Third Sunday after Easter--11 May AD 2014

May is, of course, the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the great Mother of God. And it is not particularly surprising that one Sunday out of Mary’s month is chosen to honor all those who share in motherhood. A long time ago it occurred to me that Mothers’ Day ought always to include everyone who can possibly be placed into that category—from Eve the mother of the human race, to Mary the Mother of the Redeemer of the human race, and all those who fit somewhere in between. Certainly, we honor those mothers who gave us life. But we must recognize that a great number of women (and even a few men) fill in for Mom in situations where she cannot or will not carry out her responsibilities—they deserve to be honored as well.

If your Latin is good, you will recognize that the second collects today are for all of our deceased mothers and fathers—and that will include anyone else who took a parental role in our lives. Sisters, aunts, teachers, and neighbors; even uncles and brothers.

Nearly a hundred and twenty-five years ago, the saintly Pope Leo XIII wrote a brief in which he extolled the virtues of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and called on all Christian families to model themselves after the Holy Family of Nazareth.[1] Pope Leo wrote about Jesus and Joseph, and the ways in which they were to be imitated, and you will hear more of what he had to say next January, on the feast of the Holy Family. Today, let us concentrate on what he said that applies to mothers:

Pope Leo addresses the high born as well as those of low estate, the rich as well as the poor, for all can learn from Jesus, Mary and Joseph; all can benefit by emulating them. But Pope Leo singles out the virtues of Mary for emulation by Christian mothers: “love, modesty, resignation of spirit, and the perfecting of faith.”

It is hard to believe that any other merely human being had greater “Love” for almighty God than the Blessed Virgin Mary, and certainly, God loved her in return in more than equal measure. Such love is active, dynamic, and we might even say “contagious.” Surely Mary communicated this love to Saint Joseph, and quite likely to their neighbors. Mothers can likewise communicate the Love of God to their husbands and children.

“Love” is the “glue” that holds the family together. Jesus, of course, was easy to love, but Joseph, like all husbands may have had concerns that interfered with expressing his love for Mary as often as she might have liked. He had to worry about bringing home their living, paying the tax collector, keeping their home in good repair, keeping their animals in good health, and insuring that Jesus and Mary were protected from the Romans. Like all men, Joseph must have appreciated the chaste love of Mary and her affections; particularly when the cares of the world seemed to close in more tightly than normal. Husbands and children look to mothers for love.

And, let us not forget “Love” for the poor and for those in difficulties. “They have no wine,” may be one of the most important lines in Scripture.[3] It both illustrates the care of the Blessed Virgin for all those in difficulty, and reminds all Christian mothers of their obligation to charity.

“Modesty” came naturally for the most chaste Mother of God. This is a twofold virtue. It is inconceivable that Mary took Joseph’s credit card and splurged on fine clothing. She did not come home and tell Joseph how much she had saved him at the Nazareth boutique!

“Modesty” also means that Mary did not make an exhibition of herself. She was a woman of few words, not out to impress others, and certainly not out to incite the base instincts of the few men she encountered outside of the holy house. Modesty is a motherly essential for the Christian family.

“Resignation of spirit” calls for an acceptance of the circumstances God sends us in life. No doubt Mary, like all people, had expectations about what life would bring. We all know that there will be disappointments, but we all hope for some measure of joy as well. Hopefully, none of us will ever have to have the “resignation of spirit” necessary to accept the unjust crucifixion of an only son, as Mary did. But resignation is a virtue we must all practice—particularly mothers who are in a position to communicate the equanimity of such resignation to their husband and children.

The “perfecting of faith,” is truly essential to the Christian home and family. Together with love, faith is the virtue of our salvation. Mary had the advantage of perfecting her faith by daily seeing the fulfillment of Scripture in the life of her Divine Son. God’s word was made manifest in Jesus the Word of God. The Catholic mother can see some of this in her own children, for they are part of God’s plan to “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it….”[4] And the wise Catholic mother will regularly read the Scriptures Mary read, and those that tell of she and her Son. The Christian mother can be a grace to her husband and family by sharing her “perfecting of faith” and perfecting it in them.

So today, we honor all the mothers and all who served as mothers, along that great continuum from Eve to Mary. If you Mom is alive, feel privileged to go and see her if she is al all nearby. Call her on the phone if she is not, even if you must call “collect.” (She is Mom, and she understands such things!) But, if your Mom is no longer amongst the living, be sure to pray for her—not just today, but always. (She is Mom, and it is your duty!)

And to all you here today who are mothers (in any sense of that term), please accept my heartfelt congratulations and my sincere thanks. For yours is a vocation very much like that of the very Mother of God Herself!

NOTES:

[1] Pope Leo XIII, Breve Neminem Fugit, June 14, 1892

[2] Néminem fugit, from the second nocturn of the feast of the Holy Family http://www.rosarychurch.net/breviary/january.html

[3] John ii: 3 http://www.drbo.org/x/d?b=drb&bk=50&ch=2&l=3#x

[4] Genesis i: 27.

Third Sunday after Easter--11 May AD 2014 Mothers Day

Third Sunday after Easter--11 May AD 2014
Mothers Day