“Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart!” (Luke 2:19). In these words, Luke describes the attitude with which Mary took in all that they had experienced in those days. Far from trying to understand or master the situation, Mary is the woman who can treasure, that is to say, protect and guard in her heart, the passage of God in the life of his people. Deep within, she had learned to listen to the heartbeat of her Son, and that in turn taught her, throughout her life, to discover God’s heartbeat in history. She learned how to be a mother, and in that learning process she gave Jesus the beautiful experience of knowing what it is to be a Son. In Mary, the eternal Word not only became flesh, but also learned to recognize the maternal tenderness of God. With Mary, the God-Child learned to listen to the yearnings, the troubles, the joys and the hopes of the people of the promise. With Mary, he discovered himself a Son of God’s faithful people. Mothers, even at the worst times, are capable of testifying to tenderness, unconditional self-sacrifice and the strength of hope. I have learned much from those mothers whose children are in prison, or lying in hospital beds, or in bondage to drugs, yet, come cold or heat, rain or draught, never stop fighting for what is best for them. Or those mothers who in refugee camps, or even the midst of war, unfailingly embrace and support their children’s sufferings. Mothers who literally give their lives so that none of their children will perish. Where there is a mother, there is unity, there is belonging, belonging as children.
—from the book The Peace of Christmas: Quiet Reflections from Pope Francis
by Diane M. Houdek
1 thought on “A Mother’s Love”
My mother loved all of her children equally when she was alive. Now that she is dead, she can no longer be deceived. Some of her children were less than, in my opinion. Or, as Blessed Fr. Kelly once told my dad, “You can’t win them all, Tom.” Now that my mom is dead, I can pretty much disassociate from my negative siblings, out of sight, out of mind. My family is somewhat dysfunctional, but there is also a healthy part too, hence there’s still some communication going on amongst the various members.
The greatest gift God has given man is a free will. The free will to either accept or reject Him. Some will say, “We need to pray for those that are lost,” to that, I say, “Why?” Hell is nothing more than the absence of Jesus. Hell is not that bad of a place if a person belongs there.