I’d  like to wish a happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, mothers to be, and to all the women here this  weekend. This weekend, and the Gospel this week, gives us a wonderful opportunity to reflect on a special gift that is so often associated with women…and mothers….love.

Love…what a Gospel theme for Mother’s Day.  This Gospel is often  known as Jesus’ FAREWELL ADDRESS…his final reminders:  to love one another and to live in PEACE, and to remember that although Jesus was going away, that He would be present to them in a whole new way, an enduring way forever…through his Spirit.

The Hebrew word  for Spirit is “Ruach”…which is a feminine noun, and the works of the Spirit are also feminine nouns in the original Greek.

Therefore it is not a reach to reflect on how this SPIRIT and these  gifts have been experienced through feminine role models…and I can  think of many such role models in my life that have shown me the  enduring face of God through their love, their gifts, their nurturing, courage, wisdom,  passion, and strength.

I begin with my own mother…a woman who raised 6 children, and who  suffered through polio after the birth of her 4th child, which left her in a great deal of pain for the rest of her life.   Her love and courage kept her going, and she gave birth to me and my younger sister after she was told that her illness would not allow her to survive another pregnancy.  I think fondly of her sewing my wedding dress so that I could bring something special of her to my new life as an adult and wife…and of her making Christmas stockings for her grandchildren so that they would have a lasting memory of her.

I think of becoming a mother myself…of that amazing experience of feeling life within me, and the awe and fear of bringing that life into the world with all of the responsibilities and blessings that this entailed.  And on the day of my children’s birth…bursting with love, an unconditional love that had no bounds.  And I learned and experienced first hand what it meant to grow and be challenged by the gifts of love, comfort, courage, wisdom, nurturing, and peacemaking…to see the very face of God in the love I had for my children, and to not be afraid or troubled when life did not go smoothly…but to trust in the enduring love and peace of God to get me through the tough spots, and be thankful and joyful for the blessings that have come my way as a mother.

I think of children…and how children look at the gift that their mom is to them.  I’d like to share a few responses from children about their moms when asked questions about why God made moms:

 Why did God make mothers?   A) She’s the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.  B) To help us out of there when we were being born.

What ingredients are mothers made of?  A) God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom? A) God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?  A) My mom has always been my mom, and none of that other stuff   B) I don’t know cuz I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?  A) Does he make at least $800 a year and did he say NO to drugs and Yes to chores?

What’s the difference between moms and dads?  A) Moms work at work  and work at home and dads just go to work at work.  B) Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.  C) Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?  A) on the inside she’s already perfect…outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?  A)  She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean  B) I’d make my mom smarter. Then she’d know it was my sister who did it and not me.  C) I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

I think of other women who have been incredible role models in my   life…

The Sisters who educated me, and taught me so much…imparting their wisdom, patience, fortitude, and commitment to peace and justice

My Godmother…a strong woman of faith who could never have children of her own, yet was an incredible mother figure to me, and  was one of the original “Rosie the Riveters” from WW 2.  Her last  words to me, when she died at the age of 95 were…”I’ll be waiting for you honey.”

Women leaders in this past century who have exemplified courage, peacemaking, determination and a commitment to justice… women like Eleanor Roosevelt, Dorothy Day,  Indira Gandhi, and Mother Teresa.

Women in ministry in the Church…women like Sr. Helen Prejean  who has been so instrumental in her advocacy for the dignity of life. Sr. Joan Chittister, who has worked tirelessly for an equal voice for women in the Church.  Women like Margo Schorno, who exemplied the role of ministry here at CTK in her humble and effective way of collaboration and inclusivity….the gifts of the Spirit, and the living and enduring message of Jesus’ farewell address have been alive in these women.

 We are all challenged by this Gospel, and its message, to love, to remain in God’s love and to REMEMBER that Jesus left us with a  message of enduring Peace that comes when we recognize that we all are created in the image of a God who loves us deeply and completely.  Let us be grateful (this weekend) for the special way that women and mothers bring this nurturing gift to fruition. In Genesis 2 we hear that it is precisely in the dialogue between women and men, in each living to their own fullness of life, being there for one another that we are called to live in the likeness of God…indeed, that we will know God through the love that we have for one another. “Love changes everything, (a famous song says), how we live…and how we die.”   Let us pray, especially in a time that desperately needs love and peace, that we can listen to these final words of Jesus…the appeal to love so that we will know peace.  May we all try to live this message, as St. Francis did, through trying to be instruments of God’s peace…reminding ourselves of the following:

           Where there is hatred…let me sow love,
           Where there is injury…pardon,
           Where there is doubt…faith
           Where there is despair, hope,
           Where there is darkness, light,
           And where there is sadness,  joy…