To the Broken Hearted on Mother’s Day

For the women and men that are already dreading going to mass on Mother’s Day please read on. For the people that have no idea that Mother’s Day is a MAJOR emotional and spiritual trigger for women and men coping with infertility, miscarriage, loss of a child and childlessness, please read on. 

To those suffering in silence, who will be choking back tears in the pew on Mother’s Day, you are seen and you are loved. You are seen and loved by your community of fellow women grieving their own loss and you are seen and loved by our Blessed Mother and you are seen and loved by our merciful Father. You may not feel it on Mother’s Day this year but it is true that day more than ever. Offer your pain to our Father and pray to our Blessed Mother for intercession for peace of heart and peace in knowing God’s plan and timing for you is special and intentional. 

Be kind to yourself that day. God made us for love and on challenging days like this it is more important than ever to remember we were made for love. Part of that love is to love yourself. God does not want us to belittle, shame, doubt and blame ourselves for our grief. He wants is to love ourselves and honor ourselves as we were made in His image and likeness and God is love. That might sound like a flowery religious platitude or lazy advice in the midst of our pain, but it is true. Pray for an increased awareness of that love, pray for the knowledge that you are whole and He has a great plan for you and your loss and suffering is not for naught.  

Matthew 5:4 says Blessed are they who mourn for they will be comforted. Psalms 34:18 says The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.  He sees you and He loves you and He will heal your heart. My prayer for you through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, to Saints Anne and Joachim, Gerard, Rita, Joseph, Gianna, Anthony of Padua, Philomena, Jude, Elizabeth, Hanna, Perpetua and Archangel Gabriel is that you find peace and comfort this Mother’s Day. That you hold your head up and your heart out. Be open to peace and healing.  Be open to saying “Today is really hard and I need help.” Say it to God and say it to your neighbor and family, say it to the stranger sitting next to you at mass. 

I pray that you go to mass on Mother’s Day. I have had many women tell me they just don’t go on Mother’s Day because it is too hard. I get it. I 110 percent get it. I have been there, I am still there. I don’t always go on Mother’s Day Sunday either, I’ll attend the Vigil mass on Saturday because it is just a little less hard. And when we are navigating this grief any small amount of relief is welcomed. But I urge you to go to mass. If your eyes fill with tears and your shoulders begin to shake, let it happen. Let the tears be a cleansing consolation from God. We should not fear vulnerability, we should let others see we are struggling. Let them comfort you. If you can’t bare your heart in the house of God where can you?