Dear Parishioners,
Happy Mothers’ Day to all of the mothers of our parish! As we celebrate today the mothers and mother-like figures in our lives, we give thanks to Jesus for all that we have received from him through our mothers. We give thanks for all the many ways that they made sacrifices for us over the years, some of which we might not even be aware of. We recall- and give thanks for- what Pope St. John Paul II proclaimed to be the ways by which mothers live “everyday heroism, made up of gestures of sharing, big or small, which build up an authentic culture of life.” St. John Paul goes on to explain:
Part of this daily heroism is also the silent but effective and eloquent witness of all those brave mothers who devote themselves to their own family without reserve, who suffer in giving birth to their children and who are ready to make any effort, to face any sacrifice, in order to pass on to them the best of themselves. In living out their mission these heroic women do not always find support in the world around them. On the contrary, the cultural models frequently promoted and broadcast by the media do not encourage motherhood. In the name of progress and modernity the values of fidelity, chastity, sacrifice, to which a host of Christian wives and mothers have borne and continue to bear outstanding witness, are presented as obsolete … We thank you, heroic mothers, for your invincible love! We thank you for your intrepid trust in God and in his love. We thank you for the sacrifice of your life … In the Paschal Mystery, Christ restores to you the gift you gave him. Indeed, he has the power to give you back the life you gave him as an offering.
In other words, parenthood in general is something more than a purely biological reality. It is, of course, a participation in the divine plan. Every mother and father participate in the creative process, and in so doing, are entrusted with children, through whom they make a return to God, as much as possible, for his generous gift. Today, give thanks for all the ways our mothers lived this reality.
Certainly, today is a day on which we give thanks for the gift of our mothers. However, we should also be mindful today to say some prayers for anyone for whom Mothers’ Day is not an enjoyable day. There could be many reasons that someone might feel this way, for instance, those whose mothers recently died, those mothers whose children have died, those who had a bad relationship with their mother, those who never knew their mother etc.
May the Lord’s many blessings be with all of you on this special day, but especially on our mothers, who have given so much of themselves for their families.
Fr. Ammanniti
