Who are the women in your life and how did they contribute to who you are now? - Daily Reflections September 20,2013

WOMEN

 

It is not Mother’s Day, but I will dwell on mothers and women in general, of whom our Gospel speaks of highly today. After all, the church wouldn’t be the same without women. Our lives would not be complete without them.

       I particularly remember the story that a good friend shared with me about his relationship with women while he was growing up. He is now 30 years old, but he has only seen his mother in person twice! He practically grew up with his maternal grandmother when his parents separated more than 25 years ago. After the separation, his mother left to work abroad and eventually established a new family there.

       It was not a very easy start. My friend would tell me that the first time his mother came home after 15 years of being away, he was in a dilemma: how was he supposed to accept the fact that he literally did not know his mother? He had only seen her in old photos, heard her voice recorded on cassette tapes, read her handwritten letters at most five times in 15 years. He felt no connection to the person introduced to him as his mother. He was in deep pain. His mother was in deeper pain. His grandmother was in deepest pain.

       Good thing, everything is water under the bridge now. Realizing that life is too short to be spent on negative emotions, my friend, through the grace of God and continuous guidance of his family and friends, slowly tried to mend their broken hearts and afflicted spirits. His mother has become his source of strength and courage, primarily through his grandma’s encouragement.

       Both women, as did all the other women in his life, helped him mature. And with the help of God, my friend (a spiritual son to me) is now in the seminary and will be a priest soon in the country where his mother resides.

       Much like in today’s Gospel, may we recognize the role of women in our lives and never forget to thank them for their gift of love and nourishment, which we all experience, especially when we were growing up. Fr. Erick Y. Santos, OFS

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Who are the women in your life and how did they contribute to who you are now?

 

Lord, You allowed women to journey with You in Your ministry. May I love and give importance to the women that You have given me. Amen.