I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ORPHANS — JN 14:18

Last weekend, Jesus spoke to His anxious disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust in me.” His ascension was near, and they feared what life would look like without Him. Jesus reassured them: I am the way, the truth, and the life. With Him, there is a path to follow, truth to embrace, and life to live. When we walk with Him, we are on the road to true and lasting happiness.

This weekend, as we celebrate Mother’s Day, Jesus repeats that same promise: I am not abandoning you. He returns to the Father, yet He does not leave us alone. He sends another Advocate the Holy Spirit to remain with us forever. An Advocate is an intercessor, a defender, a friend, and a comforter. The Spirit stays with us, pleads for us, teaches us, and dries our tears when words fail. In a beautiful way, our mothers share this same gift of staying with us.

Pope Francis expresses it simply: “The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. Without Him, we would be orphans.” The Spirit gives life to the Church, holds us together, and makes Christ present in every generation.

St. Augustine adds: “What the soul is to the body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ.” And what the soul is to the body, a mother is to the family. She holds it together. She gives it life. She is often unseen, yet without her, a house is not a home. The Spirit makes the Church a family; a mother makes a home a family. Both are Advocates. Both remain with us, teach us, and make love visible.

We see this in the Acts of the Apostles. Philip brings Christ to wounded Samaria, and joy follows. The Spirit transforms trouble into healing. A mother does the same, she steps into the mess and turns it into a home.

Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” But He knows we cannot do this by our own strength. So He promises: “The Father will give you another Advocate to be with you always.” The Spirit empowers us to love as Jesus commands patiently, sacrificially, faithfully just as our mothers have loved us.

Today, as we thank God for our mothers and prepare for Pentecost, we ask the Lord to awaken again the Spirit we received at Confirmation. May we, like our mothers and like the early Church, bring comfort to the distressed and hope to the lonely. May the Church always be a home where no one feels orphaned.

We pray for all mothers, living and deceased: may the Advocate who never abandons us hold them in His peace.

Happy Mother’s Day.