Meditation for the Fourth Sunday in Lent
Mothering Sunday
Collects
Col 3: 12-17
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Luke 2: 25-35
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
‘Master, now dismiss your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’
And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.
Mothers Day and Mothering Sunday
Mothers Day. Yes, it might be a sales opportunity for Chocolates and overpriced Daffodils, but nonetheless, having a Mother is one of the few – if not the only – attributes that every person on earth shares, and we would have to agree that generally speaking, Mothers are a good thing worth celebrating. They certainly deserve a bit of extra care and pampering on one day out of three hundred and sixty-five. (In fact three hundred and sixty-five out of three hundred and sixty-five would be more appropriate.)
But to celebrate on the Fourth Sunday in Lent, when we are supposed to be preparing and denying ourselves in preparation for the appalling drama about to unfold, does appear a little strange, to say the least. Chocolates in Lent? Which is why Mothers Day and Mothering Sunday are totally different. The former is a thank you for those who raised us – and it is right that we should – the latter is about our response to the pain of the sword that pierces the soul and lays bare our inner selves. Paul encapsulates that response in his letter to the Corinthians, addressed to all –women, men, Jews, Greeks, slaves or free. In summary, we are to love and be the body of Christ in our sacrificial service – just as He sacrificed for us. However, as Julian of Norwich wrote, ‘the example of a mother’s service is closest, most willing, and most sure because it is most true’, and thus we use that example as part of our Lenten journey.
Mary’s experience, the vision of her child’s future pain, is the same for all who look at the state of the world and the legacy that today’s children will inherit. In response, we are called to ‘Mothering’ behaviour – the acts of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience that are not exclusive to Mothers, but to all of us – parents, sisters, brothers, children. So then, whatever we do, we look to the future of those we care for – and the world that suffers the pain of the sword. Let there be love.
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