A hug

Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church.

What does it mean to be a mother?

One of the biggest lessons I ever learned was when I was faced with a dead baby and his grieving parents, when I had not a single word of their language with which I could offer comfort. It was then that I did the only thing I could: I hugged the mother.

It was then that I learned that motherhood is knowing when and how to give a hug, whether it is of sympathy in suffering, encouragement in difficulty, of support in weakness, of love in loneliness, of happiness in joy, of pride in achievement.

Mary was at the beginning and the end of Jesus’ life on earth. She was there for his successes and failures, his joys and his degradation on Calvary. Mary knew when Jesus needed a hug.

She also knows when her hug is exactly what we need. After all, she’s our mother, too.

Happy New Year!

God bless,
Sr. Janet