The celebration of Mother’s Day has a long and interesting history. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica it originated with the custom of mother worship among the ancient Greeks. Throughout Asia Minor the Ides of March was designated as a day of honor to Rhea, “the mother of the gods.” With the coming of Christianity the honor gradually shifted to “Mother Church” and the day of celebration became the mid Sunday of Lent.

In the United States the history of this day is more clearly defined. It apparently started in 1872, when Julia Ward Howe sug- gested that June 2nd be designated Mother’s Day and be dedicated to the cause of peace. For several years she personally led such a cele- bration in the city of Boston. In 1904, a convention of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, launched a cam- paign for a national Mothers’ Day. Three years later, Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia took up the cause, suggesting that the day should be the second Sunday of May. Her efforts succeeded in 1914, when both houses of Congress passed resolutions recommending that Mother’s Day be proclaimed a national observance. The following year Presi- dent Woodrow Wilson made that proclamation. Thus, for the past ninety-seven years, in our nation, the second Sunday of May has been Mother’s Day.

The question might be raised why should we set aside a special day to honor mothers? The answer is simple; because moth- ers are special people! “Mother” is probably the most sentimental word in our language, defining one of the most necessary and beauti- ful of all relationships. A little child first gets to know his/her mother as the person who meets their needs. If hungry, our mother feeds us. If hurt, our mother is the one who consoles us. If frightened, our mother is the one who holds us close and makes us feel secure. If we do something wrong, our mother is usually the one who corrects us and also forgives us. Abraham Lincoln has been quoted as saying, “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” How could we not be sentimental about someone who is so much a part of our lives?

One of the greatest influences that a mother can have on her children is to show them how to live and how to love. Her example of caring about others and how to love others and how to accept love, will have a lasting impression on her children. That is what “real love” is all about. Real love is a choice that we make – it is a commitment that we keep. It is a heroic love manifested every day in motherhood.

Our mother is that unique human being, selected by God, through which we received the gift of life. She is the one to whom we bonded in the very first minutes of our life. She is the one whose love for us began even before we were born – a love that she carried for us months before we were ever able to return any love to her. We were fed by our mothers before we could live by ourselves. That is our true bond with our mother. That is our gratitude that we express on this special day, a gratitude for the gift of life.

During the month of May we ask Mary, our mother, in this her special month, to bless our mother and all mothers, living and dead, to strengthen them, reward them and help them to be good mothers always. Thank you mothers for the gift of life.

Happy Mother’s Day!
Fr. Al Backmann