Do you believe that God is present in your everyday life?  This is a foundational question for anyone who wants to deepen their spiritual life.  Where is God in all of this?  Today for young mothers especially, it is good to be mindful that God is in the midst of every load of laundry, every sleepless night, and every crazy diaper change and temper tantrum day.  Why?  Well, God is Love and through your overflowing love He has brought new life into this world for you to SHAPE and MOLD and LOVE in His ways.  It is an awesome vocation.

On this Mother’s Day, I have a deep sense of gratitude for having been blessed by the love of Irene Mary Ragan.  My Mom lived her life immersed in love, a love for God and a love for others, exemplified by the love she showed her family and friends.  She was a woman of faith who was blessed in so many ways and blessed so many others with that faith.  As my Mother she blessed me with the gift of life twice.  She gave birth to me in the natural world and as she taught me to pray and brought me to the Sacraments and helped me to keep my heart open to a priestly vocation, she gave birth to me in the supernatural world.

We pray on this Mother’s Day for all the women who have loved us and who in loving us have given us new life.  God our Creator, we pray:
                                                                                                                                                                           For new mothers, coming to terms with new responsibility;
For expectant mothers, wondering and waiting;
For those who are tired, stressed or depressed;
For those who struggle to balance the tasks of work and family;

 For those who are unable to feed their children due to poverty;
 For those whose children have physical, mental, or emotional disabilities;
 For those who raise children on their own;
 For those who have lost a child;
 For those who care for the children of others;
 For those whose children have left home;
 And for those whose desire to be a mother has not been fulfilled.

Bless all mothers, that their love may be deep and tender, and that they may lead their children to know and do what is good, living not for themselves alone, but for God and for others.   Amen.

Taking the Gospel Home: This Sunday’s gospel selection continues the emphasis upon how God in the risen Christ is always caring for us; the other readings remind us that God cares for people whom we think are supposed to be outside his love. Christ’s victory is for everyone!  Today Jesus tells us that we are not his slaves or servants but his friends. But that is not an exclusive club, he is also really present in the homeless and the hungry and in them is reaching out to us. This week examine your heart and your behavior. Do you treat the marginalized as your friends, with respect, dignity, and love?

How do you regularly lay down your life for others?  When have you found joy in giving of yourself?  Which people (remember it’s Mother’s Day) have shown you the power of such self-sacrificing love?