Rev Francisco BilogProverbs 31:10-31
It’s Mother’s Day. In behalf of the women and mothers, let me underscore a few qualities of a mother that would properly be the subject of today’s celebration.
The Bible Dictionary defines the word Mother, as a female parent who carries, gives birth to and cares for a child. The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures describe two equally important role of a mother: to bear children and to rear them. These two roles became so important that a stigma was attached to barrenness.
This is the reason why every woman espoused in the scripture do their best to bear a child. Hannah, the second wife of Elkanah had been taunted and insulted by Peninnah because she had no child. So Hannah prayed so hard and even bargain with the Lord for her to have a child. The Lord took pity on her and gave her a child, Samuel. The wife of Abraham, Sarah, had been without a child. When she 100 years old she took a desperate moved, gave her maid to Abraham that she may bore a children for her. Hagar, the maid, instead of giving respect to Sarah taunted her and treated her with disrespect. God took pity on Sarah, He gave child in her old age.
Now bearing a child is no easy thing to do. The Bible tells us of several aspects of bearing a child: conception, pregnancy, the pain of child birth and nursing. Several women give up and offer in sacrifices many of their dreams, ambitions and comfort just to have the joy of bearing a child. Several women also chose to bear a child against the warning that they endanger their live if they decide to bear a child. Many decided to take up the risk and gave up their lives in exchange of the joy of becoming a mother. In fact in my case, I lost one or two of my teeth every time I bore a child.
Rearing a child is the next role qualities of a mother. It is expected of the woman who bore a child to rear, teach and discipline her child. This second phase is as difficult as the first one. Thus in the Hebrew and Christian Scripture motherhood for many female espouses became their full time occupation.
Some mothers knowing their capabilities to rear and train up their child took the painful sacrifice of giving up their love ones to someone who can give their child a better future. So the noble role of motherhood had turned many of women who were not able to fulfill the first role but successfully fulfilled the second which is as important as the first one. Both have bestowed life. We honor both kinds of mothers in our midst, without them many of us would not be here today.
Let me mention several motherly virtues that are often extolled in the Bible and today.
1.Compassion for her children. In Isaiah 49:15 says, “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Never! She will always feel love to the child she has borne.” There is a mother in the gospel whose child was dying of a sickness. She brought her child to Jesus but the disciples begged the Lord to drive her away. Knowing that the mother was a Canaanite, bitter enemy of the Jews, Jesus was indifferent to her pleas and even implied that she is not entitled to God’s grace. He even said, “It is not right to take the children’s good and throw to the dogs.” Because of her compassionate concern for her child she was willing to face insults, and any hardship just to gain life for her dying daughter. Because of her indomitable persistence and stubborn refusal to say no for an answer she got what she asked for.
2. Comfort of her children. In Isaiah 66:12-13, “Her children will be nursed at her breast, carried in her arms, and treated with love. I will comfort you there as a child is comforted by its mother.”
You may give all the material comforts to your children, and the best
education you can bestow but if you do not become a comfort to your them you might lost them away. Love is the best measuring stick in rearing your child. Love, is the most reliable, the most genuine and the most authentic sign of rearing your child. Paraphrasing St. Paul’s chapter of love: “What does it matter if you can give to your children all the comfort of life, if you don’t have love, it’s not worth anything. What does it matter if you can give the best education expensive universities can give, if you don’t have love, it’s empty and worthless. And what does it matter if your children become socialite and popular in the community, without love these will just be like noise that will pass away.” With love in your heart, and develop in every relationship with your child, you will always be the comfort of your children even in their adulthood.
3. Responsibility for Instructing and Disciplining her children. In Prov. 1:8, and 31:1 we read these words: “Don’t neglect your mother’s teaching. What you learn from her will crown you with grace and clothe you with honor.” Here we find that mothers share in the responsibility of teaching and disciplining their children.
In the traditional family home of Filipinos, it is the mother who are always with the children, thus they are the one who normally carry the burden of instructing and bringing discipline to the children. Of course this is not an excuse for the fathers. In such a case, let me remind the mothers that action speaks louder than words. This is especially true in the home. Children learn values, morals, and priorities by observing how their parents act and react every day. If parents exhibit a deep reverence for and dependence on God the children will catch these attitudes. Let them see your reverence to God. Teach them the right living by giving worship and important place in your family life and by reading the bible together. Teach them the main ingredient and characteristics of love as described by St. Paul by your acts of love seen and experience by your family and the community.
This Mother’s Day we shall remember, the fact that God would use a human mother to bring His son into the world has bestowed upon motherhood its greatest honor. In this celebration we shall also recall the great mothers of our age- living and dead- whose unswerving faith and love have become channels of blessings to many. We ought to pause in solemn remembrance and acknowledgment of mothers whose hope and noble virtues have nourished and shaped our values and dreams. We should in simple ceremonies, offer symbols of appreciation for mothers through whose sacrifices and pains we have obtained life and its abundance. We must remember them today, honor their existence and give thanks to God for their lives, live in sacrifices of love, that we might live the kind we are today. Amen.
Prayer: We gratefully acknowledge, O Lord, the faith, and the love of our mother, living or dead, by which we receive the blessings of family life. Grant that we may so honor them in the conduct of our lives and in the moral purity of our conscience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(May FUMC 2005)