The life we have received

Springtime and the Easter Season are times when we celebrate new life. How appropriate, then, that we pause during this time of year to celebrate Mother’s Day. Though not a religious holiday, it’s a fitting time and occasion to celebrate the life we have received.

Babies are born into the world as pure potential; they make their way slowly through the obscurity of exploration until the light of self-consciousness dawns. 

We remember little of growing up through those months and years when so much of our lives were being formed. For many of us we were shepherded lovingly through this time by our parents, especially our mothers. 

They opened the doors of the world to us so that the person we were meant to become could take shape and be formed. They were the persistent presence making our lives possible. Without them we simply would not be. Even if another womb bore us, our parents are what made us creatures of this world, and the persons we have become. They formed and shaped us.

Our lives are a gift. We were first blessed by what we could not choose for ourselves, and our first graces came through what we cannot recall. This is clearly evident in our Baptism, if we were baptized as infants! 

All the most important attributes that make us who we are were first brought to us by our parents. No matter what we have made of ourselves, we have built on the foundations laid by them. Our best response is to be thankful.

As we approach Mother’s Day, we have the chance to ponder this great mysterious blank canvas on which our lives have been painted. We can call to mind many precious memories of our mothers and their priceless influences in forming us. 

Many of us have a storehouse of vignettes and examples of how a mother’s presence mattered in every way. And, it’s appropriate to call these to mind and celebrate them on Mother’s Day. But, it’s also an opportunity to celebrate the silence, to appreciate those who established the foundation of our lives even before we could remember anything.

We can take a lesson from the great artists. When we gaze at the beautiful mosaics or the wonderful frescos in our magnificent cathedrals, we thrill at the skill on display. 

The shape and form of these great works of art capture our eyes and allow us to share in the genius of the artists in all their amazing talent. Yet, beneath the tiles and the paint are the hidden cement and plaster that allow this art to exist. Without the acquired knowledge and consummate skill of preparing these foundations, the art would not be possible. 

But these elements will never be seen. They’re often not noticed in the slightest. 

So, it is with all those who have shaped and formed our lives. Unless we pause to think of them, we are likely to forget their generous gift of themselves to us. Without them there would be nothing of what we have become. With them, the more generous their self-giving, the less we tend to notice. 

Pausing on Mother’s Day is a chance to gratefully acknowledge our dependence on the family that we are given, especially our mothers. We are the mosaics these artists have made.

This also is the time in which we can dive more deeply into the silent stillness of our lives. As we do, we give thanks for the true origin of every part of ourselves, which is the silent presence of God. 

We might never notice the Divine as the great canvas on which the artistry of our life is painted, but it is so. The Divine Goodness is the first gift entrusted to us. We are the product of the Divine Generosity poured over us in the silence of our lives before we could know anything of ourselves. 

God is content to remain in the silence, but acknowledging his artistry is to acknowledge the truth of our lives. Moving into the silence and acknowledging God’s goodness is where we can find the deepest promises yet to be fulfilled in us.

Mother’s Day is when we can open our eyes to these promises. As we remember, we can cast back beyond memory to appreciate the Divine Truth of his love of our lives.