Today is Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day celebration originally started during the Civil War by Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis. She organized a day of prayer to share the pain and agony of the mothers whose children were fighting in the war. Later Julia Ward Howe, and Anna Jarvis, the daughter of Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis, popularized the Mother’s Day get together and made it into a national event. President Wilson established Mother’s Day in the USA on May 9, 1914. It is annually celebrated on the second Sunday of May to show the ‘public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.
On this beautiful day, dear mothers, I wish you God’s blessings and everything beautiful. I would also like to tell all moms that we love you and we appreciate all you do for us.
The role and importance of a Mother is second to nothing. Motherhood is so great not only because they bring new life into the world but also for what they do to nurture and nourish that life. As Olive Schreiner rightly put it, “There was never a great person who had not a great mother- it is hardly an exaggeration”. There is no parallel for their love, care, compassion and sacrifice. Remember an incident where you were touched by the love of your Mother. Tell your Mom about it today, if possible.
Even though our mothers are great, in Mary, the Mother of God, we have a paradigm for motherhood. She is the perfect mother and model mother for all times. She is the model mother because Mary did the right thing for Jesus, her Son. Her greatness was that she raised Jesus in the way God wanted. She did not make her own personal plans for Jesus. She and Joseph did not impose their family trade on Jesus. Instead they discerned God’s plan for Jesus, created an environment to support that plan and accompanied Jesus all the way to Calvary and even after. This is the role of any mother: Discern the plan of God for her child, create an environment where he/she could pursue that plan and support him/her all the way.
Like any mother experiences, mothering was not easy for Mary either. In the process she struggled with confusion and conflicts. She gave up her own personal comforts and conveniences. She went through sacrifices beyond human imagination. Nothing deterred her from doing the will of God for her child. In the process Mary brought glory to Jesus and Jesus brought glory to Mary. If you bring up your child grounded on God, you cover all the basics for formation.
Parents face enormous challenges today. The values, the entertainment, the thinking patterns…etc that prevail today are not very promising. The temptation to flow with crowd is strong. On this day, I invite parents to try to convince their children the following four Key Values:-
1. That a person rooted in Jesus will not be uprooted by the storms of life (faith)।
2. That the greatness of a person does not consist in self promotion but self sacrifice
(values)।
3. That education dispels the darkness of the mind, provides right attitude of the heart, gives
the right orientation in life and equips a person to face the challenges of life (education)।
4. That only through a balanced and prioritized life style, can a person reach the height of glory (discipline)।
If you can give your children these four key values, then your children will grow finding favor with God and man. And nothing works like setting a good example. Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing (Albert Schweitzer). Parents are the television that children watch everyday.
And finally, as children, it is our responsibility to take care of our Mothers and Fathers. Find time for them and make them feel proud of you. Whatever sacrifices you do for your parents will never come close to the level of sacrifice they have done for you
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