Pastors Pen

The commandment by Jesus to the disciple 'whom He loved' was to "Behold thy mother!" The suggestion was not that He was giving her up, but that he was sharing her with the disciple, such that he should love her as his own. It was a term of deepest endearment, not merely to the d1sc1ple, but to His mother, that she also should regard the disciple as her son.

The tradition of sharing our family is not new to the African American community. It is common for us to claim someone as our 'mother' or 'sister' or 'brother', and sincerely mean it. The mothers who have taken us in, fed us, scolded us or just hugged us are the mothers we have loved. Whether it was Auntie, Big Mama, sister , neighbor or just a friend, we celebrate and say "thank you" to our mothers.

To behold our mothers is to witness and give testament to all of their beauty, elegance and grace. It is to behold their strength and their steadfastness. It is to behold their faith. It is a mother's love m all of its glory. Behold, our mothers!