Our Mother's Hands
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January 1, 2023
Homily for the Solemnity of Mary,
Mother of God
“Am I not your mother?”
These words were spoken to St. Juan Diego by the Virgin of Guadalupe. The next day, her image would miraculously appear on his poncho.
In that image, Our Lady’s hands appear to be folded in prayer. The palms of her hands, however, are not pressed against each other in the traditional manner. Instead, they are slightly cupped. The reason is because the gesture is not one of prayer but a sign of greeting according to Aztec custom.
Whenever I contemplate the hands of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I think of the hands of my sister.
In the closing years of her life, my sister’s hands took on a shape similar to that of Mary’s greeting, but far less appealing. A victim of Parkinson’s disease, her hands, bent and paralyzed, closed in on themselves. Often, she would ask her husband, her children or anyone nearby to rub her hands because they ached. I suspect she also requested a loving touch because she felt anxious and afraid.
How often we take for granted the gift of our hands.
Today is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. In her honor, I ask each of you to reflect on the hands of Mother Mary as well as the hands of all mothers and the important work that they do.
You know the work of which I speak: washing laundry, making beds, folding clothes and cooking meals. Bathing infants, baking cookies and weeding gardens. Cleaning bathrooms, combing hair and tying shoes. Turning pages in story books, then caressing the faces of their children before kissing them goodnight.***"Am I not your mother?" said Our Lady to St. Juan Diego.
"Am I not your mother?" says Our Lady to us all.***At the end of her life, my sister could not open her hands to extend the love that flowed from her heart. But at her funeral, entwined about her curved and crippled hands was a rosary, the devotional prayer that she cherished and offered throughout her life.
At the gate of Heaven, did Our Lady greet my sister as once she greeted Juan Diego? Did she say, “Am I not your mother?” Then, gesturing with open hand, did she add, “Come inside, my daughter, come inside! Say hello to your Brother.”
