The Mother of Mothers

Sunday, May 9th, is Mother's Day. Most of us know that, and hopefully every one of us will remember to honor Mom this weekend and let her know how much she's loved by her children. However, I bet the average Catholic is not aware that May is the month of Mary, the Mother of God, and in my heart, the “Mother of Mothers” (MOM). That's why we celebrate Mother's Day the second Sunday in May.

As a “born-again Catholic” (I came back to the Church in my thirties after I ditched the faith right out of high school), I've noticed from the back pew that devotion to the Mother of God has plummeted in the last 30 years. For proof, count how many people attend a Mary's Crowning event this month at your parish--- if yours still offers one.

I never understood the magnitude of a mother's love until I embraced for the first time what the saints have called a “true devotion to Mary.” St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr of Auschwitz and a champion of Mary, used to say, “The quickest way to get to the Heart of Jesus is through the Heart of Mary.” I propose the best way to know the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the Rosary.

I have to confess, once I became a teenager, my relationship with my mother was not the best. When I discovered the Rosary though, Mama Mary opened my eyes and showed me that my mother, Mama Leticia De Silva, was a saint. Actually, Doña Lety is a saint; a 91-year-old saint who stayed home to raise 9 children. After I began to pray the Rosary, I picked up the phone and call my mother to apologize. I apologized for all the times I cut school in high school, for all the times I kept her up until 3 am waiting for me on a Saturday night, and for all the times I didn't call or write after I left home for college. Te quiero mucho Mama.

In the same way we can better understand earthly fatherhood in relation to God as Our Heavenly Father, we can also better appreciate our mothers in our relationship with Mary as our Mother. Jesus Christ Himself honored His Mother and crowned her as the Queen of Heaven, and by virtue of His Incarnation, Mary became our Mom.

Let's waste no time. Let's pick up the Rosary and call our Mother.