Hi, Mom!

Bill Cosby once joked about the frustration of fathers who work tirelessly to develop their sons into star athletes only to see them at their moment of glory turn to the cameras and say, “Hi, Mom!”

Actually, no slight to the father is necessarily intended. A good father rejoices in a son’s accomplishments and words are not needed for a father and son to know each is appreciated by the other.

How families express love can vary, but while the love between a father and a son can so often be strong but unspoken, the strong love between a son and his mother often flows much more naturally into words and other outward expression. So at his moment of glory, the son fittingly says, “Hi, Mom!” as if to say, “See what I’ve done! Rejoice with me!”


One of the most moving sequences in Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ is when His mother Mary comes to Him on the Via Dolorosa. It is a powerful cinematic moment, as we see expressed on film a mother’s love for her child and her heart-piercing sorrow as she shares in his agony.

And when Mary reaches Jesus and touches his pain-wracked body, Jesus looks at her and hoarsely whispers, “See, mother, I make all things new!”

The words are from the book of Revelation, but they are well suited to a moment that expresses what Jesus and Mary share, a love and an understanding that encompasses and surpasses all the pain of the world.