A Note From Fr. Thomas
To all mothers of our Area Catholic Community… Happy Mother’s Day! Mothers are a gift from God, and today is a great day to thank God for the gift of your mother.
St. Teresa of Calcutta had this to say about mothers: “That special power of loving that belongs to a woman is seen most clearly when she becomes a mother. Motherhood is the gift of God to women. How grateful we must be to God for this wonderful gift that brings such joy to the whole world, women and men alike!”
Isn’t that beautiful? Motherhood is not a random thing that happens to women at some point during their life… rather, it’s “that special power of loving that belongs to a woman.” Motherhood is how a woman most perfectly expresses love, for she knows deep down how to give, nurture, and care for her children, and how to suffer with and for them.
The fact that the quote above came from St. Teresa of Calcutta is amazing in itself. Although she didn’t have any biological children of her own, the entire world knows her as “Mother Teresa.” She’s a woman who had a deeply maternal heart, a heart that moved her to care for the poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa is a great example of how every woman is called to be a mother, whether or not she is married. So we give thanks to God for all mothers, biological and spiritual.
On this Mother’s Day, I also want to say a few words about the Blessed Mother. In the most important hour of Christ’s life, as he was dying on the cross, we hear that when Jesus “saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:26-27).
At that moment, Jesus gave us the gift of his mother! Mary is the Mother of God, and she’s our Mother as well. To close with the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta, “If you ever feel distressed during your day, call upon our Lady, and just say this simple prayer, ‘Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.’ I must admit: this prayer has never failed me.”
Peace,
Fr. Tom Skaja
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