One by one, a mother bird pushes her young ones from the nest when she feels they are old enough to fly. The last startled bird realizes it is falling and starts to flap its wings. Once he sees that flying is easy, through the sky he soars…. and mom is left with an empty nest.
Every human mom knows the day will come when their children too must test their wings and learn to fend for themselves. How much harder it must be today to send a child into the world knowing that evil waits at every corner and very few safe places can be found. As moms we know this time will come, but it seems to happen so fast. We watch them cross the street by themselves, send them off to school, to camp, to overnight stays at a friend’s house…. and we pray they’ll return to us safe and sound. Then comes the time when they move out for good and we are left to face that empty nest.
Mary, the mother of our Lord, must have found it a most troubling time when Jesus left home to start His ministry. She knew I’m sure that His hour was coming when He must fulfill His Father’s plans…. and He would not be returning home. “I must be about my Father’s business.” Mary had hidden these words of Jesus in her heart since he was twelve years old. When he was thirty, the time came for Him to do just that.
In the beginning of His travels through what we now call ‘The Holy Land’ Mary and His brothers sometimes joined Jesus and His disciples. What joy must have filled her heart as she listened to her beloved son speak of His Father, the Lord, and the promise He made of eternal life for those who believe.
As Jesus’ teachings grew more popular and the crowds that followed Him grew larger, Mary’s access to her son became harder. She had to push her way through the crowds and beg the disciples in order to speak to Him. Often she didn’t know where He was as He sometimes had to escape into the hills in order to rest. Such a disturbing time this was for the mother of our Lord.
She gave birth to Him, raised Him to adulthood…. then she was there when He was crusified; watching in horror as they placed the crown of thorns on His head and pierced His side with a sword. Through her tears she saw the blood flow from His body. How she must have wanted to rescue Him and save Him from this torture….though she knew it had to be, what mother could watch such a scene?
How it must have hurt Jesus, even more than the physical pain, to see His Mother witness such a dreadful sight. His last act before giving up the ghost was to look at her and His disciple and say to them, “Woman, behold thy son!” then to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. John 19:27 All things were then accomplished and His last words were: “It is finished.”
As we celebrate our mothers today, let’s also remember our Lord and the woman whom God chose to raise Him. A virgin who found favor with God and was blessed among all women to have the honor of being the Mother of God’s own Son, Jesus. His last act was to insure that she was taken care of by passing that responsibility on to His disciple.
Cutting the apron strings, as we call it, is hard. Mothers don’t just give birth to us, they sustain us through every trial and hardship, play with us, work to provide for us and simply love us because we are their child. Watching us grow up and away from them is not easy so we need to remember them and see that they are taken care of in every way we can.
Everyone was not blessed with such a loving mother….and some mothers did not give birth to their children, but love them just the same. Circumstances and the harshness of life sometimes makes it impossible for some to meet the responsibilities that come from giving birth. I pray for those sons and daughters today, and for others who lost their mothers too soon. May all mothers be blessed in some way on this day set aside to honor them. Hugs and blessings to all…. and Happy Mother’s Day!
