Mothering Sunday sits comfortably, and sometimes poignantly, in the middle of our Lenten journey. While much of the world marks “Mother’s Day” as a commercial event, the Anglican tradition invites us to pause and reflect more deeply. This Sunday is also known as Laetare Sunday (pronounced lay-tah-re), from the Latin meaning “Rejoice!”
Lent is usually a sombre and penitential season, but Laetare Sunday offers something of a breathing space – a moment of refreshment and hope! It marks the point at which we begin to look beyond the discipline of Lent towards the joy of the Resurrection at Easter.
This Sunday at St Mary’s we will share in a special all-age Mothering Sunday service for both parishes, Kings Worthy and Headbourne Worthy. Through words, song, and symbols, we will pause to reflect and to give thanks for all those who have mothered us. My own mother was called Betty, but I also remember with gratitude the kindness of women such as Sue, Janice, Ruth and Enid, whose care shaped my life at particular times and places.
As part of our celebration, we will offer every woman attending a hand-made posy of flowers, made by a small team of men from St Mary’s! It’s widely known that this Sunday was one when people were encouraged to return to their “mother church” – often the cathedral or the parish church where they were baptised. For domestic servants and apprentices living away from home, this was a rare and precious day. Granted time off by their masters, they would walk home along the lanes, gathering wild spring flowers – primroses or violets – to give to their mothers or to place on the church altar.
This beautiful blend of family affection and spiritual loyalty is part of what gives Mothering Sunday its distinctive character. It is a celebration of the people and places that first gave us a sense of belonging.
Yet even as we rejoice, we recognise that this can be a complicated joy. For many, Mothering Sunday carries a weight of sadness – for those who have lost mothers, those who have experienced infertility, fractured relationships, or the absence of a mother’s care. We hold all of this gently and honestly.
We are a faith community where we are brothers and sisters, gathered under the care of a God who longs to gather us “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings” (Matthew 23 v 37). Whether we are biological parents, foster parents, godparents, mentors, or spiritual mothers in the faith, we are all called to nurture the life of Christ in one another.
As we gather on Sunday, let’s give thanks for the women who raised us, the mentors who guided us, and the Church that continues to sustain us. We are part of a family, rooted in the love of a God who never lets us go. I hope you and your families from wherever you live in the Worthys will join us as we celebrate and give thanks together.
Revd Paul