"How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” Luke 13:34b
This past week I have been giving thanks for Mothers. The reason for this is that the liturgical year has been remembering mothers and those who mother us, though I am including the Church of England’s liturgical year in this.
For the past 40 years the 4th Sunday in Lent for me has been Mothering Sunday. It is a Sunday in the UK when we give thanks for those who mother us physically and spiritually and give out flowers. This year with ’social distancing’ the Church of England has not been able to gather in the same way, though posies of flowers have been left outside Churches for people to collect.
’Social distancing’ is now in force here and we cannot gather in our mother Church. This is counter to our natural response as the Church, in a crisis we would gather like a mother hen gathers her brood. And yet we are still the Church.
I am thankful for this Church community as we have rallied around to help those in our midst who are in need. We are for a time, physically apart, but we can still be socially and spiritually connected as we ring each other up and we pray for one another.
The other feast of the liturgical year that caused me to give thanks for mothers was this past Wednesday. On the 25th of March the Universal Church celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation. The day when Mary was told that she was to have a child. This was news that was unexpected and life-changing.
In these days and weeks ahead of us, we are adapting to the new reality that is upon us. We are dealing with the unexpected and our lives have been changed.
Yet as the Church we follow the example of Mary and Jesus in our compassion. We will cry with those who grieve. We will help those in need. We will pray.
You are in my prayers as we mother one another at this time.
God bless
Tom +
