As we celebrate Mother’s Day, it is imperative we take a cursory look at the Heroines of faith who exemplify core Christian values and demonstrates how to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. Their faith was hinged on a firm foundation which is Christ, and this gives them the strength to accept the events of life as painful and difficult as it might seem, but their solace was in the joy of the eternal happiness with God that awaits us at the end of existence. In the history of the Church, there were women who through their faith in God played active and important roles in the life of the early Church, in building up from its foundations the first Christian community and subsequent communities through their own charisms and varied service. The names of these women are as follows: Phoebe, “a deaconess of the Church at Cenchreae” (cf. Rom 16.1), Prisca with her husband Aquila (cf. 2 Tim 4:19), Euodia and Syntyche (cf. Phil 4:2), Mary, Tryphaena, Persis, and Tryphosa (cf. Rom 16:6.12). St. Paul speaks of their “hard work” for Christ, and this hard work indicates the various fields of the church’s apostolic service, beginning with the “domestic church”. God in every generation has always raised women whose faith had changed the course of humanity and the world, a typical example is Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Motherhood has always been a sacred and noble vocation but Mary raised it to even greater stature when she became the Mother of God. As a mother who is “blessed among women” (Lk1:42), Mary gives us the clearest and most inspiring picture of what the ideal mother should look like, and every Christian mother would be wise to take her cue from the one who excelled at motherhood like none other. The question we all need to grapple with on this day is, how can we have authentic Christian mothers in a world that now has so little that is Christian about it? How can a mother’s faith influence her spouse and children in an environment that is hostile to her, or at least ignores her relevance in the society? The truth is that being a Christian mother today is not an easy task, we must acknowledge this. We need Christian mothers who will go against the tide and make significant impact in the faith formation of the family and the society. Faith is no longer, as it was perhaps in other times, a sort of choice to be taken for granted. It is a decision to witness to Jesus Christ through their own conviction by being a model for other mothers who are lukewarm in their faith.
A Mother’s Faith: Foundation of Family’s Faith
The family is placed at the service of the building up of the kingdom of God in history by participating in the life and mission of the Church. The family is the first community and the most basic way in which the Lord gathers us, forms us, and acts in the world. The family shares in the one and same mission that Christ gives to the whole Church. This mission includes; loving God and each other, fostering intimacy, professing faith in God, setting an example of Christians living together, praying together, serving, and sacrificing for one another, forgiving, seeking reconciliation, and celebrating the sacraments. The General Directory for Catechesis places the family at the centre of faith formation, affirming that the family is the “Church of the home” or “domestic Church” and a unique locus for catechesis. As such, it is the place in which the word of God is received and from which it is extended.
Within the Christian family, parents are the primary educators in the faith and “the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children.” Hence, they foster the vocation which is proper to each child and foster with special care any religious vocation. In today’s fragmented world where families are bedevilled with myriads of challenges, a Mother’s faith is pivotal for the foundation of faith in the lives of the children in the family. According to Pope Francis, every human person owes his or her life to a mother, almost always owes much of what follows in life, both human and spiritual formation to her. In the same vein, no one knows how to give life, no one knows how to educate the newly-born child than a mother. She cannot be replaced in the generation and education of her children. The woman has a specific task in the home by reason of her femininity. For example, the function of the mother is both basic and decisive in the development of human personality, above all in its beginnings. The attention she gives to her family will always be a woman’s greater dignity.
However, being a mother does not mean just bringing a child into the world albeit this is the obvious truth, but motherhood is so much more than just a physical happening. It is a life of choice and what does a mother choose? It is the choice to give life and this is great, wonderful and beautiful. A mother is someone who nurtures, who cares from the deepest places of her heart. Anyone can throw a meal at you or give you a bed to sleep on, but a mother makes a place for you. A mother sees the deepest, truest you and treats you like you are already that person. A mother cares about your hurts and fears, but also your dreams and successes. It is often the mother who passes the deepest sense of religious practice as she plants and cultivates the seed of faith in a child by sharing prayers and devotional practices. Without mothers, not only would there be no new people of faith, but the faith would lose a good portion of its simple and profound warmth. Take for example; the faith of the Canaanite woman. The special bond between a mother and child creates trusts and influence. Faith develops through love; the nurturing bond of a mother lays a foundation for trust. The stories and prayers mothers share with their children empower them to dream, trust God and believe in themselves even in times of challenges. Pope John Paul II in his Letter to Women on Mission of Motherhood; he noted that it can never be sufficiently stressed that women must be appreciated in every area of their life. However, it must be recognized that, among the gifts and tasks proper to