Homily 8 May 2005 By Fr. Hathaway FSSP Mater Dei Latin Mass Community
Sunday after the Ascension
An Ode to Mothers
There is probably no more unsung a hero than a true mother.
If we consider what she has done for us, what she is doing for us, what
she will do for us should some urgency require... and compare this to
what little thanks she receives in turn - so will be our conclusion :
mothers generally go unrecognized in this world.
Let us not make the same mistake.
The book of Ecclesiaticus (7:24-30) states,
“Honor thy father and mother and forget not the groanings of thy
mother. Remember that thou hast not been born but through them:
and make a return to them as they have done for thee.”
Our mother carried us nine months in her womb, she nourished us with
her own substance; she gave us birth in a most painful way; she nursed
us at the breast... when we could not feed ourselves, she fed us; when
we could not change our diapers, she did. As we grew, it is true,
the father began to share the pains of child raising. But is it
“the groanings of thy mother” we are told not to forget. Mostly,
mothers need be praised for giving us life.
When father Tobias was growing old, he said to his son, also called
Tobias,
“When God shall take away my soul, thou shall bury my body, and thou
shall honor thy mother all the days of thy life: for thou must be
mindful what and how great perils she suffered for thee in her womb.
(Tobit 4:3-4)
Our mothers suffered to give us life... even now there are mothers who
sacrifice a job in the world for a job at home to raise their children…
this too is a suffering. The father gets to leave the home most
days of the week; he gets to intermingle with companions, perhaps have
lunch with co-workers at a café; he even receives promotions and
certificates of “job well done.” It is different with a stay home
mother. Actresses get Oscars; sports figures trophies; but the
world has no blue ribbon for a stay home mother… indeed, the world
urges the mother to leave home and ‘get a life.’ The fortunate
mother who is willing and able to stay home yet faces the burden of day
in and day out, looking at the same walls, hearing the same voices, and
occupying herself with the same chores for which no promotion is
forthcoming. It is a suffering of the humdrum.
Do we give our mothers appreciation even for this type of humdrum
suffering? Perhaps. But as much as we ought, probably not.
Let us recall often the words of the book of Wisdom, “in the womb of my
mother I was fashioned.”(7:1) Without my mother I would not
have life. But also to be praised is that mother who sacrifices a
job of the world for a world at home with her children.
On this day, and often besides, let us wish our mothers a happy day if
not with words at least with a good life for virtuous children are the
true pleasure of parents. Adults - we should daily pray for our
parents; we should call, write, or visit them frequently.
Children - pray every day for your parents, but also be obedient and
uncomplaining; do your homework and chores on time and without
complaint. Good deeds greatly please our mothers and will be a
sign of our appreciation for what they have done for us. And
should we ever make our mother angry let us hasten to ask for her
forgiveness. It is a terrible thing to anger a mother, “Cursed of
God is he that angers his mother.” (Ecclu. 3:18)
A few years ago lived that figure of a true mother in the person
of Polly Rough Surface Fontenelle. Polly grew up on the
Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota and belonged to Assumption
Catholic Church. When 14 years old, she underwent critical heart
surgery and was put on blood thinner medication which was she was to
take for the rest of her life.
Later on Polly married and became pregnant. She had been warned
against pregnancy because of her heart condition but her desire for
motherhood won out. After her pregnancy was discovered, Polly was
told to abort the child, advice she also refused. Polly wanted to
be a mother!
Moreover, Polly read up on her medication. She discovered that it
could harm the baby so she stopped taking it... wishing to save the
baby from all harm.
All was going well until about two and half months remained in the
pregnancy. Polly suddenly became sick and began fainting.
The next day, she was rushed to the hospital in Bismark, ND. The
baby died during the afternoon and mother died the next day.
Polly is a mother hero. She gave her life hoping to give life to
another. “Greater love than this no one has than to lay down his
life for a friend.” Mothers - you do this too, not just by
simply giving birth, but by dying to self in raising of your children
in the humdrum.
Finally, mothers of all ranks, never forget the great reward laid up
for you by the good God. By fulfilling well your vocation you
have many opportunities in the day to show your love for God. We
have only to consider the mind of the blessed Lord to know this:
“Whatever you have done for these little ones, you have done unto me.”
(Mt 18)