Who is a mother?
She is the one who sits in front of me at morning Mass and quietly prays for her son every day, an adult man who has Cancer and not much time left to share with her.
She is the one who wants to baptize her child, but is unemployed and can’t afford to feed him much less donate to the church community, so she also asks for help to buy food for her family.
He is the one whose wife left him with their children because she felt that she didn’t want to be a mother anymore.
She is the one who was only 14 years old and despite being told she should have an abortion, decided to keep the child, and struggles to finish school and raise him.
She is the one who left her country despite having to start over, new language, no friends or family, no job, just a hope and a dream for a better future for her children.
She is the one who is taking care of her grandchildren, because their biological mother is mentally incapable of raising them and is in and out of jail.
She is the one who gets up early every morning to make sure her children get to school on time, even if she only slept 3-4 hours the night before due to going to night school and working fulltime.
She is the one who had the courage to leave an abusive relationship and is living in poverty so that her young children don’t have to suffer anymore under his abuse.
These are only a few of the individuals that I interact with weekly, who are seeking spiritual renewal for themselves and their families. What they all have in common is a deep consuming desire to love their children in such a way that any sacrifice on their part is not a deterrent. They willing take risks, quietly suffer, humbly ask for guidance, proudly talk about their children, and through their stories I am strengthened. I am thankful for my own mother. I am thankful that I too am a mother. I see how privileged this role is….it is not for the weak hearted, it is not for the lazy spirited, and it is not for the selfish soul. A mother is not a noun, it is a verb. A mother is the essence of renewal. God made mothers because God doesn’t work alone.
Happy and Blessed Mother's Day to all who are mothers!