her, her vocation to motherhood stands out particularly clear. With this gift, woman assumes almost a “foundational” role with regard to society. It is a role she shares with her husband, but it is indisputable that nature has assigned to her the greater part. It is therefore, necessary that the man be fully aware that in their shared parenthood, he owes a special debt to the woman. At the heart of faith formation in the family is the Mother. The family is the place where the parents but most importantly, the mother and the children share their faith with one another. In today’s society the challenges facing the mothers are enormous and this has greatly affected the manner in which parents pay attention to their children. Some parents think that their role in the faith formation of the children is only to take their children to church for the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation) and hand over their responsibility to the priests, religious sisters and the catechists who instruct their children in the doctrines of the church. Consequently, one of the major problems of poor family catechesis is the lack of continuous teaching on morals and Christian virtues from the parents and this has greatly affected the children and youth in the family. The fact is children spend a greater deal of their time in the family much more than in the church, therefore, it is necessary for mothers to help to bridge this yawning gap in the religious education of their children. The greatest legacy mothers can give their children is an unshakable faith in God. Profiles of Heroines of Faith whose life style are exemplary of what a Christian Mother should be:
Mother Mary:
Just as the patriarch Abraham is considered “our father” in faith; so also, Mary, with even greater reason, must be seen as “our mother” in faith. Through her faith, she exemplified what an ideal Christian Mother should look like by the disposition of her soul to God. Mary’s faith was nurtured by her Mother, St. Anne, who taught her daughter how to be obedient and receptive to God’s word. With such a firm foundation, Mary was able to dispose herself to God that when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and said, “You will bear a son,” with deep faith she trustingly replied, “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:31,38). Through her faith and obedience, she accepted her lofty yet not easy vocation as wife and mother in the family of Nazareth. Putting herself at God’s service, she also puts herself at the service of others; a service of love. Precisely through this service Mary was able to experience in her life a mysterious, but authentic “reign”. It is not by chance that she is invoked as “Queen of heaven and earth”. The entire community of believers thus invoke her, many nations and peoples call upon her as their “Queen”. For her, “to reign” is to serve! Her service is “to reign”.
Leah:
The Book of Genesis chapter 29 gave us an account of the life of Leah, daughter of Laban and older sister of Rachel (Gen 29:17). Jacob, fleeing from the rage of his brother Esau whom he robbed of the paternal blessing placed himself at the service of his uncle Laban the brother of his mother Rebekah. In love with Rachel, Jacob worked seven years to earn the right to marry her. At the end of the seven years, Laban cruelly deceived Jacob during the promised wedding to Rachel. The next morning Jacob discovered that he had married Leah and not Rachel. Laban explained that the younger sister could not be married before the first-born. However, the situation could be easily remedied: that Jacob, already married with Leah, also take Rachel but has to work another seven years to repay him. Leah knew that she was married through deception and that her husband never loved her. Leah loved Jacob and prayed about her situation and God had compassion on her. However, the Book of Genesis narrates, “When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he made her fruitful, while Rachel was barren” (Gen 29:31). The fecundity of Leah’s motherhood did not earn her the love of Jacob, but it gave her position of prestige because she was the one who guaranteed the Patriarch’s posterity, becoming the mother of six sons, each of which was the origin of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The names Leah chose for her sons demonstrated her honour and faithfulness to God for his blessings. Leah may not be outwardly attractive as her sister, but what she lacked in beauty she made up for her loyalty to Jacob as a wife, a good mother to his children and her faithfulness to God. When we feel unloved or unattractive, we can turn to look at God’s faithfulness in our lives. God sees our pains and our struggles, and like Leah, he will bless us in our devotion to him.
Mother Teresa:
Mother Teresa was born an Albanian in Skopje, Yugoslavia (now the Republic of Macedonia) in 1910. In 1928, she joined the Sisters of Loretto, an Irish Order of missionary nuns, who worked in Calcutta, India. In 1931, she concluded her novitiate and made her vows, becoming Sister Teresa in honour of the Little Flower of Lisieux who emphasized joy in menial tasks. In 1946, she received permission to found a new Congregation, which she did in 1948 as the Missionary Sisters of Charity. The primary objective of this mission was to look after people, who nobody else was prepared to look after. Mother Teresa felt that serving others was a fundamental principle of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Describing her motives for her work, Mother Teresa spoke of Christ’s love and His commands to respect each human life. She also said: “Because we cannot see God, we cannot express our love to Him in person. But our neighbour we can see, and we can see and do for him or her what we would love to do for Jesus if he were visible…Joy is a net of love by which we can capture souls. God loves the person who gives with joy.” On September 5, 1997, Mother Teresa’s heart failed and she went to the Lord for whom she had worked all her life, “doing a beautiful thing for God.” She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2003.
St. Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc was a young saint who lived at the end of the Middle Ages and died at the age of nineteen, in 1431. On January 6, 1412, Joan was born at Domremy, a little village on the border between France and Lorraine. Her parents were well-off peasants, known to all as good Christians. From them she received a sound religious upbringing, considerably influenced by the spirituality of the Name of Jesus, taught by St. Bernardine of Siena and spread in Europe by the Franciscan. The Name of Mary was always associated with the Name of Jesus and thus, against the background of popular piety, Joan’s spirituality was profoundly Christocentric and Marian. From childhood, she showed great love and compassion for the poorest, the sick, and all the suffering in the dramatic context of the war. We know from Joan’s own words that her religious life developed as a mystical experience from the time when she was thirteen. Through the “voice” of St. Michael the Archangel, Joan felt called by the Lord to intensify her Christian life and also to commit herself in person to the liberation of her people. Her immediate response, her “yes” was her vow of virginity, with new commitment to sacramental life and to prayer: daily participation in Mass, frequent Confession and Communion, and long periods of silent prayer before the Crucified One or the image of Our Lady. Joan passion began on May 23, 1430, when she fell into the enemy hands and was taken prisoner. Through her unfamiliarity with the technicalities of Theology, Joan was trapped into making a few damaging statements. When she refused to retract the assertion that it was the Saints of God who had commanded her to do what she had done, she was condemned to death as heretic and sorceress; and she was burned at the stake. She was canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV, making official what the people had known for centuries.
St. Catherine of Siena
St. Catherine of Siena played an eminent role in the history of the Church. the century in which she lived was a troubled period in the life of the Church and throughout the social context of Italy and Europe. Yet, even in the most difficult times, the lord does not cease to bless his people, bringing forth saints who give a jolt to minds and hearts, provoking conversion and renewal. Born in Siena in 1347, into a very large family, she died in Rome in 1380. When Catherine was sixteen years old, motivated by a vision of St. Dominic, she entered the Third Order of the Dominicans, the female branch known as Mantellate. While living at home, she confirmed her vow of virginity made privately when she was still an adolescent and dedicated herself to prayer, penance, and works of charity, especially for the benefit of the sick. When the fame of her holiness spread, she became the protagonist of an intense activity of spiritual guidance for people from every walk of life: nobles and politicians, artists and ordinary people, consecrated men and women and religious, including Pope Gregory XI who was living at Avignon in that period and whom she energetically and effectively urged to return to Rome. A true and authentic spiritual family was built up around such a strong and genuine personality; people fascinated by the moral authority of this young woman with a most exalted lifestyle were at times also impressed by the mystical phenomena they witnessed, such as her frequent ecstasies. Many put themselves at Catherine’s service and above all considered it a privilege to receive spiritual guidance from her. They called her “Mother” because, as her spiritual children, they drew spiritual nourishment from her. St. Catherine has long been regarded as one of the finest theological minds in the Church and her teaching is endowed with such excellence that in 1970 the servant of God Paul VI declared her a Doctor of the Church. The ideal Catholic mother An ideal Catholic mother must possess a strong prayer life. She must be able to gather her family together in the morning and night to pray. Pope Benedict XVI in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Africae Munus” states that “Mothers must sit constantly at the school of Christ like Mary of Bethany, and learn to recognize his word (cf. Lk10:39). She must grow in the knowledge of the catechism and the church’s social teaching, so as to acquire for herself the principles that will assist her in acting as true disciples. Thus, she will be able to engage with discernment in the various projects involving women and continue to defend life, for God has made her a channel of life. Also, she is an embodiment of charity not just to her husband but to her entire family. She is not hostile to them but always willing to lend a helping hand when they are in need. She loves her husband unconditionally and her children. She serves her husband, her family, her friends, and her neighbours with a gentle and loving spirit. Cf. Proverbs 31:20 An ideal Catholic mother respects her husband and does good by him always. She loves and respects him as the head of the family. She teaches her children the ways of the Lord and nurtures them with love, and disciplines them with care and wisdom. She trains them according to the faith of the Catholic Church. She is a great blessing to her family and relations. Her children pray for her and bless God for having such a wonderful mother. Her husband thanks God for blessing him with such a wonderful and glorious gift.
Final notes
Pope John Paul II in one of his letters to women, appreciated all women who are involved at various levels of education and engagements beyond the family wherever the work of education takes place. Women are ever ready and generous to give their talents, treasures and time to the formation of lives, restoring of hope and at the service of the most weak, vulnerable and defenceless of the society. At this level, they exhibit all kinds of affective, cognitive, cultural and spiritual motherhood which has inestimable value for the development of individuals and posterity of the society. This year’s celebration called us to choose to challenge some inequalities, deceptive probity in families, society and workplace. We are called to choose to challenge better inclusivity of women in our world, recognise their heroic services and achievements, and celebrate their capabilities in the faith formation of the family as they have been called by God. Mothers are called to be heroines of faith in their families, societies and to emulate those holy and virtuous women, who through their services and journey in life dutifully distinguished themselves in their faith in God. Therefore, let us pray for all mothers most especially those undergoing one challenge or the other in their families, workplace and society, that our mother Mary will come to their aid, restore peace and harmony in their family through Christ our Lord. Amen Happy Mothers Day!
