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I’d like to begin by wishing all the mothers, grandmothers, mothers-to-be, and indeed all women who are caregivers and nurturers a “Happy Mothers’ Day.” So, Welcome!

When Brian first contacted me and asked me to preach on this weekend, it was just shortly after Christmas. I was a little bit surprised when he called. And I said that to him, “Wow! You are really planning way out there to be thinking six months in advance.” He said, “Listen, I am going on sabbatical, so I have to take care of these things now.” So, then I said to him, “You must really trust me to ask me to preach on Mothers’ Day weekend while you are away.” And without missing a beat, and in perfect Brian fashion, he said, “Oh, no, no, no! I’ll be away, so who can complain to me? It’s not that big a risk!” When I asked him if he had any advice for me, he only had one thing to say, “Keep it short!” So, indeed today, I stand humbly before you, sharing with you these simple and short thoughts and reflections on the reading.

I felt that I was really lucky when I saw the readings because, not just the first reading, or the second, but all three readings talk about this theme of love, (It is wonderful to be able to do that on Mothers’ Day Weekend.) including the Gospel which identifies Jesus as the ultimate one who gave up His life for us in the name of love.

Last weekend, Brian Timoney invited us to take a first look at the question, “Do we know and do we recognize Jesus when we see Him?” And he reminded us and re-walked us through the Emmaus story where the apostles first saw Jesus and then he walked us through the story, in the room, with Thomas who had to see Jesus first hand before he recognized Him and knew Him.

Today, the readings invite us to take the question to an even deeper level. They ask us, “How do we experience the real, the loving, the all-embracing presence of God in our lives?” Paul suggests that, when we really experience love, we are healed by it. And St. John adds, “We are children of God and when we come to experience that love, then and only then, will we come to know God.” And, finally, there is that image, the wonderful image of the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for his flock, not just those that are near and close and secure, but the shepherd who takes everybody on, those who are far, those who are disenfranchised, those who are hurting. The Good Shepherd knows his flock and his flock knows him.

One of my favorite quotes is from the great play of Victor Hugo’s, "Les Miserables," and in a very powerful, poignant moment, Victor Hugo says the following, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” Think about that.... “To love another person is to see the face of God.”

I am going to tell you a little story, a Mothers’ Day story of sorts, that will bring that very real image to life, not just connecting it back to Victor Hugo, but to the very Gospel that you heard today. There was once a young boy named Michael whose mother was expecting a second child. All during the pregnancy, as the mother prepared to put Michael to bed each evening, she also prepared him for the coming addition to the family, read to Michael, and invited him to sing to his baby, so that the baby would know Michael when it was born. So, night after night, month after month, Michael rubbed the mother’s stomach and sang the words to "You are my sunshine" to the baby as it grew in its mother’s womb. When it was time for the baby to be born, Michael knew that his parents would be bringing home "his baby" to be his sibling and his friend. He kissed them "Goodbye" as they left for the hospital, all the while singing to his baby.

At the hospital, the delivery was difficult and things did not go as planned. There were complications, and finally, after a very long and traumatic labor, the baby was born. But the baby was in stress, and the doctors told the parents that the infant might not make it.Over the next few days, the infant’s condition worsened and the parents prepared for the worst. Each night, Michael asked why he couldn’t go to the hospital to see his baby. But the hospital had very strict rules and children were not allowed in intensive care. The parents were told to prepare for death, and initial plans were made for the funeral.

After several days, Michael became insistent and begged his parents to let him see the baby. The mother dressed Michael up, took him over to the hospital and, with a boldness that only a mother can muster, told the head nurse that Michael MUST see the baby, his baby sister, if for no other reason than to say "Goodbye." He had a right. After all, he had been there preparing with them for all those many months. The staff relented and Michael was allowed in.

Michael walked up to his tiny, frail baby sister and, without hesitation, began to sing, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray....” Amazingly, the infant turned her tiny head and, even more amazingly, here breathing became much more regular and the myriad of monitors attached to her tiny body showed that her heart, her breathing, were stabilizing. The mother took Michael’s hand and urged him forward, “Keep singing, Michael. Keep singing.” And so he did, “....You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away....” The baby continued to stabilize, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Within a week, the infant was allowed to go home, a miraculous recovery. She was able to go home to her big brother and her new mom and dad.

This is a true story, and it is clearly a modern-day version of that first reading. The infant was healed by hearing the voice of a loving brother calling her to life, calling her to be present to a family who loved and cared for her. The Gospel says, “They will hear My voice and know that I am their God. They will respond and, just as I have experienced the all-embracing love of My Father, so My flock will hear and respond to Me.” To love another person is to see the face of God.

Think about, today, how many ways and with how many people you have seen and experienced the face of God. Do we turn our heads to listen? Do we recognize the face of God when we hear the words, the music, experience the gentle touch through our relationships with others? And, when it is revealed, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.

On this Mothers’ Day, not just for mothers, but for all of us, let’s take time to reflect on the precious gift we have, in knowing and believing that we can see the face of God in our children, in our parents, in our spouses, our families, our students, our co-workers, and, even more, that we can see the face of God in those who have strayed, who are alone, who are disenfranchised, who may never hear the voice, the word, unless and until they are loved. Do we allow ourselves today to hear a loving God sing to us, “You are My sunshine, My only sunshine. Please don’t take My sunshine away?” Amen.