Sixth Sunday of Easter

 Today is Mother's Day, and I invite all mothers to stand for our applause.

 The words mother and mom evoke all kinds of images to children, e.g., homemaker, teacher, nurse, secretary, chauffeur, chef and so forth. Mothers are always ready to listen. We will never be able to fully “measure” the unconditional love of our mothers.

 Yes, mothers are truly marvelous mentors. Here are two things my mother taught me and my siblings:

 First, logic. How many have heard: “Because I said so, that’s why!”

 And Mom taught us about envy. She would say: “There are millions of less fortunate kids who don’t have the wonderful parents you do!”

 Thank you, mothers, for all you do.

  Parenting is indeed a holy vocation. Getting children to and from school, doctor’s appointments, rehearsals and practices; budgeting and paying the bills. These are holy acts.

 The details take on a spiritual dimension when they are seen as the mission of helping a child transform into an adult of moral character. Yes, the spiritual transcends the present to envision the future.

 

          For parents, the spiritual is not ethereal or remote; the holy is not abstract. The spiritual is acutely real; the holy is directly connected to mundane human activities. It is doing the ordinary extraordinarily well. And that’s what made Therese of Lisieux a holy woman.

 

          Now the Word of God, just proclaimed, takes us to Peter in the house of Cornelius, a Gentile and even worse, a Roman Centurion. The Romans occupied Jewish lands. Periodically Jews would rebel only to be brutally crushed.

 

          As Peter was proclaiming God’s “amazing grace” and eternal life, the Spirit of God descended upon all in the household - Gentiles and Jews - and they were baptized into the Christian family.

Yes, the Spirit works in people and places where we may least expect. We should always be receptive to God’s presence everywhere and in everyone. Even in our sometimes hum-drum home and daily life.

The authors of the letter of John as well as the Gospel challenge us to love one another as God loves us—unconditionally. Yes, we love God to the extent that we care for one another. Jesus is the prototype of that love. He gave his life for us so that we can be like God and see God face to face--forever.

 Jesus chooses us as friends. And he invites us to nurture that friendship through prayer, especially the mass.

Mother’s Day is an invitation to reflect upon our own family.

Let me first share a related true story.

 Some people struck it rich when diamonds were discovered in Africa. But others had a long, hard, fruitless search. One man sold his farm and wandered throughout the continent, searching but never finding diamonds.

 Meanwhile, back on the land the man had sold, the new owner found a strange-looking stone in a creek. He placed the stone on his fireplace mantle. A visitor noticed it. He grasped the stone and shouted, “Do you know this is a diamond? It’s one of the largest I’ve seen.”

 

          They found the entire farm was covered with diamonds.

 

          Some people never take the time to notice their own backyard. Some people never notice the “gems” in their own families.

 

          Look at your family. Yes, today, look at God’s unconditional love for your family. See the “gem” in your spouse, your sons/daughters, your parents/grandparents. Any gem may need some polishing to reveal all the beautiful facets of that diamond. But it’s still there.

 Erma Bombeck captured the funny in family life in a book titled “If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?” She wrote that someday when her children were old enough to understand, she’d tell them:

“I loved you enough to bug you about where you were going, with whom, and what time you would get home. I loved you enough to push you off my lap, let go of your hand … so you had to stand. And I loved you enough to accept you for what you are, not what I wanted you to be.”

Every good parent – every good person --- knows that real love is unconditional. Yes, love, forgiveness and acceptance always seek what is best for someone, even if someone doesn’t think so at that moment.

And so, this Mother’s Day, let’s be grateful for all mothers do, especially for nurturing a new generation of men and women of moral character. And so I say to all moms: keep on doing all the good you can, to all the people you can, in all the places you can, as long as ever you can.