Dear Friends,
Today we thank our mothers and honor them by celebrating Mother’s Day and by offering our mothers on the altar of God as we pray for them. This is a day to admit gratefully the fact that none of us is able to return, in the same measure, all the love that our mothers have given us. Their influence on us, their children, is so great that it affects us throughout our lives. Our mothers not only gave us birth but nursed us, nurtured us, trained us in our religious beliefs and practices, taught us good manners and ideal behavior, disciplined us as best as they could and made us good citizens of our country, our Church and our society.
Thomas Edison once said, “I did not have my mother long, but she cast over me an influence which has lasted all my life. The good effects of her early training I can never lose. If it had not been for her appreciation and her faith in me at a critical time in my experience, I should never likely have become an inventor. I was always a careless boy, and with a mother of different mental caliber, I should have turned out badly. But her firmness, her sweetness, her goodness were potent powers to keep me in the right path. My mother was the making of me. The memory of her will always be a blessing to me.”
I think we all can relate to such sentiments. Hence, it is only right and proper for us to express our love and gratitude to our mothers by our presence, gifts and prayers on Mother’s Day. The Mother’s Day intentions and offerings remind us of our prayers of thanksgiving for all the mothers in our congregation, whether they are alive or have gone for their eternal reward. The word “mom” is synonymous with sacrificial, agápe love in its purest form, as given by Jesus in his farewell speech: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Hence, let us lavish our love on our mothers and express our gratitude for them in the form of fervent prayers offered for them, before God – not just for one day, but every day! God bless you dear mothers!
The Catholic Church proclaims the great nobility of the Mother of Jesus, and presents her as the supreme model for all mothers. What a good feeling we get each time we sing that beautiful song, “Gentle woman, peaceful dove, teach us wisdom, teach us love.” Let us show our love and appreciation for both of our mothers, and let us ask our Heavenly Mother to take care of our earthly mothers. We need to be persons for others, sacrificing our time, talents and lives for them, as our mothers are.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Abraham Orapankal