It is true that never again will He come in from His work and share the simple meal with her; true that there will be no more talking over their plans together; but such a perfect union as theirs cannot be broken by separation. Does not everything in the house speak of Him? Mary has had her time of _consolation_; now she is to have her time of _desolation_. Let me learn from her how to act under these changed conditions, which are sure to be mine at some time or other in my life. How does Mary act? Does she sit still and mourn over the days that are gone? Not at all. She acts as though they were _not_ gone; as though there were no difference between consolation and desolation; there _is_ no difference really, but faith and love must be very strong before this fact can be grasped. Mary does her work as usual with her Son and for her Son. Her heart is with Him all the time; everything reminds her of Him, and she is thinking of Him, talking to Him, telling Him everything just as she did before. How far am I like her? "Sedes sapientiæ, ora pro nobis." _Colloquy_ with Mary, asking her to get me grace to ponder over these wonderful mysteries. _Resolution._ Never to allow myself to make any change in my spiritual life during a time of desolation. _Spiritual Bouquet._ "He was subject to them." Mary's Sixth Word "_The Mother of JESUS saith to Him: They have no wine._" (St John ii. 3.) _1st Prelude._ The Marriage Feast. _2nd Prelude._ Grace to remember the interest that Mary takes in her children. _Point I._--"THEY HAVE NO WINE" It looks, from the context, as though Our Blessed Lady were staying in the house at Cana where the wedding feast took place, for while St John tells us that JESUS and His disciples were _invited_, he says that "the Mother of JESUS was _there_." We need not suppose that she remained long at Nazareth after her Son began His public ministry--it is more probable that she stayed with friends in the neighbourhood of His work. After this first miracle of her Son's, she went with Him and His disciples to Capharnaum, but "remained there not many days," St John tells us. (chap. ii. 12.) At all events, she was at Cana at the time of the marriage feast, and it may be that it was in St John's house that she was staying; for there is a very old tradition which tells that the bridegroom was none other than John himself. If the tradition be true, it lends an additional significance to this sixth word of Our Lady; for, as St Bernardine suggests, it would probably be the miracle produced by this word which made him decide to give up the wedded state, even before he had entered upon it, for one of perpetual virginity--a decision which endeared him to the hearts of Our Lord and His Blessed Mother.