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Overview: The CCUSA social policy team wishes everyone a Happy Mothers’ Day! 

This week, the end of Title 42, now a reality, dominated the issues on the minds of the administration, Congress, and many citizens in the country. Hours before Title 42 ended, the House of Representatives passed the Secure the Border Act (H.R. 2), which, according to its proponents, seeks to strengthen border security. CCUSA strongly opposed H.R. 2. (See “Immigration” paragraph below.)

President Biden and congressional leadership met to discuss the debt limit. No agreement on how to move forward was reached, except that administration and leadership staff would meet to discuss potential areas of concord.  The talks come just weeks before the United States is expected to run out of cash to pay its bills unless the nation's borrowing cap is lifted. The president and the leaders of Congress will continue their discussion next week. In the meantime, important legislation in different areas such as the Farm Bill is stalled in congressional committees pending a resolution of the debt ceiling negotiations. 

Migrants enter the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico, on May 10, 2023, to cross the border and turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents before Title 42 ends. (Photo OSV News/Daniel Becerril, Reuters)

Immigration: On Monday, CCUSA sent a letter to House leadership opposing the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2). The legislation severely restricts vulnerable people’s access to asylum, detains more families including children, undermines U.S. efforts to effectively manage immigration, and dismantles the public-private infrastructure currently in place to manage the humanitarian crisis at the southern border and its impact throughout the country. CCUSA also prepared for members of Congress a backgrounder on H.R. 2, which you can read here. H.R. 2 passed the House on Thursday with a vote of 219 to 213, but it’s unlikely the Senate will even consider the measure. 

Affordable housing: A bipartisan group of legislators from the House and Senate reintroduced the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, which would expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program by reinstating a 12.5% increase, recently expired in 2021, in the amount of credits allocated to each state.

Economy: In the week ending May 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 264,000, an increase of 22,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 242,000. This is the highest level for initial claims since October 30, 2021, when it was 264,000. The 4-week moving average was 245,250, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week’s unrevised average 239,250. This is the highest level for this average since November 20, 2021, when it was 249,250. 

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This weekend, there is a nice coincidence for Mass-goers in the U.S. We are celebrating Mothers’ Day and we get a glimpse of Jesus’ maternal side in the gospel for Sunday. “I will not leave you orphans,” he says. “I will come to you.” Like a good mother, Jesus gives of himself so that we can have life. He comes to us through his words, his commandments, and his very self: “…you are in me and I in you.”

Thinking of Jesus as a mother may sound strange to modern ears, but there are earlier traditions that embraced the image. In the middle ages, people linked motherhood with being nourished, so for them it was natural to see Jesus as a mother because he provided the nourishment to bring us to eternal life.

Julian of Norwich (1342-1416), who lived in 14th century England, said, “The mother can give her child to suck of her milk, but our precious mother Jesus can feed us with himself, and does, most courteously and most tenderly, with the blessed sacrament, which is the precious food of true life.”

Editorial credit: Tupungato / Shutterstock.com

An even older tradition, perhaps as far back as the 2nd century, describes Jesus as a mother pelican. People at the time noticed pelicans pressing their bills into their chests and then feeding their young. The pelican was simply trying to empty its pouch, but the onlookers thought the pelican was piercing her breast in order to feed her children with her flesh and blood. They saw her as a symbol of Jesus, dying to herself so that her children could live.

We understand the connections. Jesus gave up his flesh and blood on the cross to save us from our sins. That same sacrifice continues mysteriously to feed us in the Eucharist so that we might come to live with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in heaven.

Today we give thanks for our mothers, and we can be grateful as well for those qualities of motherhood that anyone can manifest, even Jesus. Many mothers love their children through good times and bad; they are willing to be patient, to be forgiving, to correct when necessary, and to walk with their children as they grow up year after year. Jesus loves us in the same way, and he is the only “mother” who does so with perfect mercy and justice. He is patient. He is forgiving. He offers correction. He is always present to us, feeding us with his body and blood and guiding us with his word. He freely offers his life for us so that we can be free to give all to him and our brothers and sisters.

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Q. What activity spikes as much as 37% on Mothers’ Day compared to any other day of the year?

Please send your answers to [email protected].

Last week's question and answer:

Q. Who was the leader of France when French forces lost the Battle of Puebla (Mexico) in 1862?

A. We did not receive a response to the question. Here’s the answer: Napoleon III.

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