PAD 5: Tell Mom

 

My grandparents, Don and Catherine Varella.

PAD Challenge, Day 5 prompt: take the phrase "Tell (blank)," replace the blank with a new word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: "Tell It Like It Is," "Tell Me Something Good," "Tell the World What You're Thinking," and/or "Tell It Slant."

I wrote this poem as if I were giving this advice to my sons.

Tell Mom

When you fall on concrete
And you scrape up your knee,
Tell Mom;
She'll make it all better
With a mother's kiss tender,
Tell Mom.

When you're going to school
And your friends all look cool,
Tell Mom;
She won't make you like them,
But by virtue like Him,
Tell Mom.

When your voice starts to change
And you're feeling all strange,
Tell Mom;
She'll help you feel fine,
'Cause all things change in time,
Tell Mom.

When you're out on life's road
And you bear heavy load,
Tell Mom;
For a load borne by two
Makes it light, heart renewed,
Tell Mom.

When life makes you confused
And unsure what to do,
Tell Mom;
Then hear her advice,
For love makes her wise,
Tell Mom.

When she's old and afraid
And all set in her ways,
Love Mom;
Take her into your home
So she's not so alone,
Love Mom.

Her love is a treasure,
You'll hardly do better,
Love Mom;
Make her latter days prized,
You'll be blessed to the skies,
Love Mom.

From the Scriptures

Taken from Sirach (3:1-16):

Listen to me your father, O children; and act accordingly, that you may be kept in safety. For the Lord honored the father above the children, and he confirmed the right of the mother over her sons. Whoever honors his father atones for sins, and whoever glorifies his mother is like one who lays up treasure. Whoever honors his father will be gladdened by his own children, and when he prays he will be heard. Whoever glorifies his father will have long life, and whoever obeys the Lord will refresh his mother; he will serve his parents as his masters. Honor your father by word and deed, that a blessing from him may come upon you. For a father’s blessing strengthens the houses of the children, but a mother’s curse uproots their foundations. Do not glorify yourself by dishonoring your father, for your father’s dishonor is no glory to you. For a man’s glory comes from honoring his father, and it is a disgrace for children not to respect their mother. O son, help your father in his old age, and do not grieve him as long as he lives; even if he is lacking in understanding, show forbearance; in all your strength do not despise him. For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, and against your sins it will be credited to you; in the day of your affliction it will be remembered in your favor; as frost in fair weather, your sins will melt away. Whoever forsakes his father is like a blasphemer, and whoever angers his mother is cursed by the Lord.

Regarding the wisdom of a mother's advice, my wife has a sign on her side of the bed that says, "A mother understands what a child does not say." The mother has an intuition about what is going on in the minds and hearts of her children, and I can attest to having seen this many times in my life when mothers are taking care of their children, especially in my mother and in my wife. Many times I have been able to exclaim like Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings movie, "[That's] an eye opener and no mistake!" It is truly amazing.

From the Church

On January 1st, 2019, Pope Francis gave us a beautiful reflection on mothers. Of that reflection, this was a real gem:

A world that looks to the future without a mother’s gaze is shortsighted. It may well increase its profits, but it will no longer see others as children. It will make money, but not for everyone. We will all dwell in the same house, but not as brothers and sisters. The human family is built upon mothers. A world in which maternal tenderness is dismissed as mere sentiment may be rich materially, but poor where the future is concerned.

On the grace and office of motherhood, Venerable Jozsef Cardinal Mindszenty had this to say:

The Most Important Person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral -- a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby’s body... The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God’s creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation... What on God’s good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?

There are many other beautiful instances of what the Catholic Church has to say about mothers (including Pope Pius XI's encyclical Casti Connubii). But for now, may the above quotations give us great material for reflection, a renewed tenderness towards mothers, and a venerable esteem for the office of motherhood.