How appropriate is it that this Sunday’s Gospel falls on Mother’s day. It’s message epitomizes my Mom and my sister who are both incredible mothers. My mom is the typical Filipino mom. She ensures comfort and care to all that enter her home; feeding them as soon as they walk in the door, insisting that they stay for a meal (or two), offering to give them something, anything that is within her means. Because we were raised like that, my siblings and I have taken on some of her traits. Mom cared for EVERYONE…even if they did her wrong or disrespected her someway, she still cared and took the high road and would treat them not worse, but BETTER. She took the teachings of Jesus and loved not only her friends, but also her challengers. I say “challengers” because Mom doesn’t have any enemies. But, she’s human and would still be affected by harsh words and treatment, and would get upset or disappointed by it. Overall, she would want the best for people and let those “things” go. My sister, Karen, is also this way. And I can say, she learned it from our Mom. Karen holds the house together by being the cook in the house. She does the laundry for everyone. She also does the grocery shopping and handles the household bills. Her deeds usually go unnoticed and without any gratitude from my brothers.
As with any family, sometimes, there are disagreements between the siblings or with a parent. There is a major family dynamic in which 3 of my siblings all live with our Mom and are the main contributors to her daily care after her stroke 2 years ago. Recently, my sister, Karen, had gotten into a huge fight with my brother. My reaction was to just not deal with them anymore. I told her to stop being the victim of their rude comments, mean treatment and abuse. I told her that no one deserves to be treated like that. Her response to me both shocked me and made me feel small. She stated that she still takes care of my brother because, “That is what Mom would do.” I stopped talking. She was right. No matter how much we would wrong her or not listen to Mom, she still took care of us and never let us feel unloved.
This is what Jesus teaches us. He loves us so much and unconditionally. We sin and lose sight of Him in so many ways throughout our lives and He never gives up on us. In fact, He loves us MORE and hopes that one day we become much closer to Him. We love one another because He teaches and commands us to. The golden rule applies here as well. We do unto others as we want others to do to us. I know that God created all of us as unique individuals. This means that we won’t all get along all the time. Instead, we should take this opportunity to come together and learn from one another’s differences. In doing so, we can help heal our divided communities and raise each other up instead of breaking each other down. I’m happy that our Mom emulates Jesus and has personally shown us how this is done. I have to say that for myself, I haven’t been as good at this as my Mom or my sister, but I know I can do better. In fact, I know that we all can and this time is the best time to start.
Blessings to all the Moms and wishing them a very Happy Mother’s Day!