The Christophers: Gratitude for Mothers

Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M.

The Christophers’ Board of Directors

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In his 1995 Letter to Women, Pope Saint John Paul II wrote, “Thank you, women who are mothers! You have sheltered human beings within yourselves in a unique experience of joy and travail. This experience makes you become God’s own smile upon the newborn child, the one who guides your child’s first steps, who helps your child to grow, and who is the anchor as your child makes their way along the journey of life.”

These words capture the essence of motherhood and properly celebrate all that mothers mean to us. From the first act of welcoming new life into the world to the loving care provided in formative years, followed by a lifetime of emotional investment, a mother’s love extends the expression of God’s love for us all.

In his Confessions, Saint Augustine prays to God, “Thou didst ‘stretch forth thy hand from above’ and didst draw up my soul out of that profound darkness because my mother, thy faithful one, wept to thee on my behalf more than mothers are accustomed to weep for the bodily deaths of their children….And thou didst hear her, O Lord.”

In this meditation on the loving disposition of his own mother, Augustine reveals the greatest love any mother can show to a child, which is to desire their salvation. The triumph of motherhood is found in every moment a child is pointed toward God and pointed toward their own unique path to sainthood.

The dramatic turnaround Augustine credits to his mother exemplifies a universal dynamic between mother and child. In our most trying moments, we look to our mothers as intercessors, and we learn to engage this dynamic early in life in our reliance on mothers. But as we grow, this relationship deepens and we realize how much our mothers are like Mary, mother of Christ and mother to all.

A mother emulates Mary’s loving intercession in countless ways. She intercedes with others on our behalf as we navigate the travails of growing up, and she intercedes in prayer to God as we make our way in the world. Just as Saint Augustine credits his mother for interceding in prayer to overcome his obstacles, so too should we credit our mothers for everything we accomplish in life, because we are constantly benefiting from all our mothers have done and all they continue to do in joining their hearts to God in prayer to will the good for us.

Edith Stein, who became Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, wrote, “A woman’s soul is fashioned as a shelter in which other souls may unfold.”

This bit of wisdom reveals a profound truth about all women who embrace God’s call to care for others, and motherhood expresses this calling in such a tangible way. It is a calling to protect, nurture, guide, and provide, even in difficult times. It is a sacrificial role that we depend on to grow and flourish in a challenging world.

All this brings us to a sense of immense gratitude, and that is yet another way mothers deepen our relationship with God, because no one awakens us to a sense of gratitude like our mothers. This gratitude we experience toward our mothers for their tenderness and steady guidance invariably points us to a sense of gratitude for God’s mercy and wisdom.

So may we always honor God by honoring our mothers and live in a state of joyful gratitude for the many wonderful gifts in life bestowed upon us.

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For free copies of the Christopher News Note NURTURING SEEDS OF FAITH AND HOPE, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org