Sunday, May 9th 2021 | By Rev. Michael P. Hanifin
This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day. It is a day we recall and give thanks for the love and devotion that our mothers showered on us, their sons and daughters. It is appropriate that our readings from the Sacred Scriptures call us to love our mothers and one another as Jesus Christ loves.
In our Gospel, Jesus says, “Love one another as I have loved you.” The ways Jesus has loved us and continues to love us are endless. We may think Jesus’ love for us depends upon how faithful we are to Him and to our religion. C.S. Lewis once noted, “The Christian will not think God loves us because we are good, but that God will make us good because he loves us.”
We are called to imitate the unconditional love that Jesus has for us. He tells us the greatest way to do this when He said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
It is difficult to live that out in our humanity. Yet, it is made much easier when we faithfully love Christ. The fact of the matter is, as our love for Jesus increases, so too does our capacity to love others and especially those whom we find challenging to love.
There are countless moments when we can do just that — for instance, waking up Saturday morning to attend daily Mass instead of sleeping in, or talking to God in the car on the way to work instead of listening to music. Praying in my vehicle while traveling and especially praying the rosary is a favorite of mine. These are simple ways to express our love for the Lord by laying down our lives for Him.
The more we find ways to love the Lord, the more we will find it easier to put aside our selfish motives and find ways to serve others.
Christ’s command to love one another may seem overwhelming. Yet, Jesus Christ would never ask something of us that would be impossible to do. All we need to do is take baby steps. Ask ourselves, “How can I better love Jesus right now?” for it is in loving Jesus Christ that we find it easier to love others, and it is in loving others that we love Jesus Christ Himself.
Mothers often are an example of how to put the love and welfare of others, especially their family members, over and above their own personal needs and often with great sacrifice. Once again, Happy Mother’s Day to the mothers of Saint Joachim parish.