Phil Keith is the Police Chief in Knoxville, Tennessee. One night in the middle of a city council meeting his pager goes off. He was startled to see that the call was from his mother.
Concerned, he left in the middle of the meeting to go out into the hallway to call her. “Mom,” he said, “What’s the matter??”
"Phil Keith, are you chewing gum?" asked his mom.
"Yes, ma'am," answered Chief Keith.
“Well, it looks awful," his mother said. "Spit it out."
You see, she had been watching the council meeting on cable access TV.
Keith dutifully removed the gum and went back to his meeting.
You may be grown-up, but to your mother, you are still fair game for correction and…worry…and love and care!
Mother’s Day is a day to admit gratefully the fact that none of us can return, in the same measure, all the love that our mothers have given us.
Their influence on us is so great that it affects us throughout our lives. Our mothers not only gave birth to us but nursed us, nurtured us, trained us in us religious beliefs and practices, taught us good manners and ideal behavior, disciplined us as best as they could and made us good citizens of our country, our Church and our society.
At the Last Supper on the night before he died, Jesus in his farewell speech said to his apostles: "Love one another as I have loved you.”
I think we all can agree that just the word “MOM” is synonymous with the sacrificial love that Jesus us calls us to practice in its purest form.
On this Mother’s Day let us express our love and gratitude to our mothers by our presence, gifts and prayers as we offer this Eucharistic celebration for all mothers, whether they are alive or have gone to their eternal reward.