Moms Are Smart

Holding our mother’s hand and Jesus' hand

05/08/2022

Jn 10:27-30 Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

My parents are now living in Springdale and I get to visit them more often, since they have moved from Little Rock. And one thing I have started doing more often, as we drive around Springdale, is holding my mom’s hand. When we drive to a restaurant, or to the store, or to the pharmacy, my dad sits in the backseat like the bishop. And I serve as his chauffeur. But my mom sits in the front seat like my shotgun driver. Sometimes I reach over and hold her hand, because the traffic in Northwest Arkansas scares me. Seriously, though, holding hands is a beautiful way to communicate without words.

When I do that I want to tell my mom that I am sorry for not being a better son to her. I have not always loved her as she deserves. But I also want to tell her that I love her, and am so blessed that she is my mom. I try to say all that by holding her hand, and I think she knows what I am saying. Moms are smart like that. If you have never done that, try doing that. If you are sitting next to your mom right now, reach over and hold her hand for the rest of this homily. She will know what you are trying to tell her, and you won’t have to say a word. Why? Well, because moms are smart like that.

Many years ago there was a bishop in Rome who had a strange spiritual habit. Wherever he went, he always had a rosary wrapped around his hand. People started to notice it, and wondered what it meant. One day an archbishop stopped the bishop and asked him why he always had a rosary wrapped around his hand. (You have to be an archbishop to question a bishop.) The bishop explained: “Well, holding the rosary makes me feel like I’m holding the Blessed Virgin Mary’s hand. And she is leading me and guiding me through my day.” That bishop liked to hold Mary’s hand while traveling around Rome, like I hold my mother’s hand while traveling around Springdale.

Well, a few years later that bishop became an archbishop himself, and soon after that he was made a cardinal. Then in 1978, he was elected as the pope and took the name “Pope John Paul II”. Maybe if I keep holding my mother’s hand I will be elected as the pope one day too! I wonder if while holding her hand, the pope was trying to tell Mother Mary that he was sorry for not always being the best son to her. But he was also trying to tell her how blessed he was to have her as his spiritual mother. Do you think Mary knew all that when the pope held her hand every day? I think so. Moms are smart like that.

Today, the fourth Sunday of Easter, is traditionally called “Good Shepherd Sunday”. The gospel reading is always taken from John 10, the classic chapter describing Jesus as the Good Shepherd and how we are his sheep. There we read this powerful line, where Jesus declares: “No one can take them out of my hand.” Now how does Jesus the Shepherd hold us, his sheep, in his hands? Well, I think that hand-holding happens through the ministry of the Church, the Body of Christ, and especially through the Church’s priests, whose hands are consecrated to bless God’s people.

In other words, if you are within reach of the blessing of a priests’ hands, then you are within reach of Jesus’ hands. That is how no one can take us out of Jesus’ hands. It’s funny to think about this, but when I hold my mom’s hand, I am telling her that I love her. But when my mom holds my hand, a priest’s hand, she is telling Jesus that she loves him. Do you think my mom knows that when she holds my hand, she is not only holding her son’s hand, but also Jesus’ hand? Yeah, I think so. Why? Well, because moms are smart like that.

This weekend is Mother’s Day here in the United States. Do you know one of the most popular gifts for Mother’s Day every year? It is not chocolates, nor is it a bouquet of flowers, nor preparing her favorite meal, or taking her to her favorite restaurant to eat. All those are great gifts, but there is something even better. The gift most moms want the most is for you to go to church with her. That is why churches are full on Christmas, Easter, and Mother’s Day. In other words, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does not only use the consecrated hands of a priest to keep you close to him, he also uses the soft, loving, tender hands of your mom to keep you close to him.

Holding our mother’s hands can communicate a lot of things. It tells them we are sorry for not being a better son or daughter to them. It tells them we love them and feel blessed they are our mothers. And it is through holding their hands that Jesus says to the world: “And no one can take them out of my hands.” And who knows, holding tightly to your mother’s hand, one day you might even become the pope.

Praised be Jesus Christ!