A Mother’s Care

My mother after eating breakfast every morning goes out of our house to feed her 3 domestic cats and 4 outdoor cats. She does it for years already even before Covid-19 came. My mom makes it a point that the cats ate two times a day by buying and preparing cat food for them consisting of fish and rice. All cats were adopted local (Bisaya) breeds that happened to have loitered outside our house of which my mother fed. Eventually, 3 became domesticated and the rest just drops by every morning and evening for their meal. Without gaining anything from feeding and caring for her pets my mom does it everyday joyfully.

Looking back, as my mother cares for her cats, I can say that she cares even more for me and my sister (my only sibling). Being a sole provider (my parents were separated) since our high school days, she works day and night just so we could have food and provide for our other needs. She is an optometrist by day and an employee by night in a company that develops pictures (digital camera was not yet the fad during those days in the mid 80s). By the time we were half-way through college (my sister and I were working scholars), that was the time she stopped working at night. My mom worked (until now she’s still practicing her profession) pretty hard because she loves us dearly. Without expecting anything from us, she fulfilled her role as a mother and became a good steward of God’s creature, her children. Now, that both my sister and I have our own families, we look up to our mother’s caring attitude in dealing with our own children. And my mom still continues to love and care not only to us her daughters but also to her grandchildren and our entire families nowadays.

On the other hand, being God’s children, we can also trust the Lord to take care of our needs. In this time of crisis as we battle Covid-19, God assures us that we can rely on Him if we call out His name. For He said in Psalms 91:9-11,14…9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

With that, let us claim God’s promises. Likewise, with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, most especially the Our Lady of Fatima who’s feast we will be celebrating on May 13, may we invoke her to help us in this trying times of our lives. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

On another note, as we celebrate Mother’s Day every second Sunday of May, let us dedicate the prayer below to all mothers in gratitude for all the love and care they gave us, their children. The prayer was gathered from Xavier University:

A Prayer in Gratitude for Our Mothers

Good and Gentle God,

we pray in gratitude for our mothers and for all the women of theory who have joined with you in the wonder of bringing forth new life. You who became human through a woman, grant to all mothers the courage they need to face the uncertain future that life with children always brings.

Give them the strength to live and to be loved in return, not perfectly, but humanly.

Give them the faithful support of husband, family and friends as they care for the physical and spiritual growth of their children.

Give them joy and delight in their children to sustain them through the trials of motherhood. Most of all, give them the wisdom to turn to you for help when they need it most.

– Author Unknown

“A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take.” – Cardinal Mermillod