One of my favourite places to look to on the 'net for inspiration is Catholic Online, not because they accept some of my articles for publication, but because of the fine writers that I read, whose thoughtful articles are on that site.
Here Michael Terheyden, whose personal belief in the Catholic Church is that "he is a Catholic because he believes that truth is real, that it is beautiful and good, and that the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church", writes about the beauty of motherhood for us all and for his own mother, who passed away about a year ago.
A mother welcomes and carries in herself another human being, enabling it to grow inside her, giving it room, respecting it in its otherness. Thus, women first learn and then teach others that human relations are authentic when they are open to accepting the other person' (Pope John Paul II). Mother, I cannot give you flowers, but I wish to say, and I believe that you can hear me, thank you for making room for me in your life and teaching me to do the same for others. Happy Mother's Day. I love you.
KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - How do I say happy Mother's Day to my mother? She passed away over a year ago. Of course, I believe that she is in glory at this very moment; but, still, I wish to tell her that I appreciate all she gave me and that I love her.
So I will do it in a way that I can. I will share with you the inspiration my mother gave me, but I will do it using the thought of Pope John Paul II, who captured it so well in The Gospel of Life.
Pope John Paul II says man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence. This supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life even in its temporal phase.
Life in time is the fundamental condition, the initial stage and an integral part of the entire unified process of human existence.
Human existence is a process of divinization made possible in and through Christ. It reaches its full realization only in eternity. This means that human life is a sacred reality to be preserved and brought to perfection in love as a gift of ourselves to God and to each other.
Women, Pope John Paul II tells us, are called in a special way to bear witness to this sacred reality through genuine love and to reconcile people with life. Women are specially suited to this task because the experience of motherhood makes them acutely aware of another person. Motherhood involves a special communion with the mystery of life as it develops in the mother's womb.
This unique contact with a new human being developing within them gives rise to an attitude towards all human beings, which profoundly marks the woman's personality. In other words, a mother welcomes and carries in herself another human being, enabling it to grow inside her, giving it room, respecting it in its otherness.
Thus, women first learn and then teach others that human relations are authentic when they are open to accepting the other person.
Mother, I cannot give you flowers, but I wish to say, and I believe that you can hear me, thank you for making room for me in your life and teaching me to do the same for others. You embodied this wonderful Pope's teaching for me. Happy Mother's Day. I love you.
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Michael Terheyden was born into a Catholic family, but that is not why he is a Catholic. He is a Catholic because he believes that truth is real, that it is beautiful and good, and that the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church. However, he knows that God's grace operating throughout his life is the main reason he is a Catholic. He is greatly blessed to share his faith and his life with his beautiful wife, Dorothy. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.
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