From the Desk of Father Martin, May 14

Praised be Jesus Christ! And a very happy Mother’s Day to our Moms! For many, it’s a chance to tell Mom we’d be lost without her – most Moms probably get a nice breakfast or lunch today, as well as possibly flowers or chocolate. I looked up a website to see what gifts are popular for Mother’s Day and at the top of the page this is what it said: “A mother’s love is a force like no other. Shop our sentimental selection of Mother’s Day gifts, from bangles to necklace charms, that let her know how much she’s loved.” Weren’t the Bangles an 80s pop band that played such forgettable songs as “Walk Like an Egyptian” and “Manic Monday?!” The main point of this day is to thank God for the women whose love made our lives possible. We give a blessing at the end of Mass to all women because each of them is called to become a mother, either physically or spiritually. We also remember the mothers who have suffered the loss of a child, arguably the greatest sorrow one can endure in this world. From miscarriage or abortion, cancer or car accident, losing a child leaves a terrible hurt in a mother’s heart. The Mother of God always prays for you as she knows your hurt and the terrible loss that never goes away. One day in Heaven these little ones will be restored to you, and no longer will you know the pain of “Rachel, weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are no more,” (Matthew 2:18). Another group of mothers that we remember are those who cannot bear children for various reasons. Infertility is a heavy cross that some carry and their sadness is a lonely one that many never notice or acknowledge in any way. A friend of mine suffered this for many years and it was very difficult for her to rejoice as all of her friends were having children and she could not. Maisie Ward once wrote about G.K. Chesterton and his wife Frances, who were never able to conceive, “What was unusual both with Gilbert and Frances was the fact that they never allowed their disappointment in the matter of children to make them sour or jealous of others who had the joy that they had not. All through their lives they played with other people’s children; they chose on a train a compartment full of children; they planned amusements, they gave presents to the children of their friends.” On a lighter note, we can think of all the Moms who are officially recognized as saints: from Mary, the Mother of God to her own Mom, Saint Anne, one could arguably show that history has been most affected by spiritually potent Moms. Saint Helena’s faith made it possible for Christianity to be legalized; Saint Monica’s undying devotion for her son softened Saint Augustine’s heart so that he could repent from worldly ways and become a towering saint; and we thank God for Saint Zelie Martin, whose daughter Saint Therese of Lisieux is widely regarded as the greatest saint of modern times. Many more things one might say, but let’s end with a little poem titled, “What mums do”:
“Cook and clean, wash and fold, keep me warm when I am cold. Drive me here, take me there, Mum, you sure are everywhere. School and sports, we have such fun. And you’re there when our day is done.
Tuck me in to bed so tight, that is when we say goodnight.”
May God bless all Moms, that they may always find joy in such an august vocation!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin