Sermon for Laetare Sunday (Mothering Sunday) 2025
Preached by the Vicar, Fr Christopher Woods
Cast your minds back if you will to Candlemas. The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. That is in fact the event from which our very short Gospel Reading today is extracted. The Evangelist Luke gently reminds us that the nurturing and maternal qualities of discipleship, with tenderness and grace, presents a very tough paradox: immense joy and profound sorrow.
In Luke's Gospel, we encounter Mary and Joseph standing amazed at Simeon’s prophetic words about their child, Jesus. Simeon speaks vividly of the extraordinary destiny awaiting Jesus, one filled with glory but also with suffering. Crucially, he turns to Mary and says these haunting, poignant words: "And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
Within this brief yet powerful statement lies the heart of what it truly means to love deeply. Every mother, every parent, indeed every person who has ever dared to love profoundly, understands the vulnerability love inevitably brings. When we love someone deeply, we open ourselves up not only to joy and fulfilment but also to pain, disappointment, and sorrow. Mary’s own journey embodies this universal truth. She rejoiced greatly at Jesus' birth, pondered the miracles of his growth, and celebrated his wisdom. Yet, her motherly love faced its ultimate test as she stood beneath the cross, witnessing the unimaginable sorrow of her son's suffering and death.
I am reminded at the poignant moment captured in the Fourth Station of the Cross when Jesus meets his most holy mother. In that profound encounter, we witness the depths of maternal love and the quiet strength born from shared suffering. In Mary's eyes, we glimpse a love that neither diminishes nor flees in the face of pain. Rather, her presence at that moment provides Jesus—and each of us—a testament to the strength and resilience that love imparts, even amidst overwhelming sorrow.
Laetare Sunday, Mothering Sunday invites us today to extend our gratitude and appreciation beyond biological mothers alone—to embrace and celebrate all those who nurture, care for, guide, and support us along life’s complex journey. It asks us to recognize and honour those who choose vulnerability, those who dare to love wholeheartedly, knowing full well that such love inevitably carries the possibility of deep pain and sacrifice.
Yet, today's message is not one of despair but of profound hope and reassurance and even inner contemplative joy as the word Laetare means: rejoice.
Mary’s sorrow, her piercing pain, was not the end. Her unwavering love, courageously maintained even in her darkest moments, became a powerful and enduring source of strength for the early church. The fourth century bishop St Ambrose of Milan wrote "Let the soul of Mary be in each one to magnify the Lord; let the spirit of Mary be in each one to rejoice in God."
Her example continues to illuminate our path today, inspiring us to endure trials and setbacks with grace and perseverance, always holding onto faith and trust in God's enduring presence and ultimate goodness.
Today, let us pause to give heartfelt thanks for all who have and continue to nurture and care for us—whether parents, teachers, mentors, friends, or any who have shown us unconditional love and support. Let us also remember that each one of us has the capacity to nurture, to care, and to love courageously and compassionately. In Mary’s example, we find the courage to embrace love in all its complexities and challenges.
May our hearts today be comforted and strengthened by the certain knowledge that Christ’s unfailing love, which Mary so intimately witnessed, remains with us always—guiding us through every joy, every challenge, every sorrow. And may we always remember that in choosing to love, we choose to live fully, knowing that in Christ’s love, we are never alone. Amen.
