Celebrating Mothers is a special privilege for me. I was blessed with two wonderful mothers. Today I want to tell you something special about my mother who adopted me at age fifteen months. She gave me many things. One of the most important was an introduction to, and an example of, what it means to be a woman of faith, participating in a church family. No one but God can give you faith. For all of us, accepting that gift is an individual choice. Without my mother’s example, I might never have chosen faith.

Often, when I met young couples for premarriage counselling, one or both of them would declare, “When we have children, we won’t be bringing them to church. We don’t want them brainwashed. We want them to make their own decision about faith.”

What those young people didn’t know is, that in order to understand and make an intelligent choice about faith, politics, anything, every human needs knowledge, particularly knowledge learned from experience. To know and understand the value of faith and being part of a church community, we need some introductory knowledge and experience. This is not brainwashing. How else can anyone learn without some experience of one’s own? Certainly, children can learn to read, but reading only gives us someone else’s words. Depending on who offers those words, our thoughts about church and faith will differ tremendously. Experiencing a community of faith is not something a young child can easily discover independently, unguided.

My adoptive mother showed me first hand that a church family offers support, comfort, friendship, fun and challenge. She lived a life of faith, caring for others, finding strength and wisdom from her faith. I learned so much from my adoptive mother.

Not every person can be a mother who carries a child in her womb. Some begin as mothers through adoption or through friendship. Regardless of our situation, as faithful people we can teach a child in our care about God who loves us from our very beginning. Traditionally, our culture gives mothers a special opportunity to teach the faith by their words and their example. When writing to his young friend Timothy, St. Paul says, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother, Lois, and in your mother, Eunice, and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” (2 Timothy 1:5)

          I believe that if you had a mother who shared her faith with you, you were truly blessed. You may think you’ve thrown all that away, but those values remain even if you no longer nurture them within a faith community, or even claim them.

What better gift than to learn to live your life knowing that God loves you, no matter what you have done, or said, or thought. God calls us to love one another, to love all people, just because we are all God’s precious children, created in love. What could be a better gift than to know that there is an entire congregation that loves and accepts you, where you can practice leadership without judgement, where you can find help, wisdom, strength and comfort. Even when the world seems to have turned against you, you can learn on your church family. They are your cheerleaders, your support.

Today, many people have no religious upbringing. Over the centuries, people of faith have made mistakes, and still do. Still, with good will, the foundation values of faith, Christian, Moslem, Judaism, Buddhist, First Nations, any and all can give us the strength and wisdom to create a better more peaceful world.

This Mothers’ Day and every day, I thank my adoptive mom, for giving me the means to choose a life of faith.