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:
Motherhood involves a special communion with the mystery of life, as it develops in the woman’s womb. The mother is filled with wonder at this mystery of life, and “understands” with unique intuition what is happening inside her. In the light of the “beginning”, the mother accepts and loves as a person the child she is carrying in her womb. This unique contact with the new human being developing within her gives rise to an attitude towards human beings – not only towards her own child, but every human being – which profoundly marks the woman’s personality. It is commonly thought that women are more capable than men of paying attention to another person, and that motherhood develops this predisposition even more.
Pope John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem, 15 August 1988
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
Parallels between art and ministry:
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