Frankly, I don't know how Joseph and Mary did it. They possessed immense courage and enduring faith at a time of tremendous upheaval early in their marriage. They had their lives turned completely upside down and yet lovingly followed God's will for them, even without understanding the still unfolding Mystery of God's plan in salvation history, and the pivotal role they would play in it. By the witness of their lives, the Blessed Virgin and her husband personify the primary and most important vocation in family life: following the will of Christ and living in conformity to His commandments.
Mothers and fathers both, have important roles to play in the domestic church, the church of the home. “In God’s eternal plan, woman is the one in whom the order of love in the created world of persons takes first root […] The dignity of woman is measured by the order of love, which is essentially the order of justice and charity” (Pope John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem, 29). In other words, in God’s mind when he decided to create beings made in His image and likeness, and imbue them with life-giving love, it is within a woman’s being—within her heart and soul—where His love first establishes a foundation, takes firm root, and finds a welcoming home. The spirituality of woman is rooted in the fact that she is the heart of love and through her special relationship with the Holy Spirit (as one who gives life), woman is truly the teacher of love to all humanity.
Mothers provide nurturing care of their families, teach us how to pray, encourage and nurture spiritual growth and development, and are living examples of the meaning of sacrificial, self-giving love which is the genesis and source of an authentically feminine spirituality. In the Blessed Virgin Mary, “we see [in all motherhood] the reflection of a beauty which mirrors the loftiest sentiments of which the human heart is capable: the self-sacrificing
totality of love; the strength that is capable of bearing the greatest sorrows; limitless fidelity and tireless devotion to work; the ability to combine penetrating intuition with words of support and encouragement” (Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, 46).
Being free to love as God loves means that parents must help their children place the interior, spiritual aspects of their lives above not only the exterior, material aspects of society but also above those instinctual urges that are particularly strong in the teen years. Christian parents, by their example, must help their children live the greatest commandments: love of God and our neighbor. Thank you to all mothers for guiding us to the truth through their divine beauty.
God bless,