This coming weekend is Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10), an opportunity for all of us to thank our own mothers and to celebrate all mothers and grandmothers.
We should take time to remember our moms, not just with a card or flowers, but by spending time with them. Make sure they know we love and appreciate all they’ve done for us. For those of us whose mothers have died, we can remember them in our thoughts and prayers and perhaps visit their gravesite.
I mentioned grandmothers, not just because I’ve joined their ranks in the past year (with two wonderful little granddaughters to cherish). Grandmothers have a depth of experience and wisdom to share with their children and grandchildren. Let’s be sure to give them the recognition they deserve.
In thinking about Mother’s Day, I have come across several things which we could do to honor our mothers in concrete ways.
Support local organizations helping women
First, we could show our support for local maternity homes, pregnancy centers, and pro-life organizations that help pregnant women. Many women want to give life to their unborn children, but they don’t always have the financial, material, and emotional support to help carry those children to term.
In the Madison Diocese area, we can provide support to Catholic Charities, the Elizabeth House Maternity Home, CareNet, Pregnancy Helpline, and Seton House run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society as well as Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin. All of these organizations provide help for pregnant women and children.
Pregnant Women Support Act
We can also urge our state representatives and senators to support the new Pregnant Women Support Act. The federal legislation, introduced by Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.), “provides an authentic common ground, an approach that people can embrace regardless of their position on other issues,” said Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
This proposed legislation would provide many kinds of life-affirming support for pregnant women and their unborn children. It would eliminate pregnancy as a pre-existing condition that could be used to deny health coverage; provide grants to support centers offering alternatives to abortion; assist colleges and universities in providing support for pregnant students and students who are parents, and increase support for nutrition and adoption programs, among other provisions.
This law would be an excellent way to support pregnant women and encourage other women to consider motherhood as a viable option. Consider contacting your legislators in the name of your own mother.
Baby shower for mothers of Bethlehem
Another suggestion is to sponsor a baby shower for the mothers of Bethlehem, so appropriate with the Holy Father’s coming visit to the Holy Land. Over 200 women each month overcome curfews, road closures, and roadblocks to deliver their babies at Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem. It is the only maternity hospital in the West Bank that can handle the complicated medical conditions of women living in extreme poverty.
The U.S.-based Holy Family Hospital Foundation suggests that families, churches, and schools host baby showers for the mothers of Bethlehem. The foundation has set up a Web page where all the tools to host a baby shower are found at www.BirthplaceofHope.org
These are just a few ideas to observe Mother’s Day, not just on May 10 but throughout the whole year.