She gave you life...

Last weekend we spontaneously decided to stop for dinner at Lucky’s and grandpa came out to meet us. As I saw him letting Henry and Paulie take turns at his straw from which POP flowed, I gave him a stare down from across the table. 

“What?” he said.

“Graaaand - pa…” I playfully scolded. “I told them they don’t get pop or  gum until they turn ten and you’ve managed to break both those rules in the past 15 minutes.” 

(Yes. He gave them quarters for the gum ball machine on the way in. They didn’t even have to earn it by being good and eating their vegetables!) 

“Paulie - you actually know better,” I said. “You could have told Grandpa that you’re not allowed pop yet.”

“Yah right, Mom,” grandpa said jumping to Paulie’s defense. “What kid is going to do that?”

“Obey your father and mother! It’s one of the ten commandments! Paulie has an early onset for the age of reason!” I joked back.

“I believe it’s honor your father and mother,” grandpa corrected me. “Don’t go making the bible say what you want.”

We both started laughing.

I thought of that moment this Mother’s Day weekend when Fr. Faraci said we should all be grateful for our mothers. "Even if you don’t have a relationship with your mother, she gave you life." Then he said something else I thought was pretty profound...

Mothers aren’t perfect. Neither are our fathers. But, God gave every person the mother and father that was perfect for them.

Why is this profound?

Fr. Faraci made it so obvious how we are all so carefully knit  together by God’s love. It is the imperfection of those who he put in our lives and our response to them that help us become the person he willed when he created us. He has given us exactly what we need.

This reminds me of Louis de Montfort’s fifth point under The Grace of God is Absolutely Necessary of his booklet, The Secret of Mary:

“The grace and help of God are absolutely necessary for us to practice all these, but we are sure that grace will be given to all, though not in the same measure. I say "not in the same measure", because God does not give his graces in equal measure to everyone , although in his infinite goodness he always gives sufficient grace to each.

Last week we focused on Mary as the model of perfection and virtue. Mary was full of grace by the immaculate conception. God has given us grace as well. He has also given us people in our lives to help us discover that grace and grow in virtue. 

Maybe your mother is perfect to you. Maybe you haven’t always seen eye to eye. Maybe you are the spitting image of your mother. Maybe it’s quite the opposite. 

What about your mother’s temperament do you admire? What has tested you over the years? How have you grown in virtue because of this relationship (or lack of it)? 

Whatever the case, thank God today for your life… the gift that only a mother can give.