Laetare Sunday

The parable of the Prodigal Son is a timeless story encompassing redemption, forgiveness, and the boundless love of a parent. Yet, on this day of all days we may feel there’s something missing from the narrative – someone that’s always been missing. Where is the mother of the Prodigal Son in this story? The father’s role is vivid, central, but the mother is conspicuously absent, left to our imagination. In at least one depiction of the moment the prodigal son and his father re-unite, an artist has drawn the mother in the background, running to join them.

Biblical scholars teach that characters are simplified in gospel parables so as not to take away from the central message which, here, is God’s boundless forgiveness. Nevertheless, we might ponder, on this special day, the profoundly significant role of mothers in our spiritual and earthly journeys.

The roots of Mothering Sunday can be traced back to the Norman Conquest. It was originally a day on which the faithful were encouraged to return to their "mother church" – that is the place of their baptism – hence Mothering Sunday. Over time, however, it evolved into a day to honour not only our Mother Church but also the mothers in our homes and the sacrifices they make for their children, their enduring love, their quiet strength.

Mothers are the ones who bring us into the world, they nurture us and protect when we are helpless, comfort us when we are sorrowful, and they instil within us the values that guide our paths through life. For the Prodigal Son, it is easy to imagine that his mother’s love and prayers were a silent but steady force in his life, even in his moments of waywardness. When he "came to his senses," as the parable describes, it is likely that thoughts of his mother’s kindness and the home she helped create for him stirred his heart, and reminded him of where he truly belonged.

The bond between a mother and her child is one of the most profound and enduring relationships in the human experience. Indeed, it lies at the centre of the story of the incarnation, Our Lady taking a profound role in the history of salvation as the mother of God’s Son. 

Even in the face of great moral failings or tragic choices, a mother’s love remains unwavering. The mother of Joseph Stalin, who, as a young man, had attended a seminary, despite her son’s descent into tyranny and violence, she continued to see him through a mother’s eyes, urging him to return to the path of faith and righteousness.

One day, on her last visit to him before her death, Stalin said to his mother ‘Mother, you remember the Tsar, well, I am now like the Tsar’. She replied “Joseph, you’d have done better to have become a priest”. Her words revealing a mother’s hope for her child’s redemption, even when all seems lost. Her prayers for his conversion, offered with devout faith, reflect the deepest desire of a mother’s heart: that her child might find peace in this life and salvation in the next.

Similarly, St. Monica wept and prayed tirelessly for her son, Augustine, during his wayward years. When she asked a priest to intervene, he refused, knowing that Augustine was far too proud at that point to heed such entreaties. Yet he comforted Monica with these words: "It is not possible that the son of these tears should ever perish." Indeed, her persistent prayers bore fruit, and Augustine’s conversion became one of the most remarkable in Christian history. His story reminds us that a mother’s prayers possess a power that transcends all the temptations and distractions that can lead a child astray.

In today’s world, where faith is often cast aside, there is a beautiful irony in the fact that sometimes, children lead their parents back to faith. The younger generation, often more open to spiritual exploration, can become the very catalyst that rekindles belief in the hearts of those who are adrift. This reversal of roles highlights the cyclical nature of faith, where the light of spiritual awakening is passed between generations but, as I said last week, it sometimes skips a generation.

Returning to the parable, we can envision the Prodigal Son’s mother as a woman of deep faith and unwavering love, who shed countless tears and offered fervent prayers for her son’s return. When he finally came home, her embrace, though unrecorded in the text, would have been a moment of profound joy and gratitude—a reunion that mirrored the father’s joyful welcome but carried the unique tenderness of motherhood. Her presence, though unspoken in the parable, would have been a vital part of his journey back to wholeness.

Not every mother experiences the joy of reconciliation with a wayward child in this life. Yet, the promise of eternal reunion offers hope and comfort beyond what we can see. In the life to come, every prodigal will find their way home, and every mother’s sorrow will be turned into everlasting joy. That is the promise of God’s kingdom.

As we reflect on the Prodigal Son and the role of mothers on this day, we are reminded of the power of human relationships, the strength of family, and the effectiveness of prayer. Whether in the quiet moments of nurturing or the fervent prayers offered in the night, a mother’s influence is a profound testimony to the enduring grace of God. As we honour our mothers today - both those on earth and those in heaven - we celebrate their role in guiding us back to our true home, where, like the Prodigal Son, we are always welcomed with open arms.