The Joy of a Mother

The joy of a woman holding her newborn infant for the first time is so great that it is often beyond words.  Indeed, the countenance of her face says all that can be said–in the glow on her face there can be seen wonder and awe, elation and bliss, tenderness and love beyond telling.  Her love is a mystery that intertwines deeply between the woman and the child of her womb, a mystery that even she cannot fully fathom, yet one that exists nonetheless.  

Consider the relationship between Jesus and His mother, Mary.  Jesus, wishing to become incarnate and enter human history, willed to have a Mother, and chose Mary, thus raising woman to the highest peak of dignity as the Mother of God Incarnate.  Mary’s work was a hidden work which was mostly veiled from the world around her.  Her moments of joy, recorded in Scripture, are not unlike the joys of any other woman.  

The moment of annunciation arrived with her humble acceptance.  Even as the child growing within her womb remained an unseen mystery, Mary’s wonderment and joy grew with each passing day.  Luke relates Mary’s visit to Elizabeth as a moment filled with overwhelming joy and anticipation.  Even in the difficult situation of the nativity, Mary’s humility and joy only intensifies when Joseph welcomes the adoring shepherds into the stable to pay homage to the newborn babe in the manger.  

When presenting Jesus in the Temple Mary and Joseph are met by Simeon and Anna whose words confirm what had been foretold to them by the angels.  Those words served to temper and refine their joy as they pondered the child’s future.  For 12 years Mary’s work in service to her little family remains hidden until Jesus is lost.

Imagine the joy of the mother finding her Son after three days of agonizing torture as she searched for Him.  Although Jesus’ response to His mother’s words of concern may seem harsh, His action of returning with them and remaining obedient until the beginning of His public ministry speaks of a devotion and love of which any mother would be filled with joy.

Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote in “The Dignity of Woman and Her Mission,” that every woman “represents a hidden work that is necessary and indispensable; work of sacrifice, not exciting, which does not win applause and sometimes does not even have recognition and gratitude; the humble, repeated, monotonous and therefore heroic work of an innumerable host of mothers, who with their daily labor contribute to their families, and who solve so many difficult and delicate situations for their children and husbands.”

This work must be seen as a free choice, responsible and willed, completely fulfilling woman’s dignity which is only found completely and exhaustively in Christ.  He entered into human history, putting himself at our side, walking with us in every path of existence to gather our confidences, enlighten our thoughts, purify our desires and console our sorrows.  Always showing the greatest esteem and respect for every woman, Jesus was sensitive to female suffering.  

How could we fail to recall his meetings with Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38-42), with the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:1-42), with the widow of Naim (Lk 7:11-17), with the adulterous woman (Jn 8:3-9), with the woman who suffered from a hemorrhage (Mt 9:20-22), with the sinner at the house of Simon the Pharisee? (Lk 7:36-50)  It is sad to see how woman has been so humiliated and ill-treated in the course of the centuries. Yet we must be convinced that the dignity of both man and woman are great in the eyes of God, who sent His only Son to redeem us from the brokenness of sin. This then serves as a reminder to us of the dignity of woman and of her mission.  

Women’s mission is to consecrate all of their work for the total good of society even as men are called to do.  If it is clear that man by temperament is more inclined to deal with exterior affairs and public activities, woman has then, generally speaking, greater insight and finer tact to know and solve the delicate problems of domestic and family life, the basis of all social life.

The domestic work commonly assigned to women is an essential part in the smooth running of society and has enormous influence upon the community. It calls for continual and complete dedication, for patience, self-control, farsightedness and creativity, for a spirit of adaptation and courage in unexpected occurrences.

This gives rise also to the dignity of women’s work as spouse and mother, a commitment which is not humiliation but consecration.  In all of these labors, women are called to be sowers of goodness.  This is what the Mother of Jesus did in her daily life.  This is what mothers everywhere strive for; that their children will have good and joy filled lives because of the personal sacrifices their mothers make on their behalf.  

As a nation we will celebrate Mother’s Day on May 12.  Rather than focusing on that one day alone, how much greater would our love for our mothers shine if we endeavored to let them know how much we love them every day of the month, or to take it one step further, to do so every day of the year?  Everyday of our lives? It is a task given to us in the fourth commandment to love and honor our mothers, thereby lifting them up and to offering the encouragement they need in a tired world.