Behold, Thy Mother

This is something I was asked to write for a religious column in our local newspaper.  You can find the link to the published article here.

"Motherhood, eternally linked with womanhood, is a characteristic of our heart as well as our womb. Before Eve bore a child, she was named the mother of all living." (Pearl of Great Price; Moses 4:26) As we celebrate mothers on this beautiful day, let us celebrate the holiness and power of mothering. Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says, "One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because, these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are one." Our female bodies were designed to create life, to nourish life, to nurture life. When a nursing mother hears a baby cry, even a stranger's baby, her breasts swell with milk.

Our mother hearts also swell when we feel need and suffering in others. Our physical bodies and our souls are designed to nourish and nurture. Isn't that beautiful? On the cross, moments before his death, Christ saw his mother and a disciple whom he loved. He said to his mother, "Woman, behold thy son." And to his disciple, "Behold thy mother." (John 19:26-27) Perhaps we also hear these words whispered to our hearts when we see suffering around us. When we see a homeless man on the street or a hungry child on television, we might feel the whisper "woman, behold thy son." When we respond to this call with loving action we answer back, "behold thy mother." J. Edgar Hoover said the cure for crime is not the electric chair, it is the high chair. Oh women, we are mighty mothers, we can mother more! What power is greater than the unified love of mothers to heal our families, our communities, and our nations? Let us feel God in us as we expand our mothering hearts together to mother all life.

Jenifer Moss was named 2016 New York Mother of the Year by the American Mothers Association. Jenifer and Todd Moss are parents of eight and are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.