Motherhood

This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day.  Motherhood is a blessing ,and mothers are gifts to all of us.  In one of his General Audience, Pope Francis said that “a society without mothers would be a dehumanized society, for mothers are always, even in the worst moments, witnesses of tenderness, dedication and moral strength.” Motherhood provides a beautiful testimony to the value of self-sacrifice. Mothers are the strongest antidote to the spread of self-centered individualism. Motherhood transforms the world. The vocation of motherhood is in a unique way, involves listening, caring for the needs of others, laying down one’s life for another. Our mothers, together with our fathers, are the ones who first teach us about love and how to respond to those in need. The Church, in many ways, is also a mother to us. She teaches us how to love and to respond to those in need. From her we receive the grace of the sacraments, are taught to hear the word of God, and receive teaching to guide our steps in the truth and freedom of the children of God. Mothers often pass on the deepest sense of religious practice: “in a human being’s life, the value of faith is inscribed in the first prayers, the first acts of devotion that a child learns. It is a message that believing mothers are able to pass on without much explanation,” says Pope Francis. 

Today, in a special way, let us be grateful for: Our mothers, by birth or adoption, who nurtured us and supported us through life; our Church who takes on the maternal role of guiding us through life; and our Blessed Mother, who protects both the Church and all her children.

Let us give thanks to God for mothers, and for the amazing gift of motherhood. Let us pray for struggling mothers, for expectant mothers, for mothers who are separated from their children, for mothers who have lost a child, etc.

Dear mothers, may the example of Mary, Mother of Jesus, inspire you to live your vocation as Christian mothers and call your children to faith. May almighty God guide and protect you in challenging times and help you to continue to trust in Him all the days of your life.

Blessed Mothers’ Day,