Mother's Day

Date: Sunday May 03, 2009 Mother's Day 4th Sunday of Easter
Readings: Acts 4: 8-12 Psalm 118: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 29 1 John 3:1-2 John 10:11-18
Peter, who was the one who denied Him three times, now puts his own head on the line in defiantly proclaiming Christ's resurrection before the very people who conspired to see Jesus dead. He then accuses them of causing the death of life by their insistence on Jesus' sacrifice.
The Psalm is repeated many times during the Easter Season. God's mercy is unfathomable. We do not forgive as we ought, however, we have been given the Grace to be like Jesus in our forgiveness. As the reading from 1John states, we are children of God. Therefore, if we really look inward, with faith, we can be just like Jesus full of love and mercy.
The GOOD Shepherd, is sort of, an anomaly. Shepherds, in Jesus time were the scum of the earth. It was by having the shepherds be the first witnesses to Jesus' birth, the writer of Luke shows how the Messiah was to come to the lowliest of the low, not in glory.
God's love is so profound, it can only be epitomized by the love of a mother for her children. A Mother dignifies her misshapened body even when she carries "low" as she is co-creating with her husband and God. She will go through writhing pain, like Jesus, knowing the redemption will be in her child, as Christ knew His Glorification would be in His Resurrection. She would lay down her life for her child, were it to become necessary. For the salvation of mankind, Jesus laid down His life. Her choice is always secondary to her child. Jesus' human choice might have been life, however, His Godly choice was death for us.
We are number 1 with our Mothers and with God. Who could have better seconds than these?