Sixth Sunday of Easter
Jn 14:15-21
May 14, 2023

There is a line in this Sunday’s Second Reading that deserves a second beat. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.

For Christians, all hope rests in Christ. Most of us trace Christian hope back to our mothers and grandmothers, who did the essential work of presenting us for the Sacraments of Initiation…Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation. Christian mothers, for the most part, are the first and longest serving catechists in the lives of their children. Children begin to learn “right from wrong” while still in their mothers’ arms. Very often, it is the women of the family who make the effort to form and inform children in the practices, beliefs, prayers, and traditions of our Catholic faith.

Long after children leave home and start their own families, a Christian mother continues to guide and inspire her children. As they move into their adult years, her words of encouragement are heard less frequently by the ear, but now the echo of her voice from the past persists in their minds and hearts…staying with them and reminding them of what discipleship involves.

As we mature in our faith, we pursue a deeper relationship with Christ, not because of our mothers’ expectations, or out of a sense of fear or guilt…but because we come to a deeper understanding that all hope does rest in the LORD GOD, Who created the heavens and the Earth. At this stage, disciples feel the urgent need to pass the faith of our mothers…the faith of our ancestors…on to the generations to come.

When I am asked to explain why I place all my hope in Christ, I respond: “Because my mother and my grandmothers were instruments of the Holy Spirit.”

Through them, I came to understand that by doing my best to live as Jesus taught, trying hard to love God with all my heart, and soul, an mind…and even when it’s difficult…especially when it’s most difficult…to love my neighbor as myself…I might not actually see the Lord standing next to me, but I will feel with certainty His presence living within me. When Christ is so fully present to us, we cannot help but live in peace and hope.

And so, with grateful hearts, we pray for the women who have fulfilled their vocation as Christian mothers and passed on the faith to us.

Prayer for Mothers

All-loving God, we give you thanks and praise for mothers young and old.

We pray for young mothers, who give life and tend to every need of their children; May they be blessed with patience and tenderness to care for their families and themselves with great joy.

We pray for our own mothers who have nurtured and cared for us; May they continue to guide us in strong and gentle ways.

We remember mothers who are separated from their children because of war, poverty, or conflict; May they feel the loving embrace of our God who wipes every tear away.

We pray for women who are not mothers but still love and shape us with motherly care and compassion.

We remember mothers. grandmothers, and great-grandmothers who are no longer with us but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their love.

We pray for healing and forgiveness on behalf of those mothers, who, for whatever reason, have not fully lived out their vocation.

Amen.