We
all have our own heroes, people we admire and
respect
and those who have made an impact on our lives. Our
mother is the
most significant of
them all. Here's a tribute
to my mother (may she rest in peace) and to all mothers, by a grateful son.
The heart of a
mother
is naturally
loving, compassionate and caring
towards her children. It starts as soon as she
becomes aware of the new life in her womb. Few
inches above it is a mother’s heart that
extends a thread of love towards the growing
child. This thread does not break even after
the baby is born; even the child is far away.
On Mother’s Day, we honor mothers to give
thanks for their care and love. We express
our gratitude to the one who embraces our
pain and brushes away our tears; the one who
teaches us truth, confidence and courage and
the one who loves us even the whole world
denounces, criticizes or condemns us. While
we honor mothers, we should also think of
grandmothers who mothered our mothers as our
mothers mothered us; as well as, our
mother-in-law who mothered our spouse.
We should also remember those widowers who
have taken care of their children after the
death of their wives. Let us also remember
and honor with gratitude those who have
mothered their parents in their old age.
When
we
think of mothers,
we think of a woman who was uniquely
created.
For God,
the Father, she is His daughter. For God, the Son,
she
is His mother and for the angels, she is their
queen. For you and me, she is our mother and our
model of virtues. As we remember great men and
women in history because of their
accomplishments and their character or virtues,
we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary’s virtues
and accomplishments. Let’s consider some of
them:
Mary’s
faith was perfect. Faith is a gift that enables us to believe without doubt.
When the sublime truth was conveyed to her by the angel, she was prompt in
accepting and believing on it: “Be it done unto me according to Thy word.”
Mary’s
hope was as great as her faith. It surpasses that of every creature. Hope is a
gift by which we firmly trust that God will give us what we need and all the
means necessary to obtain them. Even when her hope was put to the most difficult
tests, she rose freely and calmly accepted God’s will.
Charity
is a gift by which we love God above all things, and our neighbor as ourselves.
Mary loves God more than all the saints combined. Her charity was also enkindled
by examples set by her Son. She
meditated upon the words spoken by Jesus so as to conform to Him in all things.
Mary gave the greatest proof of her charity on Calvary. Greatness of sacrifice
indicates strength of love. Likewise, whoever really loves God cannot help but
love her neighbor. But whoever puts herself as the center of her life cannot
love.
We
often hear the phrase, “Render to God what is due to God and render to
Caesar
what is due to Caesar.” The virtue of justice is to be fair to everyone. Mary
gave God the honor due to Him. She was just with St. Joseph. She fulfilled every
duty to her Divine Son, Jesus. She remained with Him in Nazareth, followed Him
as mother and disciple in His public life; assisted Him at His death on Calvary,
arranged His body in the sepulcher and accompanied Him to the mount of
Ascension.
Mary’s
virtue of fortitude is admirable. She endured all difficulties, pain and
adversity with courage and humility. She is called, Queen of Martyrs for her
martyrdom was the lengthiest, most intense and most loving. She experienced
every sorrow and resigned to God’s will completely. Her magnanimity was the
greatest when beneath the cross she witnessed her own Son’s agony and death..
Life
is never easy, but easy is what our body wants. When life seems unbearable,
let’s think of the Blessed Mother's sacrifices. Remember that there were two
types of arms that held our Lord Jesus. One is the tender loving arms of the
Blessed Mother; the other is the rough arms of the cross. The first one is for the love of
Him, the second is for His great love for us.
By
Tim Pedrosa
It is only with the heart that one can
see rightly;
what is essentially invisible to the eye.
Antoine de
Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince |
Tim
|