Christ Jesus says in our gospel today, “How often I have desired to gather [you] together as a mother hen gathers her brood under her wings.” Just think about what that means: The Beloved wants to clasp us to his bosom in divine love, to surround and uphold us in grace and peace, yet too often we continue to pull away, to retreat, to rebel. Too many of us somehow seem unwilling to receive the grace the Holy One has prepared for us.

Julian of Norwich, a contemporary of Chaucer, notably experienced Jesus as Mother. Listen as she compares Jesus’ love for us to a mother’s: “A mother’s service is the most intimate, willing, and dependable, because it is the most natural, as well as the most loving, and certainly the truest service we know. And the only one who can perform this service to its fullest is our Lord Jesus . . . the human mother suckles her child with her own milk, but Mother Jesus nourishes us with himself, with the utmost courtesy, in the blessed sacrament, the priceless food of eternal life. And through all the sacraments he accompanies us on our journey with mercy and grace.” (30 Days with Julian of Norwich, Day 20)

Take time to sit a bit with the image of Jesus as the mother hen protecting her chicks. How does it speak to you? Can you imagine yourself as one of the chicks? If so, do you scurry under her overarching wings when she calls, or are you so absorbed in discovering the world around you that you don’t even hear her clucks? Do you see Jesus reaching out to you in love? Are you willing to respond to him today?