Today we celebrate the feast day of "La Caridad del Cobre" (our Lady of Charity), patroness of Cuba. Most people in Miami know this but what most don't know is that today we also celebrate Mama Mary's birthday. The day that she became a mom is celebrated more than the day she was born. And I'm sure she doesn't mind. Most mothers celebrate the day they became moms and that day is usually more important to them than the day they were born.
In two days I will also celebrate the day I became a mom. I remember that day as if it was yesterday. I can't believe 27 years have passed. I have accomplished things in my life of which I am proud, but nothing surpasses becoming a mom. It wasn't easy for me. I thought that once I was ready, I would conceive immediately. It took two years. When I held that baby boy for the first time, I knew that I was holding a miracle. I had become a co-creator with God. I was in awe of that tiny and yet so perfect human being.
I imagine that's how Mama Mary felt when she held her baby boy for the first time. He was truly a miracle. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a Virgin Girl and His Father was God. She must have been in complete awe. From the day she was conceived, God chose her as His vessel to bring Christ into the world. I imagine on the day she was born, the Angels must have sang their praises.
Even though she was chosen by God, she still had a choice. She had free will so she could have easily answered "NO." That would have been the easy choice. But she did not choose the easy road. She answered "YES." And today we are still benefiting from the ripple effects of that "YES." The most important "YES" that has been ever uttered.
As I mentioned earlier, becoming a mother has been my greatest accomplishment but it has also been the most difficult. Motherhood is not for sissies. I remember my grandmother's words to me when I told her that I was expecting a child. She told me: "You will never sleep peacefully again." How right she was. The saying: "Out of sight, out of mind," doesn't apply to mothers. My oldest son may be turning 27, he lives in New York and is fully independent. I have not seen him since May but he is always present in my mind and in my heart. That is the case also with his sister and brother. They may be out of sight but they are never out of mind. I know they don't like the fact that I'm constantly checking up on them. I make them text me every morning. The youngest who is the clown of the family, always texts me: "I'm alive." And when they are traveling, I request a step-by-step: "at the airport," "through security," "in the plane," "landed..." They claim I'm a "helicopter mother." Too bad. After carrying them for nine months and bringing them into the world, the very least they can do is to check in with a simple text.
Mama Mary did not have this advantage because in the first century there were no cellphones. There were not even telephones. Communication took forever. In today's world where we can't be apart from our cellphones for a minute, it's hard to imagine having to wait days to receive news about someone. I can't imagine being a mother in the first century. My heart would not withstand the uncertainty of never knowing if my child was fine. But Mama Mary survived that and more. She is my role model and my hero. I can't even begin to imagine the pain and the suffering that she went through at every stage of Jesus' life. When He got lost for three days and she couldn't find Him... When He began His public life and she went months without seeing Him, not knowing where He was or how He was... And the most horrific moment of her life, to see her Baby Jesus carrying such a heavy cross, condemned even though she knew that He was innocent and to witness His crucifixion... Oh Mama Mary, how much that "YES" cost you, but You were obedient to the Father and if you had to do it all over again, I know you would always say "YES."
As I mentioned earlier, becoming a mother has been my greatest accomplishment but it has also been the most difficult. Motherhood is not for sissies. I remember my grandmother's words to me when I told her that I was expecting a child. She told me: "You will never sleep peacefully again." How right she was. The saying: "Out of sight, out of mind," doesn't apply to mothers. My oldest son may be turning 27, he lives in New York and is fully independent. I have not seen him since May but he is always present in my mind and in my heart. That is the case also with his sister and brother. They may be out of sight but they are never out of mind. I know they don't like the fact that I'm constantly checking up on them. I make them text me every morning. The youngest who is the clown of the family, always texts me: "I'm alive." And when they are traveling, I request a step-by-step: "at the airport," "through security," "in the plane," "landed..." They claim I'm a "helicopter mother." Too bad. After carrying them for nine months and bringing them into the world, the very least they can do is to check in with a simple text.
Mama Mary did not have this advantage because in the first century there were no cellphones. There were not even telephones. Communication took forever. In today's world where we can't be apart from our cellphones for a minute, it's hard to imagine having to wait days to receive news about someone. I can't imagine being a mother in the first century. My heart would not withstand the uncertainty of never knowing if my child was fine. But Mama Mary survived that and more. She is my role model and my hero. I can't even begin to imagine the pain and the suffering that she went through at every stage of Jesus' life. When He got lost for three days and she couldn't find Him... When He began His public life and she went months without seeing Him, not knowing where He was or how He was... And the most horrific moment of her life, to see her Baby Jesus carrying such a heavy cross, condemned even though she knew that He was innocent and to witness His crucifixion... Oh Mama Mary, how much that "YES" cost you, but You were obedient to the Father and if you had to do it all over again, I know you would always say "YES."
Happy Birthday, Mama Mary. Help us to love like you did. Teach us to obey like you did. Show us to bear our pain the way you did, in silence and always trusting God. Thank you for your "YES." It was the greatest, most unselfish gift ever given to the world. Guide us so we can be more like you.
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