Any preacher who dares to get up and speak on Mother’s Day faces at least three dangers. First, the danger of sounding like an “expert” on motherhood. You’ve heard the story of the priest who preached at great length about the glories of being a mom. After Mass, a woman came up to him and said, “Father, I wish I knew as little about being a mother as you do.”
Second, the danger of holding up Mary as the model in a way that feels… a little out of reach. A priest did that once, and afterward a woman, with one baby in her arms and several more trailing behind, said, “Well, it was easy for her… she only had one!”
And third, the reality that this is a mixed congregation. Not everyone here is a mother. Some are not married, some have longed to be mothers, some carry wounds connected to that word. But every single one of us has had a mom. Every one of us has experienced, at least in some way, the blessings of a mother’s love.
And that’s why it’s worth talking about. So first, to all our moms: thank you! One day is not enough, but this weekend we at least say it out loud…we are deeply grateful for you.
As we thank God for the gift of motherhood, we also have to be honest: the dignity of women and motherhood is not always honored in our culture. We see it in the way people are reduced to objects. We see it in broken homes and domestic violence that goes unseen. We see it in the confusion among some about what it even means to be a woman. It’s a strange contradiction in our culture; we set aside a day to honor mothers, while at the same time tolerating attitudes and practices that diminish them.
But rather than staying there, I want to focus on what is good, true, and holy, because that’s what has shaped my life. I could say a lot, but I’ll keep it to three things I experienced growing up.
The first motherly quality that shaped my life was dependability. I remember countless times when we got hurt or something went wrong; probably most significantly for me was the time I tore open my knee falling off a bike. There was total panic on my end. My mom later told me that she was also panicking too…but I didn’t know it. She stayed steady.
As kids, it always felt like mom was available and somehow stayed operational, even when we were sick, tired, or frightened. Meals were ready, clothes were clean, transportation provided, problems were handled. At the time, it felt like magic…like things just somehow got done. But it wasn’t automatic or inevitable. It was love. Quiet, consistent, dependable love.
The second motherly quality that shaped my life was teaching. My mom was literally our teacher since we were homeschooled. And while we would complain that we never got a break from her, it was equally true from her point of view. Let’s just say, we didn’t always make her role of teacher easy. There were days we looked less like eager students and more like stubborn mules. But she taught us anyway. Day after day.
As grateful as I am for that education, the lessons I value most weren’t academic; instead, the ones that stick with me are the lessons of the heart. Mom taught me how to care about people. How to be patient. How to show mercy. How to notice when someone is hurting and actually do something about it. As a priest and as a human being, I use those lessons every single day. That kind of wisdom doesn’t come from a textbook, although mom also taught us how to use a textbook as a motivational device! Some lessons can only be properly taught by a mom!
The third motherly quality that shaped my life was sacrificial love. There is no such thing as motherhood without sacrifice. From the very beginning of conception, a woman gives from her own body so that another can live. And that’s just the start. I remember when I realized my mom didn’t do her countless mom things because they were her favorite activities. She didn’t wake up excited to make endless sandwiches, clean up messes, referee arguments, and be interrupted every five minutes. She did it because she loved us.
A mother’s love gives without keeping score. It doesn’t constantly ask, “What am I getting in return?” It gives, and gives, and gives again. Scripture uses that kind of love as an image of how God loves us…strong and tender, personal and limitless at the same time. The only real way to respond to that kind of love… is to love in return.
Knowing how much we’ve received, it should concern us when we see motherhood and womanhood diminished or re-defined. Women have an irreplaceable role in the family, in the Church, and in the world. Men and women are different and that is part of God’s wisdom! Those unique qualities are meant to complement each other, not compete. From the very beginning, God created man and woman in His image. When that harmony is lost, everything else starts to unravel. That’s why it’s so important that we support, protect, and pray for the women in our lives: especially our mothers!
So today, mothers… we thank God for you…you are a treasure. You are not replaceable; no one can step into your role. What you bring to our lives and to our Church…your strength, your intuition, your capacity to love…is a gift from God! We ask Him to strengthen you, to console you, and to remind you how deeply you are loved. May we never take our mothers for granted. Let’s honor them not just today, but in the way we live…by praying for them, respecting them, and loving them in return. Because through them, in so many ways, we have encountered the love of God. And for that, we are forever grateful.
