From the Chaplains

Happy Mother’s Day! 

Mother’s Day makes me think about God’s maternal side. 

Many of us know that mothers are ‘heaven sent’, but did you know the Christian Scriptures use maternal and motherly metaphors to describe what God is like?

God as Mother Bird & Mother Bear 

One of the common images is God as a mother bird sheltering her children under her wings. In fact, the first image of God in Genesis 1, is of the Holy Spirit brooding like a mother hen over creation. The Psalms used this imagery several times: 

“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” (Ps. 17:8) 

“… I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” (Ps. 57:1) 

Jesus picks up these images when he laments over Jerusalem: 

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” (Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34) 

God as Human Mother 

Of all the prophets, Isaiah seems to be the fondest in painting God as an actual human mother: 

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I [God] comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” (Isa. 66:13) 

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I [God] will not forget you!” (Isa. 49:15) 

In chapel this week, we acknowledged that mother’s and maternal figures in our lives who have invested their love, wisdom and guidance in us. We also acknowledged the grief, sadness and confusion that celebrating Mother’s Day can bring as we remember mothers who are no longer with us and those who dearly wish to be mothers. In all these responses, God welcomes us with the care and warmth, just like mother’s heart. 

A special prayer for Mother’s Day: 

Loving Lord, Creator of all, 

In love you have fashioned the human family 
you created us all in your own image, 
one image – many colours, 
one image – many cultures. 
Help us to see the beauty you have created in each and every one of us. 

We thank you for the gift of motherhood, the many sacrifices made and the unconditional love given. 

As Mother’s Day approaches, we thank you for our mothers and mother-figures. 

We thank you for the gift of life, strength, patience and love they nurture us in. 

Let their example be a beacon that guides our families through life’s challenges and joys. 

May their faith and wisdom be a legacy passed down to the next generation of mothers and this Mother’s Day be a reflection of the joy and beauty they bring. 

We also pray for comfort and support for those who find this day difficult- those who have lost their mothers, those yearning to be mothers, and those with strained relationships. Enfold them in the shelter and love of your wings. 

Amen. 

Reverend Cass Blake

College Chaplain