On the last Sunday of May, in the heart of the Marian month, we celebrate Mother's Day! On this particular day, we honor our mothers who have shaped our lives through their love and their maternal presence; but we also and above all celebrate Mary, Mother of Christ and our Mother, the most special of all mothers!
On the occasion of Mother's Day, rediscover the origin and celebration of this feast; honor your mother with your prayers and turn to her who is the mother of us all!
Mother's Day has its origins in the time of Ancient Greece, when pagan celebrations were held in honor of Rhea, a goddess considered the mother of many gods.
Much later, in the seventeenth century, the Anglican Catholic Church chose to honor the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ, in May. The celebration was extended to all mothers in the early 1900s with “Mother's Day,” then became an official US holiday in 1914 by order of Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States.
As a result, many countries officially adopt a “Mother's Day” to honor those who give life.
Today, Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in May or the first Sunday in June when this feast coincides with Pentecost.
The tradition of celebrating Mary in May dates back to 1965 under Pope Paul VI, who declared: “This is the month when, in shrines and homes alike, the homage of prayer and veneration rises from Christian hearts with more fervor and affection. It is also the month when the gifts of divine mercy are spread more widely over us from the throne of the Mother of God.”
The month of May was chosen to be the Marian month because in May, nature is reborn and flowers bloom; flowers that have always recalled the image of the Virgin.
Indeed, from the Middle Ages, Mary was celebrated as “rose among roses, flower among flowers, woman among women, unique lady, light of saints and heavens.”
It was also at this time that the devotion to the rosary was born, along with the custom of decorating the statues of the Blessed Virgin with garlands of roses during the month of May.
Mother's Day is the opportunity for everyone to honor the one who gave them life and who filled them with her tenderness since their very first moments of life.
It is customary to surround our mothers with our presence and to offer them various gifts to show our gratitude and affection, yet it is even more important to pray for them!
Indeed, mothers are the ones who constantly worry about the well-being and happiness of their children! They torment themselves with the same intensity with which they are tormented, and participate in the same way in their children’s joys. The words of Pope Francis are significant when he says: “mothers “share” themselves, from when they carry a child, bring it into the world, and raise it.” With these words, he clearly defines the very nature of a mother: she is a person who renounces herself in order to give life and take care of her child, forever, appropriating their joys and pains.
Also, let us thank our mothers with our fervent prayer on this day, and entrust them to the Blessed Virgin! Indeed, who better than Mary can represent the model of all mothers?
For Christians, Mother's Day has a unique dimension, because we also celebrate Mary, Mother of Jesus and our mother of all!
Yes, Mary is the mother of every man and woman. And as a mother, her love and suffering are intimately linked to us, her children. For Mary, better than all mothers, suffers and rejoices with us every minute of our lives, and participates intimately, through her motherly heart, in our humanity.
With Mary, we have the sweetest of mothers, who constantly intercedes for us, who raises us and loves us with a perfect love. On this Mother's Day, let us turn to Mary, give her thanks with our prayers, love her in return, and entrust our mothers to her!
“Lord, on this day of feast and joy, we want to thank You for our mothers, those who are still among us and those who have joined You. Yes, Lord, thank You for our mothers who, first, made us know what it means to love and be loved. Through their love, it is Your love that reveals itself to us. By their smile, it is Your joy that joins us. By their words of encouragement and consolation, it is Your voice that we hear. Lord, You created the mother with a heart like yours. We ask You to bless the happy and well surrounded mother, the forgotten mother, the abused mother, the rejected mother, the adoptive mother, the bereaved mother, and the sick mother who is preparing to join You. You, Lord, who can do everything through your Holy Spirit, lavish your love, your tenderness on them. Put in their hearts Your Peace, Your Joy, and grant filled mothers to know how to console the forgotten mother. Thank You, Lord, for mothers, grandmothers, and future mothers. Show them Your goodness by making them have the most beautiful of days today. Amen.”
“Snuggle me on your heart, like your son Jesus. Now I'm safe. Protect me, console me, reassure me, soothe me. Like your child, listen to me, Mother Mary… (take a moment to express your personal prayer to Mary in your heart.) Now Mother Mary, turn your eyes to me… (take a moment to taste by faith the presence of Mary in the silence of your heart) Thank you for this heart-to-heart with you. Like Jesus, I tell you, you are my mother, I am your child. By the Holy Spirit, lead me to my Heavenly Father, for I am his child. Thank you, Mother Mary! Amen!”
Mother's Day is an opportunity for us believers to pray for our mothers, as well as for all the women who give life. Let us pray that, in the image of the Blessed Virgin, mothers will be filled with the Holy Spirit and that they will bring us the children that the Lord gives them on the path of faith and holiness!