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He was only 10 years into his 26-years-plus papacy when, then Pope, now Saint, John Paul II published his encyclical on the Dignity of Women. In this letter he repeated the word motherhood 60 times and the word mother 122 times. Although he highlighted many maternal virtues throughout the document, these three are particularly reflective of our American celebration of Mother's Day: Trusting Cooperation, Self-sacrificing Service and Life-giving Unity.
Trusting Cooperation
Many people associate the Annunciation event with Mary's attitude of humility and obedience. After all it was her let-it-be-done-to-me “fiat” which conferred upon her the title “new Eve,” suggesting a far more compliant maidservant of the Lord. But St. John Paul reminds us that the underlying quality, which brings Mary's consent into focus, is less about deference or acquiescence and more about the virtue of trust. In the end she said yes to the Archangel Gabriel because she trusted that he was telling her the truth. In this third millennium of doubt and uncertainty it is our mothers who wisely encourage us to be astutely trusting of others and to be transparently trustworthy ourselves.
Self-sacrificing Service
Mary's trust not only brought her into Divine motherhood through the Holy Spirit but also into the mission of the Christ Child she bore in her womb. St. John Paul indicates that she carried in her body the Savior of the world and she carried in her heart his mission of self-sacrificing service toward others. As he grew in wisdom and grace at their humble Nazareth home, we can be confident that the self-sacrificing service of Jesus' mother helped him to prepare for his mission on earth. When he was an infant, how often did Mary wash Jesus' feet? Later he would teach his disciples how to become true leaders by washing their feet. When he was a child, how often did Mary doctor his scrapes and bruises? Later he would authenticate his identity by healing the sick and restoring to health those who were sickened by sin. When he was a man, how often did a sword pierce Mary's heart as she followed him all the way to Calvary? Later he would shed blood and water by the sword of a soldier as he brought to completion his Father's covenant of love for all people. Our mothers continue to model self-sacrificing service so that we can extend this Christian mission toward others.
Life-giving Unity
Mothers give life to human persons. And because we are human, we are never born into isolation. Rather we are born to live in solidarity and in harmony with others. This, according to St. John Paul, is the true meaning of our being made in the image and likeness of God. Our mothers encourage us to get along with others. Why? So that when our smile reflects the reality of our kinship with our neighbor, our face also reflects the image of our likeness to God. Our physical attributes mirror the features of the woman who gave us life; our mother. Whenever we peer deeply into mom's eyes we realize that we are, in so many ways, a reflection of her life. And if we follow her example by choosing to live in genuine connection with other people, we will breathe a life-giving spirit of unity into all our relationships. Then, when we look into other people's eyes, we will see a reflection of the image and likeness of God.
For Holy Homework:
During the month of May let's keep a tiny, portable mirror at our desk or in our pocket. Let's look into this mirror at least once a day and remember two things: to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for our mothers in whose temporal image we were born, and to offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God our Creator in whose eternal image we were made.
St. John Paul the Great, pray for us.
Comments can be sent to: FatherBobPagliari@Yahoo.com
