EARLIER TODAY, in the context of a celebration of the Eucharist, I enjoyed the privilege of admitting and welcoming Vivien Bell, Betty Bingham and Pam Price into membership of the worldwide Mothers’ Union – which pleasure gave a brief opportunity to reflect a bit on both “mothering” and “union”.
“Mothering” – whether that involves the “raising up” of children or of what Jesus thought of as the “reign of God” – requires a degree of listening and careful attention to the needs of another, and of all others, in order that they may thrive. And this kind of “mothering” is the proper work of both women and men.
“Union” is one of the chief life attributes that anyone at all concerned with “mothering” will want to encourage in ALL humankind. There’s a One-ness about God’s Creation that humankind tears apart only to its own great peril. There’s a union betwixt the Creator of all things and all Creation – a union simply but tragically hidden when our little (but persistent) sense of “self” (or the importance of “me” and “mine”) gets in the way! Humanly appointed separations can alienate. And alienation is dangerous for all of life, we’ve ample evidence all around us of its destructive power. Separateness will come to be seen as having been mere human illusion as God, the Source of all life (however you conceive of God), mothers and returns all things unto God’s eternally life-giving self, and to ultimate fulfilment.
A Mothers’ Union will work, rest, play and pray for: a holy communion, a “one body because we all share in the one bread”; and for a good religion (from the Latin, religare, binding as one).
And we ought to make no mistake about it, that’s the only kind of religion Jesus of Nazareth was interested in – and willing to surrender his own life for: that humankind of every race, creed or no creed, Jew or Gentile, gender or sexuality – “be one” – even as humankind itself is to be “at one” with all Creation. And Jesus’ “religion” was built upon his having a most decided penchant for those widely considered by others to be no-hopers!
But we don’t always quite “get it” do we? Somehow within the same few moments we can listen to Jesus speaking of his and our having to be willing to die for the cause of our One-ness – (“they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him”) – and before he’s properly finished speaking we join ranks with James and John the sons of Zebedee, completely missing the tragic irony of our actions, as we set about trying to “fix” our own comfort and “status” in whatever it is that lies ahead – Mark 10.32-45
How can we be so dozey? How does our scrabbling after the best seats – the best respected positions and traditions – contribute anything worthwhile to “mothering-in” a new kind of dispensation, or to “union”? Even for the “Son of Man” – “to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant”.
I’m more and more convinced that “only one way” religion is bad religion; that noisy, distracting, “only one way” worship doesn’t actually give God the “worth” it purports to. The mothering union is to be a worldwide enterprise that involves innumerable blessed traditions and immeasurable diversity. So my personal plea is that we should stop trying (and failing) to “save” the world; that our “mission” be first concerned with having another look at what we each must do to “save” ourselves – making better, more humane human beings out of all of us, for the greater good of a very diverse whole. And that will involve a human mothering that begins with a “repenting” – a “turning” to pay attention to – and to rejoice in – a life sustained and growing and wholly provided for in the womb of a mother. Human mothering-in of Divine fullness continues as we pay proper attention to the Divine Life similarly present always in the “womb” – the very centre of each of us – man, woman or child. Turn around! What you seek has already been given you, already provided and ready to sustain. Be still (and quiet for a space!) – that you may know – (and maybe even feel her/him kicking!) We are One. And so, thank God, all of us belong to a mothers’ union.
