Happy Mother’s Day!

In 1914 the U.S. Congress passed a Joint Resolution, and President Woodrow Wilson signed it, establishing “Mother’s Day” to emphasize a women’s role in the family. One thing important to note is that the apostrophe in “Mother’s Day” is in between the “r” and the “s,” indicating the original meaning of the day, which is to honor one’s own Mother, rather than Mothers in general.

We are bound by our love and through God’s command to honor our own mother, but we have to always remember that we have another mother in Heaven.  When Jesus became a human being, He also became our brother.  And as He hung on the cross He gave us his Most Holy Mother to be our mother:  “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.”  (Jn 19:26-27).

On this Mother’s Day, we pay homage to our own earthly mother.  We might call her Mom, Mama, Ma or Mommy, but we have her to thank for giving us life, bearing us in her womb, and tenderly caring for us as we grew up.  We are called to remember her gentleness as well as her wise counsel.  And whether our mother is living or deceased, we know that our love for her is never diminished.