MOTHER'S LOVE

2 Maccabees 7:1-31; PS 17 Lord, when you glory appears, my joy will be full; Luke 19:11-28

Wow!

We often think of the power of a mother's love; there are songs and hymns and poems and novels incorporated to illustrate such love.

Today we experience it first hand in the first reading from Maccabees.

The mother and her 7 sons are on display.  What is striking is this: it is one thing to die for for children and thus exhibit your love for them but it is another reality to be forced to watch your children die in front of you and not lose heart or be discouraged.  Not only does the mother today watch watch her children die,, but use encourages them to be faithful to the God of ISrael and that if death was necessary to be faithful then so be it.

How many mother's would do this?


To often, i see mothers and father sit idly by as their children live forsaking the command of God.  I  also see parents encourage their children in ways of sinfulness.  Yet this mother shines as a brilliant example of faithfulness and encouragement to all of her children.

As you read the story, the mother never covers her eyes.  She to chooses to watch as her children are brutally persecuted and murdered for their faithfulness.

This mother is a type of the Blessed Mother who stands at the foot of the cross and watches her son, Jesus, embrace torture and death for his faithfulness to God and man.

Definitely worth a read.

Int he gospel two things stand out.  First the nobleman who goes off to be crowned king has a crowd of opposition following him wishing to stop the crowning and coronation.  Yet despite their best effort, the nobleman becomes king, "but hen he returned after obtaining the kingship…"   Regardless of the opposition, the violence, the terror JEsus reigns.  Jesus is king and their is no amount of human opposition of otherwise that can deter him from his rightful place.

This is good news.  This is the source of peace and strength for us.

Lastly, as the accounting occurs for the use of coins given upon departure there is one thing that is constant.  We must be willing to grow and risk the gift we have received.

Each of us has received a gift from God and we must cooperate with that gift for the building of the  kingdom, for God's glory and our good.

To risk is to lose our footing momentarily; to not risk is to lose ourselves permanently.

Risk is constant if we are to follow Jesus faithfully.  We cannot always play it safe.