When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!”

John 19:26-27


Friends,

This Sunday, we devote one entire day to celebrating the wonderful women who have shaped our lives—mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, stepmothers, all “mothers.” There is truly nothing that compares to the selfless love and support that comes from these most special women.

Our mothers have uniquely impacted each of our lives and development, just as I have done for the four children that God gave to Kris and me. While a child receives love from both their mother and father – and needs both – the love from a mother is uniquely different. The love from mom is warm and nurturing, providing a sense of family security, whereas fatherly love encourages independence and risk in facing the outside world.

Mothers, even in their imperfection, provide an example for their daughters of how to act, to love, and to live. They are the maps that their daughters look to for direction. At the same time, mothers are the models for their sons to look for in a future wife. They provide that necessary contrast that teaches their sons how a man properly relates to a woman.

For more than 20 years, Massachusetts Family Institute has upheld the standard for family: a man and a woman, bound by marriage, raising children. While this is the ideal, and one to strive for and promote, we know that our world is not perfect. We applaud the single mothers who have risen to the challenge of raising their children alone, and support the dads who stay engaged in their children’s lives, regardless of their relationship status with the mother.

We are called by the Lord to honor our mother every day of our lives, but this Sunday is the day that has been specifically set-aside for us to say “thank you” to all the mothers in our lives. I wish all of you who are mothers a most happy Mother’s Day this Sunday and throughout the year.

Blessings,

Lura Mineau