In a hurry to dive into the cool
water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he
went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle
of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.
His mother, in the house, was
looking out the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer together.
In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she
could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim
to his mother.
It was too late. Just as he
reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her
little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an
incredible tug-of-war between the two.
The alligator was much stronger
than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.
A farmer happened to drive by,
heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.
His legs were extremely scarred
by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches
where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to
the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter who
interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The
boy lifted his pant legs; and then, with obvious pride, he said to the
reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them
because my mom wouldn’t let go.”
This story reminds us of the essence
of a mother. A mother is someone who is more concerned about her child’s best interest
rather than her own interests. She does everything for her child from giving him
life, protecting his life, to let the child appreciate life and to let him live
his own life. No matter what will happen to her, she will protect her child in
all events and circumstances. This is true to life in the case of Mary. In Luke
1:26-38, Mary was told by an angel that she will conceive in her womb and bear
a son, and she shall call his name Jesus. Mary said in reply, “Behold, I am the
handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” There seems to
be no problem by merely looking at the details of their conversation. But during
the time of Mary, a woman who is found pregnant and having a baby out of
wedlock shall face the community’s punishment. Nevertheless, Mary took the risk
by accepting the gift of motherhood. She
understood that the child in her womb and/or in any woman’s womb is a gift from
God. She was willing to accept the community’s punishment as part of the
consequences of having a baby out of wedlock.
My dear friends, we pray today
for all pregnant women that they can find connection with their baby in their
womb. May they realize that their baby is a gift from God no matter what are
the surrounding circumstances of the mother. May all the pregnant women of this
world welcome the baby in their womb and give birth to him/her. Pregnancy is a
period of a very intimate relationship between the mother and the baby in her
womb. Motherhood begins when a human life begins in a woman's womb. Any good mother know this –the baby has caused no wrong to her as
he/she comes as a gift from God. There is nothing left to be done but to receive
the baby with a joyful heart. Amen.
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