May: along with flowers and roses, a beloved celebration for everyone also arrives, Mother’s Day! Shalom Publishing House sends its best wishes to all mothers: those who are here, those who continue to be mothers from Paradise, and those who are mothers “in their hearts”… Yes, because one never stops being a mother, and because there are so many ways to be one!
Gibran writes: “The most beautiful word on the lips of humankind is mother, and the most beautiful invocation is ‘my mother.’ She is the source of love, mercy, understanding, and forgiveness.”
Today we want to celebrate all mothers by sharing a beautiful reflection by Father Tonino Bello, which captures, in the courage of our heavenly Mother, the courage of so many mothers who face challenges out of love, never giving up, trusting in and entrusting themselves to God. “She surrendered only once: when she pronounced her fiat, and from that moment on, Mary faced life with incredible strength of spirit and became the symbol of ‘mothers of courage’ throughout the ages. Clearly, she too had to contend with fear. Fear of not being understood. Fear of human cruelty. Fear of not being able to cope. Fear for Joseph’s health. Fear for Jesus’s fate. Fear of being left alone. So many fears!”
The same fears that have accompanied mothers throughout the ages, but Mary is “Our Lady of fear, then. But not of resignation. Because she never let her arms fall in surrender, nor did she ever raise them in a gesture of defeat. She faced obstacles head-on, reacted to personal difficulties, and rebelled against the social injustices of her time.”
Mary thus becomes the companion and comfort of every mother, because one is not born a mother, but becomes one... and it is a beautiful, but very difficult, “job.” Therefore, Virgin Mother, “when weariness, discouragement, and despair seem to prevail, come stand beside us. Sit down on our despondent sidewalks. Repeat words of hope to us.”
