I vividly remember a scene from The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson.
Jesus is carrying His cross. And as we all know, not from the movie but from the Stations of the Cross, He falls. And soon after, He meets His mother. This is one of the most beautiful moments in the world’s history: Christ is met by His mother. I didn’t need a movie to show me this.
But what I guess I did need a movie to show me were the flashbacks were woven into this scene. Jesus, as a young boy, is running and playing.
He falls.
And Mary runs to meet Him.
In the times in our lives when we fall, be it times in play or more severe times, a Mother catches us. And mothers, modeling themselves after Christ’s perfect mother, do that always (and with great love).
I encounter my mother’s love in so many ways: letting me lick the spoon after mixing my birthday cake, teaching me how to be crafty, putting on my first face of real makeup, taking me shopping for shoes (even though we both know I don’t need them), and watching TV with me until 2:00 am, when we both know we need to get to bed. It’s the little moments of love, but also the big moments of love: sending me to my dream schools, telling me “no” in order to protect me, buying me a prom dress that was way too expensive, volunteering as a class mom for all those years… and all the things she did to show me love that I never saw her do, and might never know she did.
Truly, a mother’s love has no bounds.
In good and bad times, she runs to me, and catches me when I fall; she helps me rise, and she holds my hand.
St. Bernard Clairvaux says on the Blessed Mother:
While [Mary] holds your hand, you cannot fall.
St. Bernard Clairvaux
In mothers modeling themselves after Mary, when our earthly mother also holds our hand, we cannot fall. And though we might physically, emotionally, or spiritually fall, we never really do when we are holding the hand of a mother; a woman who will never let go.
Mothers are a gift from God. I’m blessed to still have my mother here on earth with me. I’m blessed to have a mother who carried me, raised me, and loved me for 23 years. I know so many who haven’t had this experience, and my heart goes out to those who never knew their mother, had a mother who didn’t love as one should, and for those who have lost a mother.
Our earthly mothers are beautiful and important. Regardless of our relationships with our earthly mothers, regardless of who carried you, raised you, and loved you, we constantly experience our Blessed Mother’s love. She runs to you, just as she runs to Jesus. And we, too, should love her as our Mother.
When our earthly mothers aren’t perfect, we have a perfect mother in Heaven.
And she, like our earthly moms, runs to us, picks us up, and holds our hand.
We truly cannot fall.
To the mothers who carried us for 9 months; the ones who raised us; the ones who are in Heaven with Jesus; the ones who adopted children; the ones who marry into a family and call her husband’s children her own; the ones who have lost children; the ones who are carrying a child; the ones who are nurturing like a mother should be; and the ones who are learning how to love more and more each day like the Blessed Mother: to all mothers, especially mine, Happy Mother’s Day. Your love, pure and sacrificial, is appreciated more than you know. Thank you for leading us to Jesus, and thank you for loving us like Mary.
I thank God everyday for choosing me for you.
