The Spirit Moves In Wondrous Ways

This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day, a time of reflection, a time for gratitude.  I think about and miss my mom, God rest her soul, whose legacy is elegant in its simplicity.  The richness of her life and the fondness of my memory is captured in the little things; the aroma of a favorite recipe, the names of people and places of life and times gone by.  Details forgotten only to the extent that the cornerstone in a structure long standing is forgotten, until future generations wonder about its history, how it got there, and say things like “they don’t make them like that anymore.”  That was my mom, a product of her times and a true representative of the “greatest generation.”  

I admit to not fully appreciating the sacrificial love of my parents until much later in life, with the perspective of time, age, and experience to understand for myself what it meant to raise a family.  I am so grateful for their example, not only of how to live, but also how to prepare to leave this world; with truth, dignity, a deep faith, and love leading the way. 

She opens her mouth with wisdom,
    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household,
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women have done excellently,
    but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

– Proverbs 31:26-30

As I reflect on this Mother’s Day, I think not only of my mom, but also those mothers I was privileged to meet as a Chaplain: 

The mothers of the children who were patients at the children’s hospital; a force of nature, especially those mothers with a chronically ill child, whose love and care could move heaven and earth. 

That 85-year-old mother sitting next to her 62-year-old son’s hospital bed saying, “I don’t care how old he gets, I still see my little boy.” 

That patient speaking with pride about the beautiful card and letter she received from her two adult children. 

Another patient sharing that she was “visited” by her deceased mother who appeared as a young woman in a dream, imparting “much peace and courage” helping her to face a life-limiting illness. 

That mother estranged from her son for over forty years waking from surgery to find him sitting bedside.

Tragedy and heartbreak mixed with joy and redemption, a fair description of motherhood. 

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

– John 16:21

These stories of motherhood remind me too of the many trials faced by mothers in Scripture, shaping the path to our salvation:

Sarah: Mother of Nations – Sarah had her doubts.  She even laughed at the idea of becoming a mother in her old age.  But her faith and God’s faithfulness prevailed, all in God’s time:

And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; every one who hears will laugh over me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a child? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

– Genesis 21:6-7

Jochebed: Mother of a People – Learning of Pharoah’s plan to kill all newborn Israelite baby boys, the mother of Moses, Jochebed, hid him long enough to be rescued and ironically for her to be hired by Pharaoh’s daughter to raise her son:

So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.

– Exodus 2:8-9

Naomi: Mother of Faith – Tragedy strikes Naomi with the death of her two sons. She releases her daughters-in-law, but Ruth decides to cleave to Naomi with her life, accepting her fate and her faith as her own.  God’s plan of salvation unfolds as Ruth bears a son by Boaz:

Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.

– Ruth 4:16-17

Hannah: Mother of the Promise – Another story of barrenness becoming fertile through trust in God’s plan, Hannah dedicates her son Samuel to the Lord.  He goes on to lead the people of Israel and to anoint their first kings, Saul and David.  Hannah’s faith resonates in her great prayer:

Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

– 1 Samuel 2:1-2

Elizabeth: Mother of Miracles – Yet another couple childless in their old age, Elizabeth and Zechariah, a temple priest, have their prayers answered.  Overjoyed, when Mary comes to visit her in her sixth month, her child leaps for joy in her womb, and filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth exclaims:

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

– Luke 1:42-43

It is noteworthy that Elizabeth recognizes Mary, newly pregnant, as “mother” and both Mary and the child as blessed. Biblical motherhood begins at conception. A mother is a woman with a child in her care including in the womb, a title she earns for life.

Elizabeth would soon give birth to John the Baptist who would devote his ministry to preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah:

This is he (John) who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”

– Matthew 3:3

Mary: Mother of God, Mother of the Church – Mary, the Theotokos, God-bearer, the epitome of motherhood in and outside of the Bible. She responds in humility and great faith rejoicing in her blessing and the greatness of the Lord.  But eventually, her soul would be pierced as she watches Him suffer and die a brutal death on the cross for the sake of our redemption.  What mother would not have traded places with her child if she could. Before giving up His spirit, the loving son, the Head of the Church, gave his mother over to the care of the disciple John, and in turn, to all of us as followers of her son.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

– John 19:25-27

May this Mother’s Day be filled with peace and joyful memories of those mothers and maternal figures in your life.  Motherhood is a ministry filled with sacrifice for the sake of her children.  It is a high calling, a pillar of the family, the backbone of any culture, serving as a reminder of the unconditional love God has for all His children. Happy Mother’s Day!

We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

– 1 John 3:16

Reflection questions:

1. How do the Scripture passages cited reinforce the idea of motherhood as a ministry?
2. What is it about ministry that turns sacrifice and suffering into reward and joy?
3. The connection between societies prospering when families flourish and decaying when the family structure deteriorates appears to be playing out in real time.  What are some things that can be done to help families flourish? What role can the Church play in reinvigorating family life and values?

Scripture References

Proverbs 31:26-30    John 16:21, 19:25-27   

Genesis 21:6-7    Exodus 2:8-9    Ruth 4:16-17   

1 Samuel 2:1-2    Luke 1:42-43    Matthew 3:3   

1 John 3:16