: the wedding feast had hardly begun, and the newlyweds had already run out of wine. Though Jesus gave no clear indication that He would fulfil her request, she remained confident that He would. She said to the servants: "Do whatever He tells you" (Jn 2:5). And Jesus turned the jars full of water into the finest wine. (...) Christ honored His mother. That is the key to understanding the ancient Christian doctrines regarding Mary, especially her immaculate conception, her perpetual virginity, and her bodily assumption into heaven. (...) Mary was to be filled with Christ and only with Christ. That is the meaning of her holiness. (...) Everything in her is holy. So, like the Temple vessels, she could not be returned to ordinary earthly use. She remained "perpetually virgin." She had no sexual relations with her husband, Joseph. She had no children after Jesus. This has been the constant faith of Christians. It was held firmly by the classic reformers, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Wesley.