Mother, how are you today?

by Chitra R. L. Fernando

As Christians all over the world keep the season of Lent, set by the Church's Calendar, a special Sunday called “Mothering Sunday” or “Refreshment Sunday” is celebrated, and it is the mid-point of this solemn season of Lent. Today the 30th day, which is filled with beautiful symbolisms of the expressions of our love and gratitude to our beloved Mothers. I count it a privilege to share my thoughts with mothers, grandmothers and mothers-to-be.

In certain churches, the children of the Bible School shower their mothers with gifts, cards and flowers and, this could be the highlight of church service and a tribute of love to our mothers. It is said that “The Happiest years of our life are spent in the arms of another man's wife – and that is our mother.” As we recall the days gone by, we see that parents have been a part and parcel of family life - but with the passage of time, we see children once married, opt to live on their own - thus making way for special days such as Mothering Sunday, Mother's Day. With the onslaught of Western Culture to our land Sri Lanka, we too get caught up in the swim. In a highly commercialised world, where everything is metered in terms of money, shop-keepers make the best of it by printing cards, putting out floral tributes and gifts, to celebrate this occasion. How much better and richer would it be if only we could make every Sunday - a mothering Sunday, where we could make our beloved mothers happy, by a kind word or even a caring gesture.

As Christian mothers, we have enough strength and wisdom from God's Word which is the Font of All Wisdom and Knowledge, in nurturing our children in the “Fear and Nurture of Our Lord.” The Proverbs remind us “Train up a child in the way he should and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Again the Psalms remind us “That children are a blessing from the Lord and the fruit of the womb is His reward.” As parents, we are required to lead lives of good example and lives of sacrifice, so as to afford the “Best in Life” for our children. At the very outset, a mother exposes herself to great danger, while going through the complicated process of child-bearing. Once again we seek comfort in God's Holy Word where King David says “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and staff - they comfort me.” As Christian mothers, we would have recited these words in varied instances of our life and, with all these, we regard Motherhood as the Greatest Experience in the life of a woman. Her versatility of Character and Tenacity of Love and Concern are hard to match, in a world where values have turned “Downside Up.” A mother plays many roles on the stage of life, being what she is, she could also fit into the role of a wife, a teacher, an excellent cook, a gardener, a disciplinarian, a friend and confidante and a make-shift chauffeur.

Whatever situation life demands, she would be there to perform the duties perfectly and with no extra remuneration, fringe benefits or even “perks”, as the world would put it. May be, she is not appreciated, but it could be said that her name is on God's payroll. This speaks volumes for At the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee, where our Lord performed His first miracle, we see that the Blessed Mother was a source of encouragement to Jesus, but Jesus’ loyalty to His Heavenly Father was never in conflict with His loyalty to His earthly parents - the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph. This reminds us that we should bring up our children to be loyal and obedient to God and to do His will at all times.

Even when our Saviour spent the final hours of His life on a cross, undergoing excruciating pain, He relegated His responsibilities of caring for His mother, to His beloved disciple John saying “Behold Thy Mother.”

Sometimes we love to hear beautiful sentiments expressed by our children in appreciation of all the hard work that mothers have done. We often see these sentiments expressed in cards specially printed for Mothering Sunday.

“Mom, some of the things I feel in my heart are so hard to put into words.”

Another card would say:-

“Sometimes you are the confidante I tell my secrets to, sometimes you are my audience applauding the things I do, sometimes you are the shoulder I can freely lean upon, sometimes you are the gentle push that keeps me moving on.

Because of the gentle warmth of your Love, I have grown in so many ways -

Thanks for always being there - to listen, care and understand.”
Yet another card says thus:-

“The more I think of days gone by, the more I know its true, That I've been very fortunate, to have a mom like you.

And though this greeting comes to you, when Mothering Sunday is here, Its filled with Love, a Love that is yours, each day throughout the year.”

“Thanks for the lessons you taught me, the priceless examples you set,

For your patience, your willing forgiveness, the things I could never forget, Thanks for the dreams you believed in me, and eagerly helped me to pursue, For the comfort, care and understanding, I always counted from you.” In the year 1915, Howard Johnson wrote about the mom in this way:-

M is for the million things she gave me
O means only that she is growing old,
T is for the tears she shed to save me
H is for her heart of purest gold.
E is for her eyes with love-light shining,
R is right and right she'll always be.

Put them all together - They spell MOTHER. A word that means the world to me.

All these beautiful sentiments - should they be confined to one Sunday of the year? Life, as we know, is so uncertain, so fragile and may be we would be filled with a sense of regret, if we could not express our love and gratitude to our beloved mothers, if we have to stand beside the cask and watch in silence, when she lies in the stillness of death.