INTRODUCTION

Dear St. John Paul II said, “Motherhood is a woman’s vocation. It is an eternal vocation, and it is also a contemporary vocation. . . . We must do everything in order that woman may merit love and veneration. We must do everything in order that children, the family and society may see in her that dignity that Christ saw.” Motherhood today is not necessarily viewed as a noble or dignified vocation. Unfortunately, in many areas, society continues to value a person simply by the size of their paycheck, and therefore some mothers might not feel very confident in their role of raising their children. Our culture does not acknowledge the invaluable sacrifices and love in raising little saints to heaven. Add to that, today’s mothers don’t have many opportunities to receive a pat on the back for a job well done. Not that they are looking for any recognition, but a little af rmation here and there would be nice. Pope Francis pointed out, “Every human person owes his or her life to a mother, and almost always owes much of what follows in life, both human and spiritual formation, to her. Yet, despite being highly lauded from a symbolic point of view—many poems, many beautiful things said poetically of her—the mother is rarely listened to or helped in daily life, rarely considered central to society in her role.”

The many mixed messages about women’s rights and where a woman should find her place in society can make one dizzy! Additionally, our culture does not often encourage mothers to consider the role that prayer plays in a family’s life or that motherhood is a sublime vocation. Moreover, family members may not always express their appreciation for the tireless work and care given from their mother, which may cause a mom to feel a bit neglected and unacknowledged. What’s a Catholic mother to do?

First of all, let’s keep our chins up and know in our hearts that we Catholic mothers need not feel alone and are—in reality—sisters in Christ on this journey together! We can certainly all benefit from encouragement and praise to aid and uplift us on our pilgrimage throughout the challenging vocation of motherhood. We can extend a hand to help each other along the way. How fortunate we are to have been blessed with leaders in our Church, such as St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis, and those before them who have always extolled mothers with their wonderful words of praise, acknowledging a mother’s sublime role. Pope Francis underscored a mother’s selfess and irreplaceable role when he said, “Mothers are the strongest antidote to the spread of self-centered individualism. ‘Individual’ means ‘what cannot be divided’. Mothers, instead, ‘divide’ themselves, from the moment they bear a child to give him to the world and help him grow.”

We can all play an important role in our world today to be of assistance to other mothers we meet who are not quite aware of God’s plan in their mothering, and we can help them to discover their God-given gifts and their high dignity in Our Lord’s eyes.

Let us ponder St. John Paul II’s words:

It is a disservice not only to children but also to women and society itself when a woman is made to feel guilty for wanting to remain in the home and nurture and care for her children. It is also necessary to counter the misconception that the role of motherhood is oppressive to women and that a commitment to her family, particularly to her children, prevents a woman from reaching personal fulfillment and from having an in uence in society. No response to women’s issues can ignore a woman’s role in the family or take lightly the fact that every new life is entrusted to the protection and care of the woman carrying it in the womb.

These are undoubtedly powerful and profound words to call to mind, especially if doubts arise within our own personal journeys and when attempting to help other mothers who have lost their way or are not sure what direction to pursue. Our example speaks volumes, and our kind words in response to women seeking direction in finding and achieving personal fulfillment can be very transforming, by God’s grace.

Throughout my ministry to mothers, I have observed that Christian mothers everywhere are looking for strategies to help improve their prayer lives, their understanding of their Faith, and their role in their home life as well. Like- minded women are feeling a vital and even urgent need to communicate with one another, comparing notes to discover the best approaches to mothering with grace as is very apparent in the many Catholic mothers’ blogs that have been popping up all over the Internet and the many mothers’ groups that are gathering together in homes, parishes, or online to participate in studies about their Catholic faith. I have also found that even though we mothers are surrounded by many confusing messages targeting women, there is an encouraging authentic resurgence of Christian women who are fighting through it all, thirsting for the truth. This is very heartwarming. God’s grace abounds! These women are tomorrow’s saints.

Mothering my own five children for the past forty- plus years has given me deep happiness, wisdom from the “trenches,” and also plenty of stories to tell! I humbly offer Catholic mothers “recipes” and advice for seeking and nding a deep and enriching spiritual life while remaining attentive to their families. My prayer is that this book will serve mothers well and that they will nd encouragement, praise, camaraderie, and direction throughout its pages.

Dear mothers, enjoy reading, reflecting, and pondering on the material in this book. I hope it will be inspiring food for your soul and that you will feel your well-deserved pat on the back! Make yourself a steaming cup of tea or coffee, and sit and take a little time to refresh your soul. Allow this book to serve you, taking in nourishment from its flavorful recipes for faithful mothering. Be at peace so that you may guide your family well with joy and love within your amazing vocation—lighting your family’s way to heaven!

Let’s be confident, knowing that by loving our families, dedicating our vocations to the Lord, and seeking assistance from the Blessed Mother, as well as intercession from the saints, we will be “making our lives something beautiful for God,” as my friend St. Teresa of Calcutta used to say.

St. John Paul II has assured us that “the dignity and responsibility of the Christian family as the domestic Church can be achieved only with God’s unceasing aid, which will surely be granted if it is humbly and trustingly petitioned in prayer” (Familiaris Consortio, 59). Let’s be sure to ask Our Lord for his unceasing aid. Let us sisters in Christ stick together, encourage one another, and continue our prayers for each other and our families within our domestic churches, as we mother our families with grace. May God bless us all!

The hour is coming, indeed has come, in which the vocation of women is being acknowledged in its fullness; the hour in which women acquire in the world an influence, an effect, and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why at this moment, when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women, imbued with the spirit of the Gospel, can do so much to aid mankind in not falling.

—From the Closing Documents of Vatican II

MOTHER

The Most Important Person on earth is a mother.

She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral.

She need not.
She has built something more magnificent than any

cathedral—
a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection

of her baby’s body. . . .
The angels have not been blessed with such a grace.

They cannot share in God’s creative miracle to

bring new saints to Heaven.
Only a human mother can.
Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any

other creature;
God joins forces with mothers in performing this

act of creation. . . .
What on God’s good earth is more glorious than

this: to be a mother?

—Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty

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