Reflection by Deacon Russ for 6th Sunday of Easter

Three sons, who were very successful, discussed the gifts they gave their elderly mother on Mother's Day. The first said, "I built a big house for our mother." The second said," I sent her a Mercedes." The third said, "I've got you both beat. You know how Mom enjoys the Bible, and you know she can't see very well. I sent her a parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took 20 monks in a monastery 5 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute 100,000.00 a year, but it was worth it. Mom just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot will recite it." Soon thereafter, Mom mailed her letters of thanks: She wrote the first son, "Michael, the house you built is too large. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house." She wrote the second son, "Marvin, I'm nearly blind so I can't drive. I stay home all the time, so I never use the Mercedes." "Dearest Melvin," she wrote to her third son, "You were the only son to have the good sense to know what your mother likes. That chicken was delicious!"

If you listened to today’s readings, you noticed how appropriate they are for Mother’s Day. Love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than to live for another. Everyone who loves is born of God. Most of us have experienced this kind of love through the love of our mothers. But we do have to be careful. For some, motherhood is an accident, and not always a welcome one; for some, biological motherhood isn’t possible; for some, mothers weren’t all that nice; for some, motherhood under the very best of circumstances is still less than a bed of roses; and for some whose mothers are gone, there is both joy and pain in the memories.

“Love one another as I have loved you.” “AS I have loved you,” Jesus says. And if you want to know the content of AS, you look at Jesus washing the disciples’ feet or hanging on the cross. Jesus knew he couldn’t just say something abstract about love; he had to make it concrete. So he used his own life and death as an example of love.

We learn how to love from being loved, from seeing love in action. It’s as simple and profound as that. That’s why, behind the hype of Mother’s Day, lies a deeper reality: we honor our mother because, in almost all cases – her love gets to us first and is the first concrete lesson we have in love. To this extent, Mother’s Day is a celebration of all those persons, parents or not, who nourish or cherish others and teach them the meaning of love. It’s just that mothers are usually the most evident, most visible, most endearing teachers and that’s why we honor them, remember them and their concrete examples of love. Motherhood is a constant demand for the gift of love and caring.

But it’s not just mothers. All of us are called to die to self and reach out in love to others. When we do that, our marriages are more joyful, our homes are more joyful, our neighborhoods are more joyful, our church is more joyful. And so, if you have a wife or husband who loves you unselfishly and accepts you as you are, who does things at home or work so you don’t have to, give thanks to God for such a precious gift and return that selfless love. If you have parents who are always there for you, who sit in a cold rain to watch you play football or soccer, who would literally die for you, give thanks for such a precious gift and treat them with that same selfless love. If you have children who love and respect you, who do dishes or mow the lawn without even being asked, praise God for such a precious gift and continue to love them no matter what the future holds. If you have a brother or sister or friend who is always there for you, who give up their wish to help fulfill yours, treasure that gift and always be there for them. If you are part of a community that is rooted in faith and in love, be thankful for such a gift and nourish that community with your own faith and love.

For all of us, as we experience now or in the past the love of a mother – someone whom we can see, feel, touch and hug – we get a glimpse of the love that God has for us. That’s the meaning and message of today’s Gospel: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” It’s a perfect Gospel for Mother’s Day. Why? Because love is what mothers do best!

If you have a brief faith reflection on today’s reading that you would like to share, please send it to me at deaconruss@holyspiritunoh.org.