by Msgr. Joseph P. Calise
MOTHER’S DAY HAS a very interesting history. The idea was first proposed by Ann Jarvis who held a memorial in 1905 for her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, to pay tribute for all she had done to help the wounded on both sides of the Civil War.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Mother’s Day is a civil celebration with deep religious roots. It is a day to honor those who are our mothers. Honoring our mothers is important, not only in our civil society but also in our Church. Cards, flowers, candy, jewelry and other gifts are all marks of respect for those who are mothers of children. It is probably more important that the societal attitudes and policies that affect motherhood and maternity should reflect the same kind of respect for mothers.
May traditionally is considered the month of mothers, when we pray for all our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, all who have loved us in our lives with a motherly love, both living and deceased. We pray for a greater appreciation of all mothers and a greater respect for the gift of motherhood. These women are for their children the very face of God and they, along with their husbands, are their children’s introduction to what it means to be a human being.
As we come to celebrate Mother’s Day, we recognize the unique position of mothers as guardians of family life and transmitters of human life.
