11 May 2025 #ABlessedMothersDay

It’s Mother’s Day, a time to honor our spiritual and physical mothers. I recognize it’s a bittersweet day for some of us, and I want to acknowledge that upfront. Some struggle with infertility, others have lost children of any age, and some have children who’ve drifted from both our physical and spiritual communities. For them, Mother’s Day isn’t warm-and-fuzzy. But for others? Let’s celebrate with buffets, buttercups, a rare hour to shower, and gratitude for the physical and spiritual souls entrusted to our care. Motherhood embraces all these experiences.

Today’s readings do not directly address motherhood, but we can draw connections. Some might say our children give us “violent abuse” when we’re rushing to Mass or discussing faith truths (Acts). Or that mothers who hear His voice are vital to Jesus’ flock (Responsorial). Perhaps some mothers, having survived the “great distress” of parenting toddlers and teens, have earned their “white robe” of endurance and await an eternal reward (Revelation). We might even imagine a blissful eternity with uninterrupted hours listening to the Good Shepherd, despite the challenges of Catholic parenting (John’s Gospel). That could be a column in itself.

Instead, I’ve been reflecting on the mothers of the men in today’s readings: Paul, Barnabas, John, and Jesus. Each had a mother who loved them fiercely—kissing scraped knees and nighttime foreheads, teaching them to pray and love God, laughing at their antics, and smiling knowingly as they matured. Their daily chaos was undergirded by joy and contentment. That’s motherhood.

Yet, these sons took unexpected paths, diverging from the Jewish traditions their mothers held dear. Saul (Paul), raised in Tarsus, studied under the wise Gamaliel. Joseph (Barnabas), a Levite from Cyprus, carried a name evoking Israel’s pre-slavery prosperity. John, son of Zebedee, balanced fishing with synagogue life alongside his brother. And Jesus, the Son of God, was deeply Jewish—until He wasn’t. Even Mary, I imagine, envisioned a different life for her Son. Most of these mothers likely hoped for a robust faith rooted in Torah and synagogue, honest work to support a family, a blessed marriage, abundant grandchildren, and a gentle life and death. But that’s not what they got. That’s motherhood, too.

Physical and spiritual mothers often receive the unexpected—something deeper, something more. They find joy and contentment watching their children navigate lives of commitment, perseverance, faith, and suffering, emerging glorious on the other side. It’s a life to be proud of, even if it’s not the one they’d have chosen.
#ABlessedMothersDay