Editor,
No matter how commercialized the concept has become, I still welcome this special day to commemorate mothers and motherhood. As I wrote just a few days ago the status of mother is still unique, exclusive to females (in spite of two married males being able to adopt these days.) Herein today I again mention the (unfortunate?) phenomenon of the Guyana “Single Parent”. Actually to me the usage is somewhat of a misnomer as it takes two parents to produce a child. The description is really relevant to just one parent usually a mother in our context being left to raise her offspring on her own as the father is an absentee (permanently).
I’ll not venture to explore the myriad reasons for this social phenomenon today. Rather, I’d like to provide some timely conversation regarding a likely single mother whose place in religious history is as profoundly significant as it is sometimes controversial. I’ve come across some compelling accounts of the mother of god the son/Jesus which depicts her as a faithful, religious but struggling wife and mother. Actually, apart from the birth, infancy and death of Jesus, Mary is not mentioned too often in the gospel. Her matured husband, Joseph, eventually accepted her divine privilege to be Jesus’s mother, so did not engage in any sexual relations with her “until” she gave birth to her son Jesus.” (Matthew 1:25) The usage “until” suggests that after Jesus’s birth, Joseph and Mary resumed sexual relations probably producing James, Joseph, Simon and Judas, described as Jesus’s “brethren” (Matthew 13:55) – as well as “sisters”.( Matthews 3:56)
Joseph disappeared from the scriptures before Jesus began his evangelical ministry suggesting that he (Joseph) had died, leaving Mary a widow. The Bible records that just before his own death, Jesus entrusted his Mother to the care of the apostle John (John 19:26/27). He would not have done so had her husband Joseph been still alive. According to the New Testament’s John (5:28/29) many knew that there would be a resurrection but what comfort was that for her? As a woman of strong faith and endless courage she, most likely, faced all the challenges of a single mother to her remaining children grown or still growing. It’s a fascinating study for Christians and non Christian alike. I invite readers to spend a little time on this appropriate day to consider the roles Mary and all mothers. A pleasant and reflective Mother’s Day to all.
Sincerely,
Allan Arthur Fenty
