May 13, 2026 Editor’s Note: The following is Bishop Terry R. LaValley’s homily for May 10, the Sixth Sunday of Easter and Mother’s Day. I’m sure many of you have seen the popular Christmastime movie “Home Alone.” In the movie, a hurried, flighty family goes off on vacation, not noticing the absence of one of their darling children. Left behind with only his ingenuity, the 8-year-old boy fends off a pair of bungling burglars. The movie basically consists of a series of humorous defeats that the child inflicts on the inept intruders. Because we are confident the story will have a happy ending, the movie probably does not raise for the viewer the serious question: How would I cope if I were left alone? In the Gospel reading for this Sunday before the Ascension of our Lord into heaven, Jesus tells His disciples that He will be leaving them. In one sense, they will be alone. Although He promises to send them an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, they will have to fend for themselves; and the enemy or enemies they will face will not be clumsy burglars. While Jesus was alive, the disciples trusted in Jesus’ ability to hold opposition at bay. Where will they find the strength and direction they need when He is gone in the face of such opposition? The stories in the Acts of the Apostles, like the one in our First Reading help to answer this question. They provide us with a sketch of the early Christian community. In today’s Reading we hear of the effect of God’s Spirit on the Apostle Philip and the powerful signs he was able to perform, through the Holy Spirit. We see that Jesus had been faithful to His promise: the Holy Spirit was present and active in the life of the Church. The disciples would not and will not be left alone. Jesus’ faithful followers will receive strength and direction from the Holy Spirit working through His Body, the Church. If we look at the Church today from a human perspective, all we see are limited women and men. We are people who, left to our own ingenuity, are often bunglers. Yes, we have even allowed evil to infiltrate our Church. But we have not been left alone. I was especially made aware of the fact that we are not alone when, 16 years ago, Archbishop Sambi called to tell me of my appointment as Bishop of Ogdensburg. In that phone conversation, many times he reiterated for me not to be afraid, to be serene, rely on Jesus and His Holy Spirit. I remember wondering why in the world he kept telling me to be serene. Had he heard from someone that I had a reputation for being “un-serene like”? In retrospect, maybe this was meant to be a message for me to remember that the Lord has not left us orphans. Always remember that, armed with the gifts of God’s Holy Spirit, we will meet the challenge of the day – any day – with a renewed faith in God and love for His Body, the Church. You know that the Holy Spirit has guided our Church for the last 2,000 years. Our hearts can be serene and at peace because millions of people try to live the commandments just like we do and we find inspiration in them. We are not alone. Today, we honor our moms. Growing up, a mom reminds us that we are never alone. Did any of us really appreciate how closely our mothers walked by us while we were growing up? When we were hurting, moms were always there to soothe and make things better. I thank God for my mother whose bountiful and delicious food was always on the table or in the fridge. I thank her for the always present clean clothes, for an immaculately kept house, the pretty flowers on the lawn, the chocolate chip cookies. I thank her for being up through the night when I was sick and for forgetting to tell dad, when he got back from work, what my brothers and sisters – ok and me – did wrong during the day. I thank mom for teaching us our prayers and making sure we went to Church every Sunday and participated in religious ed classes. Her faith reminded us that God never leaves us orphans. As our mothers age, we appreciate more and more their love for us and what motherhood entails – sacrifice that knows no bounds, a sense of security assuring us that she is ever-present, we’re never alone. The years creep up on them, on all of us. Often their bodies become fragile, sometimes tragically their minds diminish, their memories fade. You know, our mothers need someone to walk with them, at their pace, particularly when their life partner is no longer with them. They must know that they are not alone. I’m thankful to God that I have siblings and their spouses who accompany my mother during these years in which she struggles with her health. If you are still gifted with her presence, ensure that your mom understands that she is not alone. In our efforts to honor and offer thanksgiving for all mothers, it is important to remember that Mother’s Day can be a difficult holiday for many people, such as women who are struggling with infertility, those who have lost or are estranged from their mothers, and mothers who have lost one or more children through miscarriage, abortion or some other tragedy. I can’t imagine how difficult a day this must be for those who have never known the love of a mother, for someone whose mother abandoned them, physically or emotionally or those whose mother has died recently or when they were very young. This day doesn’t go by without a big lump in the throats of many. We thank you, heroic mothers, for your invincible love! We thank you for your intrepid trust in God and in His ever-present love. We thank you for the sacrifice of your life and for assuring us that we are never alone. Blessed Mother’s Day to all our moms! |
|||||
|
|||||||||
