We do not live in a culture that
celebrates the honor and importance of motherhood. And yet, it’s impossible to
overstate the value of mothers in world history, religious history—and in the
life of the leaders of our own nation.
An ancient
Jewish proverb states, "God could not be everywhere, and therefore He made
mothers." Where would Jesus have been
without Mary? Where would Muhammad have been without Aminah
bint Wahb? Where would the Buddha have been without Queen Māyā of Sakya? Where would Moses have been without Jochebed? World history would
be vastly different without these mothers and the supportive role they played
in their children’s lives.
Abraham Lincoln wrote, “All that
I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." Many of us can affirm
a similar sentiment. And while it’s not true that all mothers are angels, or
that all mothers give us wings to soar, most mothers are, more or less, the moral
and spiritual rock upon which their children stand. And yet, we do not live in
a culture that celebrates the
honor and importance of motherhood.
Without mothers, where would the
nurture of the world come from? Certainly some fathers have the capacity to
care for children. And yet, historically speaking, it has only been a recent
phenomenon that fathers have assumed such a role. For the bulk of humanity’s
existence, mothers have been the figures who have offered signs of tenderness
and self-giving love. Children first know security and affection in and through
their mother’s flesh.
I would not be the man that I am
today were it not for the sustaining role that my mother has played in my life.
My mother believed in me even when I did not believe in myself. She gave me
courage when I was timid. She disciplined me when I lied or was disrespectful
(I can still feel the switch on the back of my legs). She loves me
unconditionally, though she does not always agree with me.
I believe it’s true what Saint Therese of Lisieux said: “The
loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the love of a Mother.” And
yet, motherhood, perhaps the most important job in the world, is arguably the
least valued of jobs. What did Theodore Roosevelt say? “The good mother…the
wise mother…is more important to the community than the ablest man; her career
is more worthy of honor and more useful to the community than the career of any
man, no matter how successful.”
Thank God for your mother. If you
cannot thank God for your mother, thank God for a woman who acted like the
mother you wish you would have had. And, if your mother is still living, write
her a letter and tell her how much she means to you. She’s worth it.
