Celebrating the gift of Motherhood

Mother’s Day in 2020 will be a very different affair. Gone will be the large family gatherings to celebrate the beautiful gift of our mother’s love. It will be hard for us to give our own mothers and grandmothers a hug this year, but it is an opportunity for a more considered celebration in each of our family homes.

The COVID-19 induced lockdown has put a lot of stress on families with school aged children – especially mothers. They have had to be heavily involved in their children’s home schooling, coming up with ideas to help keep the kids occupied through home based activities and supporting their children who are out of their routine. They may also be performing paid work in or outside the home not to mention domestic tasks as well.

This Mother’s Day and for the whole month of May is time for the other members of our families to become more aware of the sacrifices their mother’s/wife’s make and how they can be supported. Making Mother’s Day a special day is a start but continuing this support especially during the lockdown is important. Helping out with house work, giving Mum time to do some exercise, prayer or watch her favorite movie is important. Husbands and fathers can get more involved in being present for their children and with their spouse to provide more emotional and spiritual support in this challenging time.

May is also a wonderful time to reconnect with our spiritual mother, Mary. Praying the rosary as a family, even if it is for one decade each night, is a way we can get close to Mary and spiritually bond our family. On May 31 we will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost which is also normally the Feast of the Visitation. The Feast of the Visitation (the second joyful mystery of the rosary) celebrates the time when the newly pregnant Mary visited St Elizabeth while she was pregnant with St John the Baptist. The meeting of two pregnant mothers was an event full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:39-56). Mary was also present in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on 120 people to give birth to the Church. Let’s invite Mary into our home this month as we prepare for the Holy Spirit to pour out on our families on Pentecost Sunday to help renew our own domestic churches.

Image: Mariotto Albertinelli Visitation Creative Commons

Tags: Life Family Marriage