May 11 is Mother’s Day in the U.S., and similar holidays are
celebrated in most countries. After all,
what theme is more universal than the importance of motherhood? We Catholics prize that nurturing
relationship so highly that we call our church, “Holy Mother,” and we venerate
Mary, the mother of Jesus, for her pivotal role in the life of the savior. Yet, Mother’s Day can bring with it a
plethora of emotion and memories. Any
mother can attest to the difficulty and challenge of the task of parenting. And mothers come in all shapes and
sizes. Some mothers are birth mothers;
some are adoptive. Some mothers are the
grandmothers or aunts who raised us.
Some mothers left us far too soon; and no matter when they leave, they
always leave us orphans. Some mothers
are the people we rebelled against; some mothers are the women we
idolized. Most often, our mothers were
probably both. It’s a complex
relationship, this parenting.
As
Christian stewards, many of us are mothers, but all of us are sons and daughters. During May, we honor and remember not just
our own moms, but Mary, the Mother of God.
We see her as the great symbol of motherhood and as our role model. At her knee, Jesus learned his prayers and
the faith of his ancestors. At her
hearth, Jesus grew in wisdom and grace and developed his sense of manhood and
destiny. Mothers should resist comparing
themselves to Mary. It is tough enough
being a mom without setting the barrier that high. But we all should ask Mary’s intercession, so
that in our endeavors to be good stewards and to raise good stewards, to
nurture in the faith those entrusted to us, she might come to our assistance
and guide us with her motherly understanding.
And on Mother’s Day, we ask Mary to bless all mothers, especially our
own.
ICSC e-bulletin, May 2014
