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Deacon Steve's Mother's Day Message
May 13, 2017
As we come to the middle of the month of May, we arrive at the day that we traditionally honor our mothers, living or deceased. If Mom is still alive there are always a lot of brunches and family get-togethers if not just a phone call to let her know that we love her and think about her a lot and pray for her too.
We often think about this Sunday as a “Hallmark Holiday” engineered as a promotion of selling very high priced paper cards. But in reality the celebration is actually over a hundred years old. It began when a woman named Anna Jarvis founded the idea as an anti-war movement. Jarvis had no children of her own but upon the death of her own mother in 1905, she was inspired to organize the first “Mothers’ Day” observances in 1908 saying: “It wasn’t to celebrate all mothers. It was to celebrate the best mother you’ve ever known…YOUR mother.”
A few years later, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday of May each year to be a national holiday honoring all mothers. And so it is very appropriate to honor our Moms while they are living and certainly in a special way after they are in heaven.
It is also very appropriate that May is the month when we specifically honor Mary, the mother of Jesus for she is truly our Mother as well. We do well to pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary in which we recall the Assumption of Mary into heaven body and soul (truly a mystery!) and concluding with Jesus crowning his mother as Queen of heaven and earth.” Some parishes and schools still maintain the tradition of children crowning Mary the May Queen. We as church also celebrate Our Lady of Fatima this month and the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the 31st.
My mom died 6 months ago and I will pray for her soul as I remember her fondly. My prayer too, is that you will honor not only your birth mother, your adopted mother, or other mother, but also pray to our heavenly Mom: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” AMEN. Continued Resurrection blessings on this 5th Sunday of Easter,
Deacon Steve
Happy Mother’s Day!