Happy Mothers’ Day! Today we give thanks to God for our mothers, grandmothers, Godmothers and all who have filled the role of mother in our lives. I remember with affection my mother and grandmothers, who have been deceased for many years. My mother and her mother taught me our faith. I remain grateful that they took me to Mass and began my introduction to Jesus. My other grandmother read to me and instilled in me a love of books and reading (she also made the best cookies and pies).

Both last Sunday and today our second reading is taken from the First Letter of John, chapter 4. The last verse of the reading last Sunday and the first verse of our reading this Sunday go together [I John 4:10-11].

In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another.

In these two verses St. John sums up the core of our faith. God loves us. We do not earn God’s love, because he loves us before we do anything. God proves his love for us in the sacrifice of Christ. Our response is to share God’s love with each other. Everything else (Mass and the other sacraments, the Bible, prayer, the Catholic community) serve to help us receive God’s love and to extend that love to all of our neighbors. Learning to love as God loves is a life-long task that we all work on as we accompany one another on life’s journey. I give thanks to God for my mother and grandmothers who taught me the first lessons of love and brought Jesus Christ into my life.

Grace and peace,
Fr. Gary Tyman