Introduction
Mothering Sunday is a peculiarly British celebration. In contrast to state-sponsored days honouring women or mothers in other religions or countries, it is an ancient custom of the people that acknowledges the intimate connection between Christian faith, close-knit families founded on a mother’s love, and a free society.
CONSTANCE Smith worked in a Nottingham dispensary for the Girls’ Friendly Society, helping young women with no family, especially unmarried mothers. In 1920, her experiences led her to campaign for the wider observance of Mothering Sunday.
In mediaeval times, Christians had gathered on the fourth Sunday in Lent at larger parish churches or cathedrals – the ‘mother church’ — to celebrate (in St Paul’s words) the Jerusalem which is above, which is free and the mother of us all.* In token of that freedom, servants were granted a holiday, scattered families were reunited, and the strict Lenten fast was relaxed.
By Constance’s day these customs were almost forgotten; but she trusted them to fill her girls with longing for the rewards and responsibilities of a Christian mother’s love.
No celebration is complete without confectionery, and for Mothering Sunday Robert Herrick chose simnel cake:*
I’ll to thee a simnel bring,
’Gainst thou go’st a-mothering:
So that when she blesseth thee,
Half that blessing thou’lt give me.
See Galatians 4:21-31. The fourth Sunday of Lent is the Sunday of St John of the Ladder in the Orthodox Churches. The central concept of his book ‘The Ladder’ (John lived in the Monastery of St Catherine on Sinai in the 6th century) is that we rise on the rungs of purification and illumination to a heavenly Jerusalem of freedom from the passions; there could be no more appropriate day for Mothering Sunday in the whole calendar.
Robert Herrick (1591-1674) was a churchman and one of the best-loved poets of his generation, which included John Donne and Herrick’s mentor, Ben Jonson. Simnel cake (probably from the Latin ‘simila’, fine flour) is a light lenten fruitcake, with a layer of marzipan in the middle and another on top. Since Victorian times, twelve marzipan balls have been added for decoration, one for each of the Apostles.
Précis
Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, goes back to Mediaeval times, when churches followed St Paul in commemorating the heavenly Jerusalem as the ‘mother’ of Christians. Custom linked the day to family reunions and motherly love, and in 1920 campaigner Constance Smith renewed interest in the day to raise awareness of the plight of young girls without family support. (60 / 60 words)
Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, goes back to Mediaeval times, when churches followed St Paul in commemorating the heavenly Jerusalem as the ‘mother’ of Christians. Custom linked the day to family reunions and motherly love, and in 1920 campaigner Constance Smith renewed interest in the day to raise awareness of the plight of young girls without family support.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, despite, if, just, ought, unless, whether.
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Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Custom. Family. Helping.
2 Holiday. She. Young.
3 Campaign. Smith. Which.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
fts (9+1)
fates. fats. fatuous. feats. fetes. fetus. fiats. fits. foetus.
fatso.
