…from Pam Ferron, Director of Parish Life & Communications
“WHERE IS MY WHITE TANK TOP?”
“Why would I know?”
“BECAUSE I LET YOU BORROW IT!”
Have you heard a similar “conversation” in your house? Probably, if you have two teenage girls (yes, I’m stereotyping, but growing up with two sisters and having two daughters, it is what I know. Maybe boys argue just as much over clothes, hmmm?). As a mother, what is our role? Stop the argument, try to get the siblings to have a rational conversation (good luck with that!), ignore it?
My mom always did a good job of being a peacemaker, and I’m fortunate that my mother is still living and continues to be a wonderful example for me. She was not just the peacemaker, but she was also the one who helped us with our homework, fed us, encouraged us when we struggled, forgave us when we misbehaved, loved us even when we weren’t that lovable. Hmmm, who does that sound like?
Christ provides that perfect model of what it means to love and give everything of ourselves. And for many of us, our moms are the first teachers of those important lessons and that example of how we are all called to be like Christ.
Growing up, my mom did a much better job than I do of ignoring the little fights and allowing me and my sisters to work it out on our own. This worked out pretty well since I don’t think I could be closer to my sisters than I am. And that’s just one of the many reasons I have to thank my mom.
If we look at the history of Mother’s Day, there are ties to peace. The modern holiday was first celebrated in 1908 when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother who had been a peace activist and cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War, and who also created Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health issues. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother by continuing the work she started and to set aside a day to honor all mothers, because she believed that they were, “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world.”
If we think of being peacemakers, are we trying to resolve conflict? Or are we called to show the love of Christ through our own actions despite others’ decisions?
Standing around the corner, listening to my daughters bicker, thankfully which doesn’t occur very often anymore, I’m faced with the challenge most mothers have to face. What to do? Intervene or allow them to do on their own what you hope they should do: show the love and forgiveness of Christ the way you have attempted to model in your actions as a mother.
So as a mother, and our struggle to fill many roles, may we always remember the most important one, to love one another and be that example of Christ to our children, our neighbors, and to all we encounter.
