The Wine of Silence by Martin Gianotti

Typology is a term found in the writings of St. Paul (Rom 5:14) that refers to the scriptural foreshadowing of something new and greater to come in salvation history. As a theory of biblical exegesis, typology proposes that foreshadowings or “types” found in the Hebrew Scriptures ultimately reach their fulfillment in Christ. In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly states this (CCC 134); however, this doesn’t imply that typology is limited to Christ alone. We find many figures from the Old Testament that are fulfilled by someone other than Christ in the New: the 12 apostles standing for the 12 tribes of Israel, for example.

Anywhere one looks in Scripture, there are typological correspondences to be identified if the reader is willing to pray and meditate with what they are reading. One of the most overlooked examples might be the connection between Job, the suffering patriarch, and Mary, the mother of God, whose Solemnity we celebrated on January 1.

The Obvious Connection Is Not the Only Connection

Understandably, Job is commonly linked to Christ because of the theme of suffering in both of their lives. Job is tested throughout his story with various ailments and calamities to remain faithful to God; Jesus is subjected to persecution and hatred that culminates in his death on the cross. Both of their stories are colored by the shadow of suffering: the Gospel of Mark’s main theme is the identity of Christ as the “Suffering Servant,” after all. With these pronounced connections between Jesus and Job, it is no wonder that the average reader stops at this typological connection; but just as the Christian life is deepened by a Marian devotion, the spiritual fruit from Job is more abundant with a Marian lens.

A Life of Faithfulness Is Not without Suffering

When reading the gospels, Mary’s introduction leaves no question about her moral and spiritual standing (Matt 1:20). She is, undoubtedly, perfectly faithful to God. The same is true for Job (Job 1:1). Of course, Mary’s is a faithfulness that far exceeds Job’s. Nevertheless, Job is exceptional and reputable in his relationship with God, and his suffering ultimately comes as a result of that faithfulness. In the case of Job, he is being tested as to whether he will remain faithful to God in the midst of a great trial. For Our Lady, her suffering comes because she says “Yes” to God’s redemptive plan—one that will see her Son beaten and nailed to a cross for all to witness.

While Mary isn’t being tested like Job, the fruit of her relationship with God involves a suffering that will only be surpassed in its bitterness by her Son’s. In both cases, the unfolding of a deeper relationship with God and his plan of salvation inevitably culminates in a period of extreme suffering: “If anyone desires to walk with me, let him deny himself and pick up his cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24). This teaching of Christ to accept suffering is played out in the lives of Job (Job 1:21) and Our Lady (Luke 2:35) to the point that it becomes the defining moment in their lives. The willing acceptance to follow God, regardless of the suffering that may arise as a result, is what makes Job and Our Lady exemplary in their holiness.

Suffering Requires Faith and Acceptance

Holiness can, at times, be defined as a silence in the presence of God, regardless of the consolation or desolation surrounding one’s prayer. We see this when we read the words of Isaiah as prophesying Christ’s condemnation of his crucifixion: “Though harshly treated, he submitted and did not open his mouth; Like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep silent before shearers, he did not open his mouth” (Isa 53:7).

In the lives of Job and Our Lady, the turning point is accompanied by silence. The turning point in Job’s ascent to holiness comes when he says, “The words of Job are ended” (Job 31:40). Although it takes seven more chapters, and the further suffering of the constant questioning of his friends, Job is eventually in conversation with God (38:1). The reason that Job’s silence is so significant is that he finally gives God the necessary conditions to respond: Job’s full acceptance of his trials, the opportunity for God to act, and the silence that allows God to speak. Essentially, when Job falls silent, God acts in his life in a significant way: not only speaking with Job, but also restoring all of Job’s losses and giving even more than he had before.

Silence is Golden

From the very beginning of Mary’s sufferings, she is receptive and silent, the hallmarks of an acceptance in suffering. As we read in Luke’s account of the Presentation of Christ, Our Lady is told by the elder Simeon: “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). Any mother will be the first to say that watching the suffering of their own child is more painful than any amount of personal suffering. Our Lady, from the first few moments of her Son’s life, knows that she will undergo a “crucifixion of her heart” when her Son’s ministry will ultimately culminate in a painful crucifixion.

