Mother’s Day Sermon

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Since October 15, 2014 when I lost my mother, Mother’s Day has always been a sensitive time for me. I believe it is the same emotion for many of you here who have lost your moms as well. Like you, I miss my mother so much. As a priest, it is harder for me because I do not have a family of my own. All my siblings are married. I know they miss our mother, but their spouses and kids have softened the effect of the impact. When the news of my mother’s transition was broken to me, one of the grief questions I asked myself severally was how I would be able to live, cope and deal with her loss as a man without my own family. It has gotten easier to deal with the loss as the years pass but it is still hard sometimes. God has since my mother’s departure blessed me with wonderful people. A few months after I came to St. Mary, a caucasian couple drove all the way from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Whittier, California, just to be with me. I don’t know if you still remember them. May be not. The thing is that since they did not have a child together, they adopted me as their son. Ever since then, they have treated me like their own biological son. The saying that God provides is obviously true. Please, keep them in your prayers. Since last year, both of them have experienced a major health issue. But thanks be to God, they are still alive and thriving. Their names are David and Mary. 

As we celebrate yet another Mother’s Day, I want to talk about the seven different ways we can honor our mothers. I believe there are more ways to honor them, but due to time constraint, I am going to concentrate only on seven:  

Unconditionally Love Your Mother: No matter how your mother carries or carried out her maternal responsibilities, your own responsibility is to love and care for her. Nothing she has done or said to you will ever wipe out the fact that she is still your mother. Sometimes mothers have their hands full, which causes them to react harshly to you. Put those experiences behind you. The Book of Leviticus 19:3 says, “Each of you should honor your mother and father…” Love your mother because God has placed her in your life. 

Forgive Your Mother’s Shortcoming: Mothers are human beings too. They are not perfect. Like everyone of us, they are not always going to get it right. So, if you think your mother was hard on you, didn’t say kind words to you, didn’t love you the way you expected her to, may be after your father left her or died, she remarried and moved on with her newfound love, and placed you under the care of her sister, as we celebrate Mother’s Day, I urge you to forgive her— whether living or dead. 

Be Proud Of Your Mother: No matter what your mother looks like, be proud of her. Even if she can’t speak good English, be proud of her. Ability to speak good English is not always an evidence of knowledge and wisdom. If your mother is not technologically savvy, be proud of her. If she did not receive enough formal education, be proud of her. She may not have a college degree, but I tell you, she does have a doctorate degree in life experiences. She has a doctorate degree in being strong. She has a doctorate degree in many things. When you were little, your mother was able to look at you and discern correctly the meaning of every tear you shed. Each time you cried, she was able to know what you wanted and what was wrong with you. Be proud of her! 

Be Attentive To Your Mother’s Need: From infancy, a child is used to taking from his or her mother. So, it can be easy to forget that mothers too have needs. From time to time, consider what your mother might appreciate. As she grows older, she may need assistance for her physical or emotional well-being. You know, for some mothers, all they desire is for their children to express gratitude by way of being attentive to them. Do not abandon your mother. Even after you are married, stay in touch with her. Never allow anything or anybody to disconnect you from your mother. Mother’s life matters!

Live Well And Upright: The greatest gift you can give to a godly mother is to live well and upright. Since we are all Christians, be conscious of God’s presence in your life. Be conscious of your relationship with God. Your relationship with God will be marked and defined by how you live your daily life, what you say and do, how you treat others, how much God matters to you. The bottomline is this: Give your life to Christ Jesus. Even a mother who didn’t live well or who was not a Christian will definitely want her children to live uprightly and will no doubt take pride in a child whose life radiates love, kindness, sacrifice, and charity.

Daily Pray For Your Mother: As a Catholic Christian, prayer should be important to you. So, when you pray, talk to the Lord about your mother. Pray for her privately and in her presence. Surely, praying for her in her presence will always remind her that she is important and loved. 

Do Not Forsake Your Mother’s Teaching: The Book of Proverb says, “Listen, my child, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” Many of you have heard me talk about my mother’s wisdom and teachings. They inspire me. Strengthen me. Encourage me. And help me keep moving forward. Those wonderful lessons you learned from your mother can help you through life. We are used to hearing the question, “What would Jesus do?” But there are times when the question, “What would mom do?” will be proper as well.  

To all the mothers here, I commit you into the loving hands of God. I thank each of you for participating in the miracle of birth. May God bless each of you. If you are experiencing sickness, any kind of sickness, I pray for your healing. If you are suffering from broken heart syndrome, I release the anointing power of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter to comfort you. Whatever it is in your life that you struggling with right now— loss of spouse, child, friend, etc. may you experience the power of the Resurrection in Jesus name. Amen