Today is Mother’s Day. Mothers are what our world greatly needs right now - not more war, power, conflict, control, technological success, or money. Our outer world often reflects our inner reality. Each of us is blessed with a mother. Even if our mothers have not always treated us with kindness or compassion, at the height of Jesus’ suffering on the cross, he gives us his mother. Right when all seemed lost, when the pain and suffering were at their greatest, Jesus knew what was needed: a spiritual mother. A person who could stand beside us at the foot of our cross. So that we would not be alone. Not abandoned. But accompanied - with us in our suffering and pain.



We can be like mothers too: people who comfort and advocate for others in pain. Like Moira Kelly, who travelled to Bangladesh to care for conjoined twins Trishna and Krishna. Like Anna and Alana, who have spent months volunteering with girls living in a Marist Sisters orphanage in the Philippines. Like Maria, who invites many refugees each year to experience life on a farm. But our inner world is just as important too. When we pray for the various wars and for domestic violence in our world. When we fast from food for 24 hours as an offering for those who suffer. To be a younger mother caring for a screaming baby or a young child experiencing a tantrum. Not responding with anger, but with patience and wisdom. When we sit in stillness for an hour and rest in God’s loving presence. To be the feminine face of God. To bring mercy to places in our lives where love is needed. To be people of the Beatitudes, gently holding the darkness in our lives while searching for hope.

To be instruments of love requires us to seek the love of God flowing through us. Men and women who are not weak, but strong. People willing to be the change we wish to see in the world. Mary, Our Good Mother, show us your way this Mother’s Day. Amen.

Journal and reflect on the following
  1. Why do you think the reflection says the world needs more “mothers” and less war and conflict?
  2. How can someone be like a mother to another person, even if they are not a parent?
  3. Why do you think Jesus gave his mother Mary to his followers while he was on the cross?
  4. What are some simple ways people can bring comfort, kindness, or mercy to others?
  5. How can prayer, silence, or helping others bring hope to people who are suffering?
Song - There is peace.



Final Prayer

Loving God,
on this Mother’s Day we thank you for the gift of mothers and for all people who reflect your compassion, mercy, tenderness, and strength. In a world wounded by war, violence, loneliness, and division, help us to become people who stand beside others in their suffering, just as Mary stood beside Jesus at the foot of the cross. Teach us to be instruments of your peace - comforting the broken-hearted, welcoming the stranger, advocating for the vulnerable, and bringing hope where darkness exists. May we learn to slow down, pray deeply, listen gently, and allow your love to flow through us. Give us the courage to become the feminine face of your mercy in our families, communities, and world. Mary, Our Good Mother, guide us to live the Beatitudes with compassion and strength. Amen.
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