To the Mothers Who Wait—And Hope—And Pray – Sunday, May 10, 1942
“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother.” (John 19:25) This poignant fact, recorded by John the Beloved, brings with it its reminder of the countless number of times the mothers of men have stood by while their sons have gone forth to do that which they had to do—those mothers who have watched over us from the first breath of life—and before that—who have given us their love, their understanding, their sweet influence and their hallowed blessing.
Greatly blessed above all men are those who have known the kind of mothers of whom such words are faithfully descriptive, for, in spite of the fact that we are breaking down the barriers of social and professional discrimination as between men and women, there is still reserved unto women the sacred obligation of being the mothers of the race, and no people can long remain on a higher plane than the mothers who have borne and reared and taught them, and no group of men can long remain better than the women they associate with.
It isn’t an easy time for mothers, this Mother’s Day. The world over, there are those who sit in grief because of that which has already befallen their sons, and there are yet greater thousands who wait, as mothers have always waited, for news which they pray will not confirm the things they have dreaded and lived through in their hearts many times over. But the mothers of men have long since learned to know that there are things worse than death—such things as disloyalty, cowardice, likewise; moral and spiritual disintegration—bondage. And so, as always, they wait and watch and hope and pray, as their men go forth to do that which they have to do—as men have always gone forth, and have now gone forth again.
God keep these mothers this Mother’s Day, and in all the days to come, and give them that comfort and understanding, that peace and assurance, they so much need—they who wait as the mother of Jesus waited by the cross—and God keep those boys for whom they wait, and help them to honor their mothers by doing well and valiantly those things which they must do—without giving way to hate—and without lowering those personal standards which were taught them by the mothers who now wait their return. It is a solemn message this Mother’s Day, but it is not a message without hope, s the days that are yet to come will prove.
By Richard L. Evans, spoken from the Tabernacle, Temple Square, Salt Lake City, May 10, 1942, over Radio Station KSL and the Nationwide Columbia Broadcasting System. Copyright – 1942.
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May 10, 1942
Broadcast Number 0,664