This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day. We are invited on this day to make a special effort to honor mothers for all they do for their families and for the many sacrifices they make on behalf of their spouses and children. In addition, we can also thank them for the love they provide in so many ways.
When we think of mothers, we often think of Mary, the mother of Jesus, the spouse of Joseph. May is the month of Mary, and this month we honor her in a special way. As previously mentioned, the Church presents Mary as a model of love in its fullness. The love she had for Jesus and Joseph is not reserved for them alone. It is the same precious love that she has for us, the same precious love she shares with us, an unselfish love that we should not take for granted.
Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus but also the Mother of our Church. The Second Vatican Council teaches that “…By her motherly love, she cares for her Son’s sisters and brothers who still journey the earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led into their blessed home.” In his great encyclical, “Evangelium Vitae” (The Gospel of Life), Pope John Paul II reminds us that Mary is “…the incomparable model of how life should be welcomed and cared for.”
Our Holy Father, Pope Francis also invites us to look to Mary for inspiration. This need for inspiration is especially important at this time as we continue to strive to cope with the devastating impact of the Covid-19 virus. In an address, as reported in the publication, “For Your Marriage”, he stated that Mary “saw many difficult moments” and “like a good mother she is close to us, so that we may never lose courage before the adversities of life” and “might feel her support in facing and overcoming the difficulties of our human and Christian journey.”
Pope Francis also noted that Mary provides loving care for us. He stated, “she helps us grow as human beings, and in the faith, to be strong and never to fall into the temptation of being human beings and Christians in a superficial way, but to live responsibly, to strive even higher.” As a mother, Mary “teaches us to be, like her, capable of making definitive decisions, definitive choices.”
We are challenged to take the profound words of Pope Francis and Pope John Paul II to heart as
On behalf of our priests, deacons, staff, and parishioners of Saint Brigid, I wish all mothers a happy, healthy, and holy Mother’s Day.
Mary, Our Lady of Fatima, intercede for us.
Mary, Our Mother, pray for us.