Friend,

What gift is greater than the gift of life? I can’t think of one.

Today we celebrate Mother’s Day, one of the most significant and memory-rich holidays in our calendar. Like you, I can’t help but recall the many celebrations in my home as I was growing up. Making Mom Queen for a Day gave us as much pleasure as it gave her! So we honor mothers everywhere today and ask God to bless them in their work of human creation—and for nurturing a new generation of believers, faithful to the Gospel and the abundance of life in Christ Jesus.

In fulfilling their responsibilities to loved ones, mothers teach us an important life lesson: The work of creation belongs to each of us. As people of faith, each of us is charged with giving life, caring for life, and celebrating the abundance of life we talked about last week—the abundance we find in Christ Jesus.

As we celebrate Moms everywhere today, let’s remember that each of us was called in Baptism to witness our faith as life-givers—no matter our title or station. Being a life-giver involves prayer and sacrifice to be sure. But the rewards are so great. I remember the women of the Altiplano in Peru where I served in mission. They were often the ones who passed on our faith to their progeny and our Church grew strong. I saw something similar in other parts of the world, too. Women and mothers are often the driving force of our faith.

Friend, I salute every woman of faith on Mother’s Day and I thank God for you, too. I know you have nurtured many a soul along their journey of faith and that makes you a life-giver—just like all the mothers we remember and pray for today.