Archbishop Makarios of Australia referred to the sanctity of the word “mother”, which for all people is identified with the divine gift of life, while especially for Christians it refers to the face of the Virgin Mary and recalls her presence on the hill of Golgotha and under the Cross of Christ, in his message for today’s International Mother’s Day.
“In imitation of the Most Holy Mary,” he notes, “every mother is consistently present in the young and old Golgotha’s that her children ascend, in the small and large “crosses” that they are called upon to bear in the difficult circumstances of their lives.
In addition, the Archbishop makes special reference to the mothers of the war-torn Ukraine, outlining the feelings of anguish, pain and suffering that dominate their souls, and urging us to try to experience, at least in a minimum, these feelings.
In this way I believe that we pay tribute, in a way, to all mothers, the Archbishop stressed, “in addition, we are strengthening our commitment to peace and strengthening our voices against war.”
Looking forward to a future where, if possible, no other mother will experience the same feelings and will not be so unfairly deprived of the blessed gift that God has given her: her children, Metropolitan Makarios concluded in his message.
Read the message of Archbishop of Australia Makarios
“Mother” a word synonymous with love and warmth; offering and self-sacrifice; daily toil and endless patience; a sacred word that for every human being on earth is associated with the precious divine gift of life.
But especially for us Christians, the word “mother” also reminds us of our Lord’s journey towards frightful Golgotha. For the Mother of our God and Mother of us all was there, present on the hill of Golgotha, present under the Cross, suffering in the Passion of her Son – from beginning to end.
In imitation of the Most Holy Theotokos, every mother is firmly present in the small and large “Golgothas” that their children climb, in the small and large “crosses” that they are called to carry during the difficult times of their lives.
This day is an opportunity to express our gratitude towards all mothers; both individually and collectively, for their crucial role in our personal lives, in our family, in the community and in the wider society, while at the same time it challenges us to mentally travel to hard-hit Ukraine, where a fratricidal war has been raging for two and a half months.
There we will encounter mothers who become a shield for their children and try to protect them from the mire of war; mothers who take the road as refugees with their children in their arms; and others who strive to heal the wounds in their bodies and souls.
But we will also encounter mothers mourning for their unfortunate children, for the profane – under the responsibility of people – removal of life that they, by the Grace of God, had given them.
In trying to experience, at least in part, the feelings of anguish, pain and affliction that pervade the souls of Ukrainian mothers at this time, I believe we are, in a way, paying tribute to all mothers and, in addition, we strengthen our commitment to peace and increase our voices against war.
In this way, we look forward to a future where, if possible, no other mother will experience these same feelings and be so unjustly deprived of the blessed gift God had granted her – her children.
