At times, perhaps shaped in part by insights from Feminist Theology, I find it difficult to confine God strictly within human gender categories. If you have seen The Shack, a movie that premiered around 2017, you may recognize a similar spiritual intuition, suggesting that the attempt to encounter God goes beyond limited human constructs. Today, as Mother’s Day is observed in the US and all of Latin America, this reflection takes on a more personal tone. While Christian tradition names God as Father, there is also a profound sense in which God’s nurturing, compassionate love resonates with what we experience in motherhood. In salvation history, this maternal dimension is beautifully embodied in the Virgin Mary, who uniquely participates in God’s loving care for humanity, extending her role as the Mother of Jesus, the Christ.
In honoring mothers, without diminishing the indispensable role of fathers, I have sometimes reflected on the depth of their vocation. To be a mother requires patience, enduring love, resilience, and self-giving in both ordinary and heroic ways. I am not certain I could fully embody such virtues; however, I hold them in deep reverence. Mothers remain enduring treasures, worthy of honor and gratitude in every generation.
For context, the liturgical readings for today present the name “Christ” in two complementary, metaphorical senses. In Acts of the Apostles (8:5-8, 14-17), Philip “proclaims the Christ,” bringing healing and restoration to Samaria. In the first epistle of Peter (3:15-18), believers are exhorted to “sanctify Christ” in their hearts. Meanwhile, the gospel from John (14:15-21) centers on the promise of the Holy Spirit, the abiding presence of God among believers. Together, these texts emphasize both the outward proclamation and the inward consecration of Christ.
Philip’s mission to Samaria in the first reading is especially striking. It echoes the story of the destruction of the first temple and the city by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar about the year 587 BC, making Samaria, once marked by division and historical rupture, not abandoned by God. Samaria, thus, becomes the site of renewal and reflects the “Christ,” signifying the restoration of what is broken and the triumph of the good over estrangement.
This movement, in a human way, mirrors the enduring love of mothers. Regardless of circumstance, mothers rarely abandon their children (especially that “ONE CHILD”); instead, they pursue them with steadfast love, prayer, and hope, seeking always to guide them back to what is right. The witness of Monica and her son, Augustine of Hippo, a city recently visited by our Pope Leo XIV during his tour of Africa, remains a powerful example of this persevering love within the Christian tradition. In many families, such maternal devotion becomes the quiet force that restores, heals, and sustains. In this light, the Church invites us to pause and honor all mothers for their love, courage, and fidelity. The witness of mothers reflects, profoundly and tangibly, the steadfast and redeeming love of God at work in the world. Happy Mother’s Day!
