My mom was widowed at a fairly young age. I was already out of the house along with many of my brothers and sisters (there are nine of us) but she still had several of us at home and in school. During my junior year of college I was studying at the University of Constance in Germany (West Germany at the time) and my mom came to visit for several weeks during the winter break. This moment of time was when I really got to know my mom well and she was able to know her grown son a little better. There were several things I remember well about mom’s visit. First were the visits to our German cousins and the second was the unplanned excursions that happened by accident. I am not a planner by nature. I had an idea of what I wanted to do and a very loose time line on how it would get done but the details to these things are always a little iffy in my work of planning. The great blessing I received from my mom on this visit is she just went along and allowed the sometimes haphazard planning of the trip to take its course. I know this was not easy for her to do but it was a blessing.I tell this story because, I believe, it is one of the most difficult gifts mothers give to their children, not matter what the age, the gift of allowing them to be who they are and grow in the talents and blessings God has created them to share.
This is where mothers (and fathers) participate in a special way with the work of God. God allows us, through the gift of free will, to choose: to glorify or fall, to move forward or stumble, to create or destroy. God allows us to become always inviting in to glory, the creative and holy movement forward. It is often painful, our spiritual, moral, and physical growth as sons and daughters of God but we also are reminded of the suffering that often accompanies this growth and how no matter what God does not abandon us rather God invites us to come home and to be forgiven. This is the
message of the Cross of Jesus Christ.I know, in my own life especially, we as children will often disappoint and try the hearts of our mothers with our choices and our mothers through love will often cry in suffering over our choices and sins trusting through love and forgiveness we will grow and hoping in faith we will be safe in all we do. It is in these often silent trials of our mothers they become united more closely with our Blessed Mother in her many titles she shares as the Mother of God. As St. Pope John Paul II notes in “Rosarium Virginis Mariae”, Mary “offers us the incomparable example of her own “pilgrimage of faith”. As we contemplate each mystery of her Son’s life, she invites us to do as she did at he Annunciation: to ask humbly the questions which open us to the light, in order to end with the obedience of faith: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38)” (#14)
As we celebrate and give thanks for our mothers, let us also pray in true blessing for the gift of their patience, gentleness and love shared. While none of our mothers is perfect, each bears the gift of life shared and forgiveness offered in the image of God’s perfect love.
Happy Mother’s Day!!!
God Bless
Fr. Mark
