With the coming Sunday, we celebrate what can be called a Hallmark holiday. Mother’s Day is not a part of our liturgical calendar. It might be understood more in commercial terms than any other. And yet, it seems that there is a desire to honor either mothers or fathers at a particular time of year. It began in our country when President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May a national holiday. A woman by the name of Anna Jarvis, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia wanted a service to honor the sacrifices mothers made for their children. Later in life she was not happy that it became a commercial holiday.

I recently read that in Catholic parishes, the day causes pastors some difficulty. They know that people expect a blessing for the mothers in attendance, but what about those women who do not have children or are not married? Perhaps the best thing is to pray for the many women who have gone before us giving us a sense of what it means to have a mothering spirit.

I have recognized a mothering spirit in both male and female. I remember when our son asked us what we would think if he became a “stay at home dad.” I answered him that it did not matter because a hug is hug and a kiss is a kiss.

Perhaps we need to come to that conclusion that a mothering spirit is something of which we all can be a part. A mothering spirit is one that pays attention to others offering concern whenever there is a need. A smile, a hug, and a kind word to strangers are all part of a mothering spirit. As we celebrate Mothers Day, let us remember that Jesus had a mothering spirit in the way he treated others. If we follow his way, we will also have a mothering spirit. On this day we need to give thanks for all those who have gone before us, including mothers, who showed us the way to have a mothering spirit. The idea of a mothering spirit came from the writing of Fr. James Martin.

– Helen Ackermann