Happy Mother’s Day

It is, of course, Mother’s Day. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it in some way. This is a particularly difficult day for my wife, Becky who lost her Mom in 2006. It was four years ago on the 4th. We cannot exist without mothers. The fact is, we wouldn’t exist without mothers. I said this once before, mothers are the image of God on earth. Mother’s have the amazing ability to give life. And, having given life, look upon their children, their creations if you will, with a love that transcends all understanding. This is not to put down fathers in any way. But it’s different with fathers and you know it is.

We live in such a sexist society that most organized religions have done their best to ignore the feminine side of God. But it is there in the Bible if you look for it. God is every bit as much mother as father. The book tells us that mankind was created in God’s image, and that S/He created us male and female. Thus, God is as much female as male. Indeed, it is the female that God gave the ability to recreate the species.

And the bible is filled with God images in the female. The prophet Isaiah, (the one who predicted the Messiah) in chapter 43, says, “thus saith the Mother that created thee, O Leah, and She that formed thee, O Rachel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. Since thou wast precious in my sight, though hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created her for my glory, I have formed her, yea, I have made her. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Mother, that I am God”

In the book of Job, it says, “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty Mother hath given me life.” And David wrote in the Psalms, “As for me, I will behold my Mother’s face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Her likeness.” And “It is Mother that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.” God is not only heavenly father, but heavenly mother, as well.

And of course, we Roman Catholics have the image of the Virgin Mary. She is seen as the mother of God, the Queen of Heaven. Many make the mistake of thinking that Catholics worship Mary, but we don’t. Still, we believe that she is someone special. She is special for two reasons. For one reason, she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus, to bring light into the world. But even more importantly, she is special because she agreed. She accepted the assignment. And when Jesus was on the cross, he turned to the apostle John and told him, John behold your mother. And he told Mary, woman, behold your son. At that moment Mary became the mother of us all. And like any other mother, we Catholics turn to her for comfort and understanding, and to put in a good word for us with Dad.

And of course, you can scoff at the whole Mary thing if you want to. But the plain fact is that there have been a shit-load of miracles that have occurred in association with her. She has been seen in México, in France, in Ireland, in Portugal, and in Yugoslavia. And I’m not talking Virgin Mary in a tortilla little puny ass miracles, but big-ass witnessed by thousands of people miracles. People have been miraculously cured of terminal illnesses. Lives have been saved. And I don’t know why that is so hard to accept. We can accept Bigfoot and the Lochness monster. We can accept Extraterrestrials visiting our planet. Why is it so hard to believe that the mother of Jesus is looking down on mankind and praying for us all?

So let me go on the record here and just make it clear that I think that mothers are very special people. And judging by the wait times at most restaurants this morning, many people share my opinion. Celebrating mothers goes all the way back to ancient Greece when the Greeks celebrated the mother goddess Rhea. In England during the 1600s, people used to celebrate Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday in lent. In México, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the tenth of May. And Mothers have a special day in most countries on earth.

In the United States Mother’s Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother’s Day meetings in Boston, Massachusetts every year. In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother’s Day. Ms. Jarvis persuaded her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother’s Day on the second anniversary of her mother’s death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother’s Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia. Ms. Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessman, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother’s Day. It was successful. By 1911 Mother’s Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother’s Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May.

So kiss your moms today everybody, and make sure you’re wearing clean underwear. I have not been able to get away to Bakersfield to see my mom, but she is in my thoughts today. She’s 89. And as much as I hate Bakersfield and the long drive there, I know that I will hate even more the day we no longer have to go there. Our mothers love us . They love us a way that only God can understand. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. I love you.