My Mother Taught Me

Seeing Jesus’ Mother through our Lord’s eyes

05/12/2019

John 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.”

Today must be the easiest Sunday of the year to come up with a sermon. Why? Well, it’s Mothers’ Day and what preacher can’t think of something sweet and sentimental to say about his mother? Last week, a friend sent me an email about all the lessons he learned from his mother. See if any sound familiar to the lessons your mother taught you. He wrote: My mother taught me “religion,” when she said, “You’d better pray that will come out of the carpet.” My mother taught me “foresight,” when she advised: “Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.” My mother taught me “irony” when she indicated: “Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about.” My mother taught me, about “weather,” when she observed: “This room of yours looks like a tornado went through it.” My mother taught me about “receiving” when she threatened: “You are really going to get it when we get home!” My mother taught me about “humor” when she said smiling: “When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.” And finally my mother taught me “wisdom” when she opined, “One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.” See, we all have sweet and sentimental memories of our mothers.

Now, what if we asked Jesus to write a list of the lessons that his mother, Mary, had taught him? What might our Lord’s list look like? In the gospel today, Jesus says: “The Father and I are one.” There is a sense in which Jesus can say something similar about his mother, Mary: “My Mother and I are one.” Now, clearly, I am not condoning or confessing “Mariolatry,” the idolatrous worship of Mary as if she were the fourth Person of the Holy Trinity. That’s ridiculous. Nonetheless, I am suggesting that Jesus and Mary are “one” in the sense that his human nature came entirely from her, just like his divine nature came from God the Father. People often say that I look a lot like my mom. At first, I thought that was an insult – people think I look like a girl! But later I learned that is a huge compliment: my mom is gorgeous. It’s highly probable, therefore, that some of Jesus’ features may have resembled his mother’s because she gave him his human nature. That is the sense in which Jesus can say, “My Mother and I are one.” Based on a quick survey of the scriptures, I think there are at least four lessons Jesus can say his mother taught him.

First of all, Jesus could say, “My mother taught me to do miracles when people are in need.” Do you remember Jesus’ very first miracle? It was in John 2, the wedding at Cana, where Jesus change a lot of dirty water into a lot of delicious wine. Jesus had originally objected to do anything, but when his mother interceded and insisted, our Lord acquiesced. Even though Jesus knows everything because he is God, nevertheless, he leaves a little room for Mary’s maternal intercession to move him, at least in his humanity, to do miracles. Jesus could say, “My mother taught me to do miracles.”

Secondly, Jesus can say, “My mother taught me to obey the Torah.” In Luke 2, Jesus goes with his parents for the annual pilgrimage to the Jerusalem Temple. We read in Luke 2: 41-42, “Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom.” I would venture to guess that in 9 out of 10 Catholic families, it’s the mother who makes everyone go to Mass each Sunday. So, too, in Jesus earthly family, Mary taught Jesus to obey the Law and the Prophets, so that one day he would not only obey them, but even fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Jesus could say, “My mother taught me to be a good Jew,” as our mothers teach us to be good Catholics.

Thirdly, Jesus can say: “My mother taught me to seek God’s will rather than my own.” You remember at the Annunciation an angel appeared to Mary with the astonishing news she would be the Mother of God. And in Luke 1:38, she humbly answered: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Jesus would follow her example in the Garden of Gethsamane with the help of an angel. We read in Luke 22:41-43: ‘”Jesus prayed, Father, if you are willing take this cup away from me; still not my will but yours be done.’ And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him.” Like mother, like Son. I am convinced that angels also aid us every time we choose God’s will rather than our own. Jesus could say, “My Mother taught me to do God’s will.”

Fourthly, Jesus could say, “My Mother taught me to see the world through her eyes.” Some people say they see the world through “rose-colored glasses.” Jesus could say he saw the world through “Mary-colored glasses.” I suspect Jesus’ eyes looked a lot like his mother’s eyes. This hit me in the seminary in a homily I delivered as a deacon on Luke 7, the widow of Nain. We read in Luke 7:12: “As Jesus drew near to the gates of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her.” I believe in beholding that sad scene, Jesus had a premonition, a preview, of his own death; that is, he would die as the only son of a widowed mother being carried out of a city by a large crowd. In other words, Jesus saw his mother in the widow of Nain, and he raised her son to life to comfort and console her as if she were his own mother. Many Christians say, “W.W.J.D.” (What would Jesus do?) to help us in hard times. Jesus might have asked: “W.W.M.D.” (What would Mary do?) Again, not to diminish our Lord’s divinity, but only to help his humanity. Mary taught Jesus to see the world through her eyes, quite literally. Jesus could say, “Mary taught me to see like her.”

Today, on this Mothers’ Day we have a lot to be grateful to our mother’s for, and so does Jesus. Sawyer Brown sang, “I gotta thank mama for the cookin’ / Daddy for the whuppin’ / The devil for the trouble that I get into / I got to give credit where credit is due / I thank the bank for the money, / Thank God for you.” Today, all Christians, including Christ himself, can give credit to our mommas, and for a lot more than the cookin.

Praised be Jesus Christ!