The importance of Mother’s Day goes beyond the cards and gifts and time. Cards and gifts and time are certainly needed in order to express our love and appreciation for moms and those who offer a mothering spirit, but the celebration of Mother’s Day keeps our attention focused on the status and role of women in our society. Although Mother’s Day isn’t a Christian holiday, per se, it is a celebration of life, humility, diversity, and love, all of which are an expression the Gospel.
Mother’s Day is a celebration of life. Every person reading this was nurtured in the waters of the womb, as we say in the church when someone comes forward for baptism. The living connection between mother and child is a relationship even our metaphors cannot fully describe. Mother’s Day is also a reminder of life’s frailty. For many, Mother’s Day is difficult because of loss or grief. Some do not know their mother, nor do they feel that they mother ever really knew them. Mother’s Day is a celebration of life and a reminder that no thing lasts forever.
Mother’s Day is also a celebration of humility. Much like every person reading this was nurtured in a womb, every person reading this was dependent on a mother for nourishment, cleanliness, nurture. It is humbling to know that regardless if you look at your life and find the word “success” or “failure,” regardless of what you have in the bank, regardless of what hangs on your wall or whether you have a wall on which to hang things, we all were born into dependence. No one changed her or his first diaper.
Diversity is a also a symbol of Mother’s Day. Our celebration does not depend on race, class, or orientation. In full disclosure there is a gender divide, but before you get huffy about it, Father’s Day is right around the corner. It is a celebration of mothers and those who offer a mothering spirit. It is a celebration of women and the important influence women have in our culture. Especially when we read that more girls have been kidnapped in Nigeria and sold into the sex trade, it is crucially important for our culture to celebrate mothers and women. Celebrating Mother’s Day reminds us that there was a time in our nation when women were denied equal rights as men, and we are still struggling with issues of equal compensation, health care, maternity leave, and child care. According to wallethub.com, Louisiana is the worst state for working mothers. Based on nine different criteria such as day school affordability, ratio of men to women executives, access to pediatric care, and an average of $.67 a woman makes to every $1.00 a man makes, Louisiana, in general, has a lot of work to do!
Fundamentally, Mother’s Day is about love. It is about showing moms how much we love them and care for them. It is about expressing love toward those for whom this day is difficult. It is about love being the driving force of our ethic. And yes, it is about carnations and cards and lunch with the family, and the greatest afternoon nap one can muster. So, Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers and those who were like a mother to us.