Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa presided over the Mass for the Immaculate Conception, an event that coincided with a day in Panama dedicated to mothers with great devotion. This convergence of dates, far from going unnoticed, became a powerful message: the mother on earth and the mother in faith embraced at the same altar.
Ulloa addressed the parishioners who filled the church. He stated that both events «illuminate each other,» and that Mary, a woman of total self-giving and love, is a mirror in which so many Panamanian mothers see themselves every day before heading out to their daily struggles.
The Archbishop thanked the mothers one by one, as if speaking to each from her own doorstep, acknowledging their strength, their silent sacrifice, and their tenderness that supports entire families and neighborhoods. He called them «the first catechism, the first refuge, the first prayer taught,» reminding them that they are more than just a family role; they are the spiritual pillar of this country.
He also recalled the words of Pope Francis: «A society without mothers would be inhumane.» The echo of that phrase resonated in the air as a living truth: without a mother, there is no home; without a home, there is no people.
At the end, Ulloa offered a blessing that many received with tearful eyes: «May Immaculate Mary, mother of all mothers, cover you with her mantle and sustain you in the beautiful and sacred mission of giving life… and of continuing to give life each day.» For him, celebrating the Immaculate Conception is not just about looking to the heavens, but about allowing that example of humility to touch the heart. Because greatness, he insisted, does not come from power, but from knowing one is small before God yet loved without measure.
A homily that did not stay within the cathedral walls but went out to walk alongside every mother who today cooks, carries, corrects, cries, laughs, and holds this country firm with her chest and her heart on fire.
