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BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER!

“The former account I made, O Theophilu, of all that eu "e#an "othto do and teach, until the da$ in %hich He %a ta&en up, after He

throu#h the Hol$ 'pirit had #i(en commandment to the apotle,%hom He had choen, to %hom He alo preented himelf ali(e afterHi u)erin# "$ man$ infalli"le proof, "ein# een "$ them durin# fort$da$ and pea&in# of the thin# pertainin# to the &in#dom of *od+ nd"ein# aem"led to#ether %ith them, He commanded them not todepart from erualem, "ut to %ait for the -romie of the .ather,/%hich,0 He aid, /$ou ha(e heard from me1 for ohn trul$ "apti2ed %ith%ater, "ut $ou hall "e "apti2ed %ith the Hol$ 'pirit not man$ da$from no%+0 Therefore, %hen the$ had come to#ether, the$ a&ed Him,a$in#, /Lord, %ill $ou at thi time retore the &in#dom to Irael30 ndHe aid to them, /It i not for $ou to &no% time or eaon %hich the

.ather ha put in Hi o%n authorit$+ But $ou hall recei(e po%er %henthe Hol$ 'pirit ha come upon $ou, and $ou hall "e %itnee to me in erualem, and in all udea and 'amaria, and to the end of the earth+04o% %hen He had po&en thee thin#, %hile the$ %atched, He %ata&en up, and a cloud recei(ed Him out of their i#ht+ nd %hile the$loo&ed teadfatl$ to%ard hea(en a He %ent up, "ehold, t%o mentood "$ them in %hite apparel, %ho alo aid, /Men of *alilee, %h$ do$ou tand #a2in# up into hea(en3 Thi ame eu, %ho %a ta&en upfrom $ou into hea(en, %ill o come in li&e manner a $ou a% Him #ointo hea(en+0 Then the$ returned to erualem from the mount calledOli(et, %hich i near erualem, a 'a""ath da$0 5ourne$+ nd %hen

the$ had entered, the$ %ent up into the upper room %here the$ %ereta$in#6 -eter, ame, ohn, and ndre%1 -hilip and Thoma1Bartholome% and Matthe%1 ame the on of lphaeu and 'imon the7ealot1 and uda the on of ame+ Thee all continued %ith oneaccord in pra$er and upplication, %ith the %omen and Mar$ themother of eu, and %ith Hi "rother+  ct 86898:

I ha(e heard the e;preion man$ time, epeciall$ fromminiter and teacher, that “'cripture i ine;hauti"le+< I ha(e

noticed that if =ft$ di)erent miniter come to the ame te;t, the reult(er$ often i =ft$ di)erent ermon+ There 5ut eem to "e omethin#ele there that ha not "een noticed, ome other %ord, phrae, ordetail that %hen $ou read e(en a 'cripture that i (er$ familiar to $ou,it eem li&e it i there for the =rt time+ That %a the feelin# I #ot a Iread our te;t for thi mornin#+ In all the time I ha(e read thi accountof the acenion of >hrit, I had ne(er reall$ paid attention to the factthat Mar$ %a amon# the #roup #athered in the upper room at

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-entecot+ 'ince toda$ i Mother0 Da$, there %a omethin# a"outher preence that eemed epeciall$ i#ni=cant to me+ I thou#hta"out her uni?ue role to motherhood, and the 5ourne$ he had had to%al& to reach thi point, I couldn0t help "ut %onder %hat it mut ha(e"een li&e to "e the mother of the Lord+ Thi mornin# I thou#ht %e

%ould ta&e a little %al& in her hoe for 5ut a "it and ta&e a loo& atome of the thin# he had to deal %ith+Mar$0 life %a a erie of up and do%n, far "e$ond %hat mot

people e(er ha(e to face in a lifetime+ Her roller coater ride "e#an%ith the announcement made to her "$ the an#el *a"riel+ That %acertainl$ reaon for re5oicin#@"ut %hat happened from there, %henhe %a found to "e e;pectin#, and oeph had thou#ht of puttin# hera%a$3 Did he &no% of hi plan3 -ro"a"l$ not, ince the account inMatthe% a$, “Ahile he THOU*HT a"out thee thin#, an an#elappeared to him in a dream< CMatt+ 86F+ 'o that part of the ridema$ ha(e "een oeph0 and not her+ But then, of coure, there %a

the "irth of the child, and the preentation in the Temple+ nother 5o$ou occaion, to "e ure@and $et there %ere the prophetic %ord of 'imeon6 “Thi child i detined for the fall and riin# of man$ in Irael,and for a i#n %hich %ill "e po&en a#aint C$e, a %ord %ill piercethrou#h $our o%n oul aloF< CLu&e 6G:9GF+ Mar$ ma$ ha(e%ondered at hi %ord, "ut I0m ure he ne(er reali2ed at that point 5ut ho% harp that %ord %ould "e+

Mar$ had to "e impreed %hen the three %ie men came to(iit, not 5ut "$ the cotline of the #ift, "ut "$ the len#th of the 5ourne$ the$ had made 5ut to come ee thi child for themel(e+ Butalmot "efore he e(en had time to conider the meanin# of it, the

