Motherhood is an honorable and necessary role in the family, in the Church, and in society. Catholics give thanks to God for creating women with the unique gift of bearing children and bringing new life into the world.
Mothers are also uniquely gifted at nurturing their children, helping to form values, and tending to their emotional and spiritual growth.
Catholics pray for their own mothers, whether living or deceased, and show their gratitude for their protection, guidance, and love.
As the mystical bride of Christ, the Catholic Church nurtures, teaches, and protects all Christians, providing the image of what all mothers should be.
A secular holiday in the United States, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May.
Mary, the Mother of God and our mother, is also honored by the Catholic Church during the month of May.
Brought closer to God through motherhood:
Motherhood is THE symbol:
She watches over the affairs of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband, too, praises her: “Many are the women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all.”
Proverbs 31: 27-29
Mothers encounter God and his love in the midst of their families:
The unique role of mothers in society:
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. 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: these come later, but the seed of faith is those early precious moments. Without mothers, not only would there be no new faithful, but the faith would lose a good part of its simple and profound warmth. And the Church is mother, with all of this, she is our mother! We are not orphans, we have a mother! Our Lady, mother Church, is our mom. We are not orphans, we are children of the Church, we are children of Our Lady, and we are children of our mothers.
Pope Francis, General Audience, 7 January 2015
How mothers pray:
Building the faith in the community:
Physical and spiritual motherhood:
Respect for parents (filial piety) derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their love and their work, have brought their children into the world and enabled them to grow in stature, wisdom, and grace. “With all your heart honor your father, and do not forget the birth pangs of your mother. Remember that through your parents you were born; what can you give back to them that equals their gift to you?”
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2215
The mother that Jesus gave to you from the Cross:
The model of a mother’s strength:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
The best ways to pray:
Share this page with friends and family to start a conversation about your faith.
Don’t miss a post. Learn more about the Catholic Church and strengthen your Catholic faith.
Find more Fiercely Catholic video issues here.
Subscribe here.
