Am I not here who am your mother?
This past weekend we celebrated Mother’s Day. I had the opportunity not only to celebrate with my own amazing Mom, but I had to opportunity to attend mass at the parish where I was baptized, Immaculate Conception of Mary Church in Scranton, PA. Before mass I went a little early to spend time praying by one of the stain glass windows that depicts what I think to be the most beautiful image of the Immaculate Conception. I have always loved it since I was a child, and have to admit that during Mass I would want to sit by it so that I could look at her eyes, which I swore sparkled as if they were real and that I thought were the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. As I was again sitting by this favorite image on Mother’s Day, I was struck by many thoughts. First, I was immersed in great gratitude to God just thinking: He knew long before I did that He would call me to my community that has the honor of bearing the title “Daughters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception.” Never would I have thought as a five year old, who was captivated by the sparkling eyes of this image at the side of our church, that the Immaculate Conception would become such a huge part of my Consecration.
I was struck by so much more of God’s goodness as I thought my childhood, memories of my mother, and the many mother figures I have had in my life, and in particular how Mary has drawn me closer and closer to her Son. I started to think about that book many may have read as a child, entitled: Are you my Mother? If you can put your five year old memory back in, you may recall that it is about the helpless little bird who hatches and can’t find its mother. The little bird goes on a frantic search away from the nest because it does not realize the mother left to get food to give to her child. As I was sitting in the little church where I had first learned about my Heavenly Mother, I began to think about all the times where Mary my beautiful Heavenly Mother had been working silently in my life. I did not realize that she was, all the while, obtaining all of those things I most needed to bring me closer to Jesus. I often times become “busy” like the little bird in the story, running around in a panic. Thankfully, Mary is the good and dear Mother, who quietly works to give her children all that is good, and then takes those gifts she has given to us and reoffers them to the Father, as if they may have come from us in the first place! I was again struck by the fact that Mary is the best of all Mothers. She never abandons her children, and similarly (to parallel again the good Mother bird in the story), always swoops in to rescue her children when they stray too far from the nest.
Thinking about the title of this book: Are You My Mother? and all of its symbolism, I can not help but to be reminded of Mary’s response to another one of her frantic and worried children St. Juan Diego. As he was worried about trying to do the will of God in his life, she appeared to him, and said “Do not be afraid, do not worry, Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” I am convinced that she says that to each one of us especially when we wander about like the little birds we are, dazed and confused in need of Our Mother. Our Mother brings us to the safety of the nest of the Church and leads us to the Heavenly Food that we need, her Son and our Beloved in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
During this month of May let us continue to celebrate Our Heavenly Mother and ask her to continue to lead us closer to Jesus, and let us thank the Father for choosing for us such a loving and beautiful Mother
