Sunday after Ascension, May 13th, 2018
(Mothers Day)
I've been seeing a lot of video's online lately in regards to animal mothers protecting their babies. Whether it be cats, dogs, bears, birds, etc. It is always fascinating to see what a mom will do to protect and support her children. As the secular "Mother's Day" is set to celebrated tomorrow, I can not help to think of my own mother who did so much to support me, protect me and give me life. When you think about it in those terms, I have often thought that mothers probably most closely resemble God, more than anything here on earth. "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another," (I St. Peter 4:10)
First and foremost, our mother gives us life. Without them, we would not be here. If it were not for my mother, I would not be here right now writing this short essay. If it were not for your mother, you would not be sitting there reading this short essay. It is the mothers of this world that bring the next generation into the world. And it has been like that since the time of Adam and Eve. "God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, . . . " (Genesis 1:27-28) So in this light, mothers are helping, whether they know it or not, to carry on the commandment God gave originally to Adam and Eve and all the subsequent generations since then. The bottom line is without our mother, we would not have life. So, too, with God. Without Him we would not have life.
My own mother, God rest her. As I was growing up I remember seeing her make sacrifices for me so that I could have things. In other words, very often I would see my mother do without, so that I could have things that I needed. She sacrificed and did without so that she would make sure that I didn't have to go without. The question is why would mothers do this? Why would a mother gladly go without so that her child could have something? The obvious answer is love. Mothers make sacrifices, small and large, our of love for their children. So, too, did Our Blessed Saviour make sacrifice for us. First, we could say that He made the sacrifice of leaving His throne in Heaven in order to become a human being like us. "But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross." (Philippians 2:7-8) Our Blessed Lord sacrificed His life for our benefit. Our mothers endure what they do for us out of love. Our Blessed Lord endured what He did on our behalf out of love.
While my mother was still alive, I would see her. I would spend time with her. I would do things for her. But could I have done more for her than I did? Absolutely. But unfortunately "life" got in the way. In other words, my own career kept me busy. Maintaining my own house and family took up time. Shopping and running errands took up time. And before you know it, time gets away from you and you wonder where it went to. "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." (Exodus 20:12) We honour our parents by doing things for them, yes, but we also honour them with our time. In other words, spend time with your parents. But we are also called to honour God as well, aren't we? And similar to what I described above, very often we do not find the time to honour God as we should because "life" gets in the way: going to work; running errands; focusing on doing what WE want to do. Typically we usually go to God in emergency situations . . . when we NEED Him. Honour God by spending time with Him in prayer . . . . in reading of Scripture . . . . by going to church . . . by helping others.
The bottom line is that mothers are amazing creatures. Whether the mother is a cat or a dog or a bear or a bird or a human being, mothers give life to their children; they nurture their children; they sacrifice for their children. In this way, mothers emulate God and what He does for us: He gives us life; He nurtures us; He sacrificed His own Son for us. And just as we are called honour our mothers, we are also called to honour God and to bless God and to thank God for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. If your mother is still with you, make a point to thank her and let her know how grateful you are for everything she has done for you. And if your mother is not around, thank God for your mother. And while you are at it, thank the Good Lord above for all the blessings He has bestowed upon you. Thank Him for the life He has given you and thank Him for the blessings He has given you throughout your lifetime.
Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Join us as we join together as God's family and worship Our Heavenly Father. Join us as we come to the altar to be fed the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time. And, finally, please stay after Mass for some fellowship at our coffee hour. St. Margaret Anglican Church worships at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. Mass begins at 9:30 AM.
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