We first see how Our Lady’s acceptance of suffering surpasses even Job’s at this very moment. Unlike Job, Our Lady doesn’t begin to angrily question God, but she “[K]ept all things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Her initial posture in the face of great suffering is the perfect one: silence and acceptance. As if this isn’t enough as an example of holiness in suffering, Our Lady continues her perfection in suffering when she really encounters the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, one that will lead to his horrific death.

The wedding at Cana is a beautiful account in the life of Christ. After all, it is the first of his public ministry’s “signs and wonders.” With the act of turning the water into wine, Jesus will ultimately begin the slow walk towards his death on Calvary. Our Lady was fully aware of that reality, too. That realization by Our Lady makes the account all the more complimentary to her faithfulness in suffering. We read that it is ultimately Our Lady who even proposes that her Son begin his public ministry when she alerts Jesus: “When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine’” (John 2:3). Our Lady, without the prompting from any of the wedding guests, is the one who asks Jesus for this first of his public miracles. Christ lets her know that “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). What Christ means is that the events that will lead to his passion have not yet begun, but this will ultimately set the passion in motion.

With this miracle, Our Lady is “pushing the first domino” that will lead to Christ’s crucifixion. Mary’s response is merely to tell the servants to work as Christ commands them to “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5). On the surface, Our Lady is certainly showing bravery by asking her Son to ultimately begin his walk to Calvary, but her lifelong acceptance of suffering may not be as obvious.

To understand the lifelong implications for Mary that come from the miracle at Cana, we have to look ahead in the gospels to what Our Lady says after this event. The reader will find that Our Lady goes on to later say . . . nothing. In all four gospel accounts, Our Lady says not another word following the miracle at Cana. Obviously, she would have continued to speak throughout her life, but there’s a reason that the Holy Spirit chose for these to be her last words recorded in the Scriptures: her response at Cana is perfectly sufficient to speak for her conduct for the rest of her life. Despite the pain, the worry, and the suffering that come from her knowing that each miracle in her Son’s life will bring him closer to the cross, Mary silently accepts it.

Following Our Lady Brings Salvation into Your Own Life

Just as Job’s silence finally allowed God to speak and act in Job’s life, Our Lady’s silence allowed God-become-man to speak and act in the life of all humanity. Of course, God could have acted at any point in the life of Job, regardless of Job’s complaints; however, God delights in having sons and daughters who conform their will to his. God wants us to lovingly embrace his will for our lives, and he is incredibly patient until we do (see the entirety of salvation history). The same is true for Our Lady. God wanted to include her in his plans.

Job’s silence and acceptance in suffering, while holy, really only impacted his family’s life. Our Lady’s silence in suffering far surpasses Job’s. Her acceptance not only bears the fruit of Christ’s freeing of the souls of the dead that were awaiting heaven’s opening, but it also will open to the path of salvation to every last person who has yet to come into the world. Her acceptance of God’s will has a retroactive, present, and proactive effect on humanity. Of course, we must work in accord with that offer, but it is available to us because of Christ’s passion, aided by Our Lady’s perfect cooperation.

When in Doubt, Fiat!

So, what are we to learn from Job and Our Lady? Two main lessons stand out. Firstly, despite the suffering in our lives, God is ultimately in control. Secondly, living in accord with God’s will, even when it requires an acceptance of suffering, will bear fruit in our lives that will sprout forth to heaven. We aim to be like Our Lady, silent and faithful from the beginning of the suffering, but we’ll most likely end up like Job, boisterous and frustrated in carrying our cross. In moments when we encounter that interior struggle, pray for Our Lady’s intercession. The grace to accept the suffering will come from her hands. Pray the rosary, consecrate your life to Our Lady, use her sacramentals—and be amazed as Christ takes the “water” of our efforts and turns them into “good wine” of spiritual fruits. ♦

Martin Gianotti is a devoted husband to his wife, Maria, and two daughters, Lucia and Margaret. He is a full-time educator who loves to read, speak, and write about his Catholic faith. Martin is also an avid basketball fan, which consumes much of his free time. He has a special devotion to Our Lady under her title Stella Maris (“Star of the Sea”) and is praying to her for all his readers.

Image: Juan de Flandes, The Marriage Feast at Cana, 1497.