This weekend we take time to remember and honor mothers. Though many of us have experienced the passing of those who gave us the gift of life we still recall their lives of sacrifice. With joy I bring to mind the countless times in which my own mother exemplified...
This weekend we take time to remember and honor mothers. Though many of us have experienced the passing of those who gave us the gift of life we still recall their lives of sacrifice. With joy I bring to mind the countless times in which my own mother exemplified the sentiments of the second Vatican Council which acknowledged that parents are the primary teachers of their children in the ways of faith and morals. As I have shared in this column on previous occasions many times those who were hungry were fed at our family table not only with food but also with affection and kindness. A cup of tea was always available to those who needed a word of advice and support. We were taught to recognize human dignity, racial equality, and religious freedom not in any academic exercise but by constant interaction with our neighbors as all were welcomed in our home. Our dreams were always encouraged. As a young man I wanted to be a young writer. In elementary school I wrote essays and sent them away to be published. My mother would be my editor. More than anything I wanted a typewriter. I knew that I didn't have enough money for one nor did my family. Finally, one Christmas I received a Royal. I knew that mom had given me hers which she had for many years. It was a gift that I treasured more than any others. So many times she did without so that we might have. Even when my father died she sacrificed that our Catholic education might not be impeded. Though tested her faith was always strong. Every Sunday she attended Mass with us. She stressed the importance of the family rosary. She gave me a love for the Miraculous Medal Novena which I still have decades later. Of course, after we would attend the Monday evening service, we would stop at a local ice cream parlor.
But you and I know that today we must honor those women who, though in a strict sense they might not be our mothers or anyone's mother, deserve great honor for the nurturing qualities they exhibited. They might be our aunts who had no children of their own, who give to us opportunities to travel with them, who provide funds for our education which are beyond the means of our parents, or who spend their time with us when our mothers might be busy fulfilling other obligations. The first time I saw the Plaza Hotel was from the perspective of being behind the cashier's cage where my Aunt Nora worked. Aunt Kay, a friend of my mother's, was always close by to acknowledge one of our accomplishments with a generous gift. Our teachers, many of them religious, were women who must be seen as people who contributed to our growth as human beings in a very maternal way. For example, in fifth grade, I remember Miss Curran - she must have had a relative in state government. She gave me a New York Red Book, an official directory for the state. She spoke of political parties on my level. She infected me with a current events bug. I asked my mother for a subscription to Time Magazine. Every November I would distribute flyers and voting cards for local candidates. I've never lost interest in law and its formation, enforcement, and adjudication. A contemporary became a teacher and has throughout her life nurtured her students in such a way that she enhanced their sense of identity, encouraged them to use their gifts in service of others, and showed them worlds which might have been otherwise closed to them. A colleague in teaching has been a model to me in her approach to everyone she meets as she uncovers their wisdom and assists them in growing more proficient in serving and leading others.
There are still so many others who have entered our lives and who might be surprised in the manner they have influenced our lives. I remember the librarian who noticed my boredom in the children's library and made arrangements for me to borrow books from the adult section. There were the neighbors, many of them Jewish, who sewed my vestments when I returned from the seminary. And the many women I have worked with in rectories, schools, and archdiocesan offices who aided me in becoming the person I am by advising, chastising, and feeding me. Like all of you, there are so many women who have enhanced our existences.
Consciously, or not, they all imitate the Mother of Jesus who was given to us by Him as He was dying on the Cross. In her life she is called to serve God in a unique way but responds in such a way that we can learn much about our spiritual journey. She obeys the Lord and becomes the Tabernacle for the Son. She lovingly reaches out to Elizabeth, her relative, who is pregnant. Trusting in the divine's care she traveled to and from Nazareth though the temperatures were extreme and the road carried many dangers. She followed the traditions of her fathers and humbly served her family and community. Again and again she displayed her compassion for others. She cared for her beloved husband, watched over Her Son, tended to the needs of the Apostles, before and after the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Scriptures reveal her making only one request of Jesus. At the wedding feast of Cana she intercedes for the young couple. As our Mother she will beseech Her Son for us.
May God bless our mothers and all those women who have cared for us. May Mary continue to be a source of hope for us as she leads us to her Son.
Vivat Jesus
Fr. Brian