A Blessed Sixth Sunday of Easter to all our readers, which also happens to be the secular commemoration of Mothers’ Day, which became widespread when President Woodrow Wilson – leaving aside his imprudent ‘Fourteen Points’ at Versailles in 1919 paved the way for an even worse war two decades later – proclaimed in 1914 that this Second Sunday in May to be the first Mother’s Day, dedicated to mothers across the land. My own Dad has some misgivings, telling us as children that ‘every day should be mother’s day’, with which sentiment I agree, but like all universal truths, a special day does carry some significance, even if it has been Hallmarked nearly to a vague sentimentality.
And, of course, as Catholics, especially fitting in this whole month dedicated to our own spiritual mother, Mary, Theotokos and mediatrix of graces, through whom God saw fit to bring about, in part, His work of redemption, as He does with us all, if we but cooperate in His salvific will
So we rejoice in motherhood, in all that glorious term means. Not just bearing children, but cherishing them, educating them, loving them, forging a bond that will last unto eternity. Children, love and cherish your mothers! For a mother’s love is eternal, and can never really be broken. We owe our mothers a debt of gratitude that can never, ever be repaid.
As an old Irish ballad has it:
A mother’s love’s a blessing, no matter where ye roam,
Keep her while she’s living, for ye’ll miss her when she’s gone,
Oh, love her as in childhood, though feeble, old and grey,
For you’ll never know a mother’s love, ’til she’s buried beneath the clay.
To all mothers out there, we love, thank and honour you, for all you have done. May God reward you mightily.
