This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day. In the United States, Mother’s Day was first celebrated in the early part of the twentieth century. On this day we remember in a special way how much moms do for their families and the many sacrifices they make on behalf of their spouses and children.
Pope Francis has great respect for the vocation of motherhood. During an address in Rome, as reported in the publication “For Your Marriage”, he noted that mothers fulfill a vital role by helping children “look realistically at life’s problems” without getting “lost in them.” He stated that “A life without challenges doesn’t exist” and that a mother helps her children face these challenges. A mother helps her children deal with the problems they inevitably confront, assisting them as they hopefully grow in wisdom and knowledge. Many Catholic mothers also play a key role in passing our precious faith to their children primarily through their teaching and example.
The following prayer called “A Prayer for Mothers” reflects the spirit of this day:
All loving God, we give You thanks and praise for mothers young and old.
We pray for young mothers, who give life and count toes, and tend to our every need; may they be blessed with patience and tenderness to care for their families and themselves with great joy.
We pray for our mothers, who have nurtured and cared for us; may they continue to guide us in strong and gentle ways.
We remember mothers who are separated from their children because of war, poverty, or conflict; may they feel the loving embrace of our God who wipes every tear away.
We pray for women who are not mothers but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion.
We remember mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love. Amen.
As we reflect on this prayer, we are invited to give thanks to our mothers for the many sacrifices they make on behalf of their families, especially in these difficult and uncertain times. We can thank them for all that they do, and for the example they set for us. We can honor them primarily by obeying them in our younger years, and by graciously taking care of them in their advancing years. In addition, we can also remember those mothers who have died, but still have a special place in our hearts.
On behalf of the clergy, staff, and parishioners of Saint Brigid, we wish all mothers a happy, healthy, and holy Mother’s Day. We hope they enjoy their special day.