A DAY TO HONOR MOTHERS

MAY 10, 2008

Sunday is Mothers' Day, the day our nation cherishes for the opportunity it provides to pay tribute to mothers everywhere and to thank them for the years of humble service that they give to their families. They attend to the unique spiritual and bodily needs of each child, offer love and care, and often play the role of healer, reconciler, and center of unity in the family. It is not uncommon for mothers to suffer the disrespect and disobedience of their children. Many mothers have to labor alone, without the presence and support of a husband, who may be absent for prolonged periods due to work or other duties, because of the plague of divorce or for some other reason. Economic conditions often place severe strains on a mother’s ability to feed and clothe her children and provide for their proper medical and dental care. And so, we stand in admiration of all that mothers do! What could be more important to the well-being of families, and in turn to the well-being of society, than our mothers?

So wonderful a vocation is motherhood that when God sent his son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation, he saw fit to have his son assume our human nature in secret, within the maternal womb of the Virgin Mary, and in obscure and lowly surroundings rather than enter the world not in a spectacular or ostentatious display of divine power and majesty. In a most unique and marvelous way, God provided for his son's well-being not by sending a heavenly host of angels to protect him, by simply by entrusting him to the care of a husband and wife, Mary and Joseph.

This was in keeping with God's providential plan of creation to endow women with special attributes that make them attentive to the needs of the human person, and able to respond to them in ways that nurture their full human development, with the loving support of their spouse. This is made evident from our own observation and experience, and it is confirmed by many studies of a scientific nature.

Motherhood, in the full sense is the fruit of the marriage union of a man and woman, of "the union of the two in one flesh" (cf. Gen 2:24). This brings about a special gift of self as an expression of that spousal love whereby the two are united to each other so intimately and completely that they become one flesh. The mutual self-donation in marriage which unifies them in the act of giving love also opens them to the act of begetting and gratefully receiving the gift of new life -- a new human being.

Motherhood, then, involves both openness to a new human being, and a complete self-donation to that child. It is in opening herself to the gift of new life through marital union, and in donating herself to nurturing that new human being from the moment of conception, that a women discovers her exalted identity and vocation as mother. Motherhood, in the fullest sense, has everything to do with the gift of interior readiness to lovingly accept the child, bring it into the world, and nurture it.

Giving birth is surely a cause of deep joy in woman, who is able to say with Eve, the mother of all the living, "I have brought a man into being with the help of the Lord" (Gen 4:1). Every time a child is born, the mother knows deep within herself that she is sharing in a unique and indispensable way in God's own eternal, mysterious act of creation. Physically and emotionally, God has made woman uniquely able to carry out his creative design.

Man, to be sure, brings his own unique gifts and abilities to strengthen and support marriage and family life, but in the matter of procreation, he always remains outside the process. It is within the woman's body that the new human being develops, and this intimate bond between the mother and child affects their relationship for the rest of their lives. During pregnancy, the mother literally sacrifices her body for the physical development of the child, and after birth, this predisposition on the part of the mother toward self-sacrifice for the good of her child remains throughout life.

It is no wonder, then, that our nation annually sets aside a day to honor mothers. Who among us does not have vivid memories of our mother -- however many years ago -- tending us when we were ill, giving us courage to face life's challenges, comforting us in moments of hurt or self-doubt, and enabling us to discover that we were a lovable and valuable human being? They did this by how much they loved us, believed in us, and sacrificed for us!

God be praised for the wonderful gift of loving mothers. On their day, let each of us render worthy expressions of thanks and admiration for all they give and are!

+Bishop Raymundo J. Peña

last updated 12-May-2008 8:48 sitemap