Dear Disciples of Christ at Holy Spirit, St. Helen’s, and St. Mary’s,

As we think about Our Blessed Mother in heaven, we also hold dear to our hearts our earthly mothers. Happy Mother’s Day to each of you! God bless you. May your families honor you with love and attention. The miracle of life came through them and we owe them our gratitude and our love.

Moms and all their motherly manifestations are truly a gift to us. Yes, we are a gift to them and they rejoiced at our birth. In the best of worlds, we gain the clues of life through the cooperation of our moms and dads. Moms especially offer both nourishment and nurturing. They have a special kind of love in the midst of a sometimes harsh world. They teach us compassion, forgiveness, and the empowerment of loving beyond the moment.

Those gifts remind me of my own mom. She had her struggles in life, yet she was there for us when we needed it most. She helped me earn my scouting merit badge in fishing. She drove twenty plus miles to my camp out to protect my cooking merit badge when she realized we both miscalculated how much flour I would need to bake the biscuits that went with the Dutch Oven out roast. Her resilience taught me how to save the meal with extra flour in the troop trailer. She loved us. She made sacrifices for us. She battled through her adversities to be there for each of my two sisters and myself. Her smile was genuine and warming. I am truly grateful for her loving presence in my life.

Each mom has her own story. Regardless of the situation in which your moms lives, loves, and manages her life, there is reason to be grateful and offer thanks to God for the one who gave you life.

Our Blessed Mother gives us all a motherhood to strive for. She exhibited strength in adversity. She showed tenderness to her child. She worried when Jesus was lost. She understood his answer about being in the Father’s house. She witnessed the horror of his execution yet stood faithfully at his cross. She encouraged him on his journey and rejoiced at his resurrection. May she intercede for all moms. Ora pro nobis!

Fr. Tom