Happy Mother's Day

 Hold on. That’s what mothers do best, isn’t it?  Hold on? 
Picture a mother standing in the Harford Mall with a sevenyear-old child at her side.   
Child (tugging at mom’s sleeve with one hand and raising a chewed wad of gum with the other): Here Mom, hold my gum, please. 
Mother (searching in her purse for a wrapper): Didn’t I tell you not to put so many pieces in your mouth at once? 
Child: But Mom, I thought you’d like to hold it.  You don’t want me to drop it on the ground, do you? 
       What is a mother’s love, after all?  Perhaps it is her ability to keep holding on, to treasure everything we give her, even when we forget to say “Thanks!”  It doesn’t seem to matter if we do or do not reclaim whatever we gave her.  A mother’s joy is not in the “thing” but in the “holding.”  Mothers don’t hold on to the “things” we give them.  What they are really holding on to is that we trust them with our treasures.  It’s our trust they cherish most.  It’s our trust they retain even as they return our treasures to us.   
       For mothers, the real treasure is not the thing, but the trust.  Bottles may break, blankets may become threadbare, teddy bears may fall apart, and gum may get swallowed, but trust and love are treasures that last forever!  When done well, what is mothering, what is parenting, if not the daily practice of humble service to another in love?  Sounds like Jesus doesn’t it!   
       And so, the gift we are given on Mother’s Day, this weekend is very important. The gift is the fact, that by the example of motherhood, we discover that the hardship of fulfilling the mission that Jesus has given us, is actually worth the price!  The gift is that heaven is open to us.  Where Jesus has gone, those who take up his mission can follow.  It is a mission that Jesus commanded every follower to take up, a command we willingly accepted at our confirmation.  If we choose to fulfill our Christian responsibility to spread the Gospel we can convert a world to Christ!     
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!