Our country remembers our moms in a special way on Mother’s Day. When I was a boy and a member of the First Baptist Church of Augusta, our tradition for Mother’s Day was for family members to wear a rose to church, in honor of our mothers. We wore a red rose when our moms were alive. White roses were worn when our moms had died. The worship service each Mother’s Day was a wonderful palette of color, with every shade of red and every hue of white making present the love all have for our mothers. What is your custom for honoring your mom?
Along with this wonderful “secular” hol-i-day, the world-wide Catholic Church remembers today’s Solemnity of Pentecost, the outpouring of God’s Spirit on the disciples, after the resurrection of the Lord. Pentecost or the feast of weeks was a Jewish festival, celebrating the firstfruits of the harvest (Deut. 16.9). This feast of weeks occurred 50 days after Passover. The disciples had experienced the presence of the Spirit already, when the Risen Lord breathed his life into their lives. But until the Risen Lord left them (at the Ascension), the gathered disciples depended on the physical presence of their Lord, for everything.
After the Risen Lord left this earth, the disciples were gathered together at the festival of first-fruits, along with Mary and some of the women that had supported the ministry of Jesus. In prayer, the gathered assembly (church) experienced the anointing of the Lord’s power, as new life was breathed onto them by the strong wind of the Spirit. The Church of Christ became a visible Body, and we of St. John Neumann are members of this Body of Christ.
How then, are we to honor these separate feasts? Let us turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (965): after her Son’s Ascension, Mary aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers. In her association with the apostles and several women, we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit… Mary, the Mother of Christ, the Mother of the Church (CCC, 963).
Mary is the mother of the Son of God. In this gift of grace, she is also the mother of the Body of her Son, the Church of Christ, born fully at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit that rained down the fire of love at Pentecost had overshadowed Mary years before, at the Annunciation.
Today, look to your mom. Whether at her side or by way of the telephone or in memory, rejoice in the gift of your mom. And as you remember this gift of God to you, remember that Jesus likewise had a mom. And because he loves us so, and because she followed her Son’s will in everything, she has become our mom. And we know this through the indwelling power and presence of God’s Spirit, given at Pentecost… a festival of “first-fruits”! Mother’s Day and Pentecost, it’s all about the gifts of God, and our gratitude.
AMDG
Msgr. David Talley
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The vision of SJN Mom’s Circle is to be a source of spiritual and emotional nourishment for mothers, grandmothers, and any women involved in the care of children. Through this ministry we hope to create a place where supportive friendships are formed and women are uplifted. Most importantly we seek to bring all women to a personal knowledge and experience of God’s love as given to us through His Son Jesus Christ. We seek to accomplish this by having formal meetings from Sept-May. The meeting will be on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 10-12 AM. The set up of the meeting will generally consist of light snack and fellowship (10-11), topic of the month presentation and or guest speaker followed by group discussion (11-12) Nursery will be provided. New members are always welcome! For more information please contact: Mary del Mazo - 678-471-1900 or