Time to reflect on what wonderful things our mothers have done for us during our lives. We hope this will serve as a reminder to our consciences.
What does the bible say?
The fifth commandment: honour your father and mother.
`whoever respects a father expiates sins,
Whoever honours a mother is like someone amassing a fortune.’
Reflection - a story of distressed parents:
“i am alone with my fears and thoughts. We will always worry about john as he is still our son and we love him very much. There isn’t a day goes by that i don’t think about john and worry about him, and i know he’s on fred’s mind a lot too, although he doesn’t say much, because i’ll turn and catch him thinking and he’ll shake his head and say, `the silly fool, the silly fool’. The trauma of it all leaves a wound that will never heal.”
It is so nice to have you to write to because you have known john for a long time and like me you have tried to understand him. Fred, as i think i have said before, is a remote sort of person wrapped up in his work and in his own little bubble.”
“fred has suffered depression as a result of the whole business and i now have high blood pressure from all the worry and distress. This at the time of our retirement which should be a happy occasion in people's lives.” “but we were so shocked and horrified when we met her and also how john had changed, so scruffy and harassed, quite one of the worst days of our life. We played right into her hands. The problem is the initiative has to come from him now as we don’t know where he is, and we both doubt very much that will ever be, he doesn’t even contact my sister molly now, it seems as though he’s murdered his past... Molly used to look forward to receiving cards and letters from john and she hasn’t been involved in any of this ghastly affair, so why he’s cut her off too is so cruel and unfair, and naturally molly is very hurt and upset by it and so am i on her behalf.”
“we were worried sick about him across the other side of the world, in a poor mental state, extremely vulnerable, depressed & hating it all, bad news reports about the dire state of the country and civil war, salmonella poisoning & dysentery, bad poisonous insect bite, nervous breakdowns, then suddenly he’s picked up by a local divorced woman with a child, who we know nothing about – who we later realise is totally unsuitable & inappropriate for him - who he then marries in great haste, totally irrational behaviour. He quite literally didn’t know what he was doing.“
“we had week’s invitation to go to the wedding, not enough time to have all inoculations & paperwork done, even if we had the means to fly to the other side of the world. It seemed like a deliberate snub and, on top of the way he’d been casting us aside since he became involved with her, we were further hurt by his behaviour towards us. It wasn't like him to be so inconsiderate and thoughtless towards us until he became involved with her. Other people had been invited to stay out there, and her parents visited once a year, you'd think with all his wealth he would have made it possible for us to meet her out there beforehand and made sure we were able to attend such an important occasion as his wedding. ”
When he came home after the wedding all we wanted was for him to come and talk to us on his own, to explain things to us so that we could try and understand - that’s all we wanted - & he replied impatiently, “what do you want? I haven’t got time to come down, i’m trying to instal a kitchen." It seemed to us that he was riding rough-shod over any feelings we had as parents, that we weren’t worth a light or any kindness, care or consideration at all from him, let alone any words or any of his time.”
“i would send him a birthday card, but where do i send it?” “as for john, i have heard nothing except a birthday card in april with a cheque and stating `letter to follow’ but so far nothing. Sad to say, he doesn't seem to want to be part of this family any more.”
“... if the price of reconciliation is having to accept that woman and her son here then the price is too high, as in all honesty we just can’t do it. Fred’s the most unassuming person you could ever meet, he’d never say a bad word about anybody, but even he said if he’d met that pair in different circumstances he would still have said they were an evil pair, best avoided. Nevertheless, it would have made all the difference & cheered us up no end if john had just kept in touch with us over the years by `phone, cards, letters to let us know he was alive and well, and to let us know he was thinking of us occasionally. It’s the wall of silence which is slowly dragging fred & i down. No word, no cards, letters or telephone calls - nothing. We can’t contact him, we don’t know where he is.”
Exodus 20:12 “honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the lord your god is giving.
Ephesians 6:1-3 children, obey your parents in the lord, for this is the right thing to do. “honour your father and mother”. This is the first commandment with a promise: if you honour your father and mother “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”.
Leviticus 19:3 "'each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my sabbaths. I am the lord your god.
Deuteronomy 27:16 "cursed is anyone who dishonours their father or mother." Then all the people shall say, "amen!"
Proverbs 23:22 listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
Mark 7:10 for moses said, 'honour your father and mother,' and, 'anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.'
Proverbs 10:1
The proverbs of solomon. A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
Ecclesiasticus / sirach chapters
... for the lord honours the father above his children and upholds the rights of a mother over her sons.
3 whoever respects a father expiates sins,
4 whoever honours a mother is like someone amassing a fortune.
5 whoever respects a father will in turn be happy with children, the day he prays for help, he will be heard.
6 long lifecomes to anyone who honours a father, whoever obeys the lord makes a mother happy.
7 such a one serves parents as well as the lord.
Respect your father in deed as well as word, so that blessings may come on you from him;
9 since a father's blessing makes his children's house firm, while a mother's curse tears up its foundations.
For a person's own honour derives from the respect shown to his father, and a mother held in dishonour is a reproach to her children.
Whoever deserts a father is no better than a blasphemer, and whoever distresses a mother is accursed of the lord.
