Mother: Having a mother, loving your mother, being a mother, honoring your mother

I love my mom so much!  I'm adopted, so while she might not be the one who gave birth to me, she is my mother. Why is that? Society, in general, defines a mother as one who has given birth to a child.  I've never held with that.* A mother is the one who loves you, comforts you, holds you, protects you. She is often the one you turn to when you need something, or someone. She will stand between you and danger; she will do everything possible, when appropriate, to make you happy.  It may not always be what you want or expect. But nonetheless, it's always done in our best interest.  If we think we want a dozen chocolate chip cookies for dinner, she's not usually going to accommodate that. :)

Our Lady is our mother.  Think about it. She loves us, comforts us, holds us, protects us.  She wants to stand between us and danger; she wants to give us everything we need, but only if it's best for us.  We are God's children, as detailed in the Bible.  Mary is the Mother of God.  This is confusing for us humans, but that's the way it works.  She is the closest person who was on earth who is with our Lord. She gave birth to our Savior. Do you (or would you) love a mother as wonderful as Mary? He does. She is very special.  Don't be confused or misled: Catholics do not worship Mary.  We honor her, as is her due.  The Lord has seen fit to let her appear to us over the last 2000 years, and especially over the last few centuries.  That wouldn't happen if He didn't believe that we should honor and love her.  As Catholics, we are called to honor Mary, but we aren't required to believe in the miracles associated with her, or to give her extra attention.  But what a great gift we are given in our mother!

When I was a child, we said the Hail Mary prayer (which can be found on the Rosary page on this blog) during Mass. That wasn't standard, but apparently acceptable.  I rarely recall praying the Rosary as a child or an adult, until last February.  

When I was 16, I was in a wreck.  I had been sneaking out to see my boyfriend, and was in a hurry to get home before curfew (which, to be honest, was rare for me).  I rolled my '65 Mustang numerous times, end over end, side over side.  Despite the fact that I usually wore my seat belt when on the road, I didn't wear it on short 'town' errands in my rural/farm community.  I remember being upside down, hitting my head, as the car rolled.  Parts of the interior came off somehow (it was impossible to figure out how they came apart, given the small opening and the large object), the roof was crushed, and the front was demolished.

But the part I remember most is what came to me in those few seconds that seemed like hours.  I didn't consciously think "I need to pray!", or "what should I pray?". I prayed the Hail Mary. Not once, not twice.  It felt like I prayed it dozens of times in those few seconds that seemed like hours.  I walked away with a slight concussion. By walked away, I actually I walked a mile in the dark on a dirt road in the country 5 miles from town.  When I saw the car later, I had no idea how I wasn't hurt more.  

I love how, without even thinking, I turned to Mary in my scariest moment of my young life.  I had said the Lord's Prayer many, many more times in my life, and I had known it longer.  While I love our Father, and could have prayed directly to Him, it is comforting to know that Mary is here for us, is there for us.

Thank you Father for gifting us with such a wonderful mother, and for all the Graces You provide to us through her, and her intercessions.

Please pray for me.  God bless you.

Romans 8:16

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God....

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*Side note: I get upset when I hear a newscaster refer to an abusive or neglectful woman as 'mother'. I don't mean mothers who aren't perfect, because I'm surely not! But, as in the Erica Green/Precious Doe case, the woman who was supposed to be her mother, either via birth or raising the little girl, didn't do a thing to protect her, and instead assisted in the abuse and murder of the innocent child. I will never forget that murder.