THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN

May 13, 2007

The Good News

...Mothers

Today, with great joy, I greet all mothers. With a fervent request I ask Almighty God to bless each of you in a very, very special way. May God, in His goodness and love, grant you His peace and a life filled with happiness. May He guard and protect and lead you all the days of your life on this earth to life everlasting in heaven. There, may you and your children share in the Kingdom of God forever and ever!

Mother’s Day is a wonderful annual reminder of the great blessing God has given each of us in the person of our own dear mothers. It is the plan of God to create human life through the ministry and the cooperation of a woman and a man. Through them God instills new life. Parents, therefore, are co-creators with God and rightly called mother or father.

While Mother’s Day is a public recognition of motherhood, grateful children should remember and respond personally every day for the gift of our own mother. We realize not only how good God is who gave us our mothers, but also how good our mother is who received and accepted us as a gift from God.

I believe the failure of people to recognize human life as a gift from God is the fundamental reason we have so much violence in our society today. It is certainly part of the reason for the practice of birth control and leads to the acceptance of abortion. Not recognizing life as a gift causes many people to react negatively toward children. Child neglect and other forms of child abuse are caused by people who have lost respect for human life. Indeed, all crimes and offenses stem from the loss of the respect for the gift of life from God.

Today, as we observe Mother’s Day, we are challenged once again to examine our own attitude toward life. Do we see our own life as a gift from God? Do we regularly and sincerely thank God for the gift of life? If our mother is still living, do we frequently thank her by word and by deed? If our mother is deceased, do we remember to pray for her and even perhaps to her? Do we do all this gratefully?

A mother, by her openness to God, the giver of all life is truly a co-creator with God. A mother, by her thankful acceptance of the gift of her child reflects the goodness of God. A mother, by her dedicated care, difficult though it might be, practices the graciousness of God. Mothers are intended to be special gifts for all of us.

 Today, with great joy, therefore we do thank God for the gift of our own dear mother. Let us also thank our mother for her positive response in accepting us as a gift from God.

Congratulations to all mothers for your faithfulness to your vocation. May Almighty God in His goodness and love bless and help you and every mother today and always. Happy MOTHER’S DAY!