Milagros Ramos

One day during the month of May is set aside in our country to celebrate mothers, to honor and give thanks for all that they do for us. Many other countries will celebrate Mother's Day with us on May 10.  

By our baptism, we are all called to live a holy life, to be saints. It's not always an easy task, yet it is something that we have to work towards every day. Some of us may have been blessed to see, feel and experience a touch of the true love Christ has for us through the love of our mother which we recognize by the care and guidance we receive. Her daily prayer is that we learn to build this relationship with Jesus and pass it on for generations to come.

If we look at the lives of saints we can learn from them. Here are some of the special mothers who became saints. St. Monica lived from 322 to 387 in North Africa. She was married to a pagan official whose mother also lived with them. He had a bad temper and his mother was not very easy to get along with. Through St. Monica's prayer, patience and example of living a life of charity, she was able to win both her husband and mother-in-law to Christianity. St. Monica and her husband had three children. Two of her children became priests. One of her children, St. Augustine, made her cry and suffer for many years. She prayed and begged others to pray for him.  

After 17 years, he finally decided to be baptized in the Church. St. Monica was able to see this; she died that same year. St. Augustine became a priest, bishop and a famous writer.   

There are so many mothers today who are praying for their children who have walked away or left their Catholic faith and are no longer going to church or say they don't believe anymore. Don't give up hope.   Keep praying. Some of us may come back as St. Augustine did.

St. Marguerite D'Youville was from Canada and lived from 1701 to 1771. Her father died when she was only 12 years old. She left school so she could help her mother. She later married and became the mother of six children, four of whom died in infancy. St. Margaret's husband died in 1730. She had to work hard to pay back her husband's debts and to raise her two children.  

In the midst of all her loss and struggles, she grew in her faith in God. She and some faith companions opened their home to the needy.   She went on to become known as the Mother of the Poor. Her faith companions became a congregation of sisters, known today as the Grey Nuns. St. Marguerite is an example for all of us. She was a single mother who lived a holy life and passed it on to her two children who became priests.

Let us ask Mary Our Mother and the Mother of Jesus to intercede and ask the Lord Jesus to help us grow in our faith and in our relationship with her Son Jesus Christ.