Mother's Day Reflection
On Mother's Day we honor the special women in our lives that have given us life and have nurtured us in so many ways. We send them cards, flowers, and candy. We give them "the day off" by serving them breakfast in bed or taking them out to a restaurant. We gather around our moms to celebrate a special day as family. If mom is far away from us we will reach out to her with a phone call or a video chat. Many families have special ways to celebrate this day in ways that are unique to their family.
Many of our traditional ways of celebrating Mother's Day will be different this year because of the present situation in our world because of the social distancing practices in effect due to the coronavirus. While it is possible to send mom gifts and flowers, it will be more difficult to gather as family to celebrate. However, it is a great opportunity to be creative and to look for new and innovative ways to reach out to mom and let her know how much she means to us. Today's technological advances in the age of computers offer us many ways to be with our mom's and our families.
As we celebrate with mom today, let's meditate on a passage from Proverbs 31:10-30:
10 An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13 She looks for wool and flax, And works with her hands in delight. 14 She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar. 15 She rises also while it is still night, And gives food to her household, And portions to her maidens. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And makes her arms strong. 18 She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor; And she stretches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies belts to the tradesmen. 25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future. 26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27 She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: 29 "Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all." 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. 31 Give her the product of her hands, And let her works praise her in the gates.
In this passage God presents us with a list of the qualities of an "excellent" wife and mother. In the original Hebrew scripture the word "excellent" in the first verse of this passage is the word "hayil" which actually means "strong, virtuous, resourceful, of noble character." These are qualities that every mother needs to care for and to raise up her family.
Our mothers are amazing women who teach us, guide us, comfort us, and at times chide us. They have instilled in us the very values that guide our lives. Whether our moms are still with us or have passed on, today is a day to reflect on the many sacrifices that our mothers have made for us so that we would have the tools to be able to be successful in life.
Let us thank God for the gift of our moms who have sacrificed so much for us. Today let's tell our moms how much they mean to us and thank you for all they have done.
~Fr. Thomas Lamping