%arnin# came from the an#el to ee to E#$pt for the child0 afet$+I0m ure Mar$ %a a %oman of #reat faith+ Her faith %a e(ident

at the annunciation, %hen he told the an#el, “Let it "e unto meaccordin# to $our %ord+< 4o ?uetion, no denial, 5ut impleacceptance of the %ord of the an#el+ But ho% her faith mut ha(e"een tried %hen eu %a left "ehind at a#e t%el(e and the$ foundHim in the Temple+ Ahat did it do to her to hear Hi remar& a"out"ein# a"out Hi .ather0 "uine3 Ahat did it do to here to reali2ethat at a"out a#e thirt$ He %ould a"andon the common path of theeldet on follo%in# in hi father0 trade3 Ho% a"out %hen He enteredHi minitr$ at 4a2areth, "$ "ein# run out of the $na#o#ue and the

to%n@and e(en facin# an attempt "$ Hi hometo%n cro%d to thro%Him o) a cli)3

t ome point in 'cripture %e #et indication that perhap heundertood Him a full$ a an$one on earth+ Ahen He performed Hi=rt miracle at the %eddin# at >ana, it %a 'HE %ho approached HIM+nd %hen He eemed to a$ no, he didn0t "at an e$e, 5ut turned tothe er(ant and aid, “Ahate(er He a$ to $ou, do it+< E(en o, ho%did it a)ect her to hear the conictin# report that %ere circulated

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a"out Him3 “There %a much complainin# amon# the peopleconcernin# Him+ 'ome aid, /He i #ood01 other aid, /4o, on thecontrar$, He decei(e the people0< Cohn J68F+ Ho% did it a)ect her%hen eu %a re5ected e(en "$ Hi o%n "rother3 Cohn J6F Ae do&no% that the$ e(entuall$ came around and #ot %ith the pro#ram,

"ecaue %e =nd them preent %ith Mar$ in the upper room a %ell+But %hat a"out the proce it too& to #et there3I thin& ma$"e the loneliet =#ure %e =nd at the cro i Mar$+

fter all, thi i her 'O41 thi i alo the 'on of *od0 promie,con=rmed to her and to oeph "$ the %itne of an#el+ Ho% doe ita)ect her to hear Him e;pre %ord of a"andonment "$ *od3 4e(ermind for a moment all the up and do%n he ha een to thi point,and all the %retlin# %ith her feelin# that ha ta&en place@thi i her'O4, and thi i the E4D+

 Yet %e ee eu aKrmin# motherhood, e(en from the cro, aHe tell ohn, “Behold $our mother,< and it a$ ohn too& her into hi

home from that da$+ But %here %a her famil$3 Ae don0t ee them atthe cro, or %e aume if her other children had "een there, the$%ould ha(e tood "$ her, and the 'cripture %ould ha(e noted theirpreence+ But ome%here "et%een the cro and -entecot,omethin# ha happened to "rin# them once a#ain "$ her ide+

'omethin# a"out eein# Mar$ lited in thi #roup remind me ofthat true pirit of motherhood %e cele"rate on thi da$+ Ae li(e intime %hen motherhood ha "een cheapened+ 'ince 8G, an a(era#eof 8+ million "a"ie ha(e "een a"orted each $ear@and "$ far thema5orit$ of them impl$ "ecaue the$ %ere incon(enient to the

mother+ Ae li(e in time %hen a teena#e #irl can #o to a prom, ta&etime out to deli(er a "a" and drop it in the trah, and then carr$ on aif nothin# had happened+ Ae li(e in time %hen clonin# and tet9tu"e"a"ie and perm "an& and e## "an& ha(e rede=ned the entireproce of "ecomin# a mother+

4ot onl$ ha motherhood "een cheapened, "ut childhood a %ell+Ae call a prenatal child a fetu1 %e ha(e a had$ underco(er mar&etfor "od$ part of a"orted "a"ie1 the internet i loaded %ith childporno#raph$1 %e are "om"arded %ith ne% report a"out piritual#uide %ho ha(e "ecome e;ual predator of our children+ It0 reall$no urprie that motherhood i cheapened, %hen %e ha(e cheapened

all the relationhip that #o into %hat it mean to "ecome a mother+Ma$"e that0 %h$ %e cele"rate the e;ample %e =nd all around

u of motherhood that clearl$ #oe "e$ond the call of dut$+ I ee thatin Mar$, %ho i a prime e;ample of motherhood that ha ta$ed thecoure, e(en %hen it too& her throu#h roc&$ #round+ I ee it in in#lemom doin# e(er$thin# the$ can to ma&e end meet rather thanloo&in# for a %a$ out li&e a"ortion or a"andonment+ I ee it in mother%ho ha(e had to ma&e career choice, and %ho acri=ce career in

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fa(or of pro(idin# for the nurture of their children+ I ee it in mother%ho ne(er #i(e up e(en %hen their children re5ect the mother0 nurtureand re"el+ I a% it in m$ o%n mother, %hen m$ iter told her, “Ah$don0t $ou 5ut #i(e up on him3< But he ne(er did+

I thin& ma$"e it0 that “ne(er a$ die< pirit that %e cele"rate in

our mother on thi da$ more than an$thin# ele+ There i omethin#of that pirit in e(er$ mother+ There i omethin# in that pirit that%itnee to u of uneen thin#, of a hea(enl$ realm "e$ond thi one+ There i omethin# #odl$ in that &ind of lo(e+ Becaue I don0t "elie(e*od e(er #i(e up on u either+ He lea(e the and #oe after theone that #ot lot1 He recei(e the prodi#al child %ith %ide9open arm1He #oe to the #reatet len#th for LL Hi children@e(en %hen thatlo(e mean a cro+

 Toda$, let u remem"er once a#ain the pecial ?ualitie thatma&e up a mother0 lo(e+ Let u remem"er the nurture, the lo(e, theacri=ce, the #i(in# that reall$ ne(er end+ Let u %ith all our heart

#i(e than& to *od for our mother thi da$, and ma&e thi trul$ apecial da$ for them+ The$ are trul$ a #ift of *od0 lo(e and a "ad#e of *od0 lo(in# preence %ith u+