Happy Mother's Day.
The words mother and mom evoke many roles. But whatever her task, a mother shows her children how to live.
Moms encourage, mentor, teach, and patiently listen. And the most important thing a mother can give a child? Unconditional love! We can never fully measure their love, acceptance, and forgiveness of us. As Mother Teresa said, we can do small things with great love.
My mother taught me logic. When I asked why I had to do something, she explained, “Because I said so!” Mom taught me about justice, saying “Millions of kids are starving so eat the liver; it has plenty of iron!” Sound familiar?
I invite all mothers to stand for our applause. Thank you for all you do.
So what does the word of God have to say to us today? In the beginnings of Christianity, a deacon named Philip is traveling to the back-water city of Samaria. And what is he doing? Despite a persecution, Philip is proclaiming the “Good News” that Jesus Christ is alive. And because he lives, we live. God abides in us and we abide in God. We are like God.
Philip had such remarkable success that the Jerusalem community dispatched Peter and John to Samaria so that they could “lay hands on them,” to breathe the Spirit upon the newly baptized and fire them up with the gifts of the Spirit: the wisdom (to recognize what truly matters in life), intelligence (to discern what's true), courage (to stand up for what’s right), empathy and compassion (for the needy), good judgment, and wonder and awe to worship the great God of this universe.
The author may be asking us whether we’re fired up with those gifts of the Spirit and reflect them in our attitudes and behaviors.
The letter of Peter urges Christians to be patient, especially in adversity, and to speak with “gentleness and reverence.” Like Jesus, if they have to suffer, he asks them to suffer for doing good rather than for doing evil. Jesus is indeed our model. In the tragedy of the cross, there is the triumph of Easter. And for the Christian, in death is life eternal.
In the Gospel Jesus announces his departure from the disciples: his close friends. Jesus is about to leave them and they feel isolated, alone. But Jesus promises that he still will be with them through the Spirit. He then alludes to the mystery of the triune God: Father, Son and Spirit. The triune God lives within us and we live within the triune God. This is called the mystery of the indwelling of God. His presence is as real to us now as it was to the disciples then.
The challenge is to find the presence of God in our daily lives.
A point in today’s Gospel is that we may tend to isolate God to “church” or “temple.” But God is in all of life: in seemingly simple times, in moments of great joy, in periods of dark sadness, in the nitty-gritty of daily work, and in times of doubt and disappointment. The Gospel especially invites us to look beneath and beyond the ordinary appearances that envelop us and seek the reality of God all around us. Yes, seize the day!
As we plan ways to spend our day, here are some tips from the Zambian poet Martin Greyford:
Take time to think. It is the source of all power.
Take time to read. It is the foundation of wisdom.
Take time to pray. It is the greatest power on earth.
Take time to give. It is too short a day to be selfish.
I conclude our Mother's Day inspiration with a focal point from Mother Teresa. This great contemporary saint emphasized, "Whatever you do for your family, your children, your husband, your wife, you do for God. All we do, our prayers, our work, our suffering, is for Jesus."
It's true that we find ourself by being involved: with people, jobs, causes, movements, and everyday life.
Pray for the grace to find the presence of God everywhere—in ourselves, in other people, in every situation—and especially in the nitty-gritty of daily life. Because in finding God, we will have found our true selves. Amen.
