On this weekend when we celebrate Mothers let us pray for all Mothers, even those whose experience is beyond our understanding. Let us pray for mothers whose lives are filled with joy and those filled with grief and all those in between.

This prayer is written by the Presbyterian Mission Agency President and Director, Rev. Dr. Diane Moffat

Let us pray:

Divine Creator, we welcome you into our sacred space.

With open hearts, we usher in your presence

And await the movement of your Holy Spirit.

God of all mothers,

Stand with us as we celebrate

Those who have mothered,

Those who are mothering

and those who will mother.

Abide with us as we honor

Those who found ways to give life

And nurture children

even in the midst of the

Middle Passage.

Slavery.

Jim Crow laws.

Racism.

And hatred that threatened

To take away life before it was given.

Stand by us as we acknowledge mothers who stand at the border

Seeking life for their children and families

Only to have those children snatched from their hands

By cruel, callous laws that are indifferent to human suffering.

Walk with us as we lift up mothers

Who are frail and in the final season of living.

Mothers who have given more than they ever received.

Mothers who have cared for, caressed and counseled us.

Who have etched their mark upon our flesh.

Mothers whom we grieve because they have died

And their memory leaves us wanting …

Comfort us as we remember mothers

Who are homeless and hopeless,

Who are locked up and locked out of their

Children’s lives because of

Incarceration.

Or mental disorders

Or self-imposed imprisonment

That inhibits one’s ability to mother.

Like our earthly mothers,

You have given us life

And brought us forth

To be a source of life and light in this world.

You have blessed us with your merciful love

Even when our behavior breaks your heart.

Forgive our rebellious, wayward ways.

Heal our lives and the planet in which we live.

As we enter the celebration of Mother’s Day

Make us grateful for your unwavering

Mercy.

Love.

Provision.

Patience and

Guidance.

And help us to share the same with others.

Amen.