Today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, also called Good Shepherd Sunday, as the Gospel is about Jesus the Good Shepherd. It is also Mother’s Day. These are different celebrations and yet they seem to me to be the same. It’s an Easter celebration of new life as Christ resurrected from the dead and showed us this new life of faith in God. It is through our mothers, that our lives began in this world. A life they nourished, helped grow and nurtured. It’s Good Shepherd Sunday as Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He shepherded His people through his love for us all. He healed, He taught us how to live in faith, He brought life to those who died, and He sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. Our Mothers healed our hurts, whether that be mending a scrapped elbow or soothing an insult that hurt our feelings or egos. They made us feel good about ourselves when others may have put us down or ignored us or we didn’t do so well in school or the game. They may not have died on the cross, but they truly sacrificed their lives for their children in many ways – going out of their way to help us get our way. Today we honor Jesus as the Good Shepherd. And we remember our Mothers who gave us life and showed us how to live that life by the teachings of Jesus.
Happy Mothers Day!