Eucharistic Motherhood: strategy of patience

Sunday, September 25, 2011

strategy of patience

Mom and Harville gave Jake a movie for his birthday, PAUL VI. I watched it twice. It is the best movie I have seen in a long time.
One of the best lines is in a conversation in which the young Karol Wojtyla approaches the current pope, Paul VI. They are at the second Vatican Council. Karol asks, "I would like any advise you have for me; I am dealing with the communists in Poland. You have dealt with both communists and facists. What should I do?" Paul VI replies, "The best advise I have to offer is: the best strategy is the strategy of patience. And never be afraid to dialogue--no matter what."
That was so encouraging to me to hear. Patience through a trial, with ample doses of dialogue (even if the issue is still unresolved, even if the problem is not totally repaired), is sometimes the highest path.
In my immaturity, I see in myself that I want what I want when I want it. The mature version of that is PATIENCE!

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About Me

Born in Texas, raised in NYC, I earned my Ph.D. in philosophy and married a gorgeous theology student who rides a motorcycle and looks like James Dean. We now have six kids, are based in Irving near the University of Dallas where my husband teaches theology and where I sometimes teach philosophy. We currently live in the Castelli Romani, just outside of Rome, Italy. In addition to teaching some semesters and raising our 6 wonderful children, I am studying theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Passionate about the vocation of motherhood, I founded a Catholic mother's ministry, Mighty Is Her Call. Our retreats and blog can be explored here: https://mightyishercall.com.

My book, Motherhood: An Extraordinary Vocation was released August 2021.

What's Special about Motherhood?

Motherhood is patterned on the life of Christ, particularly the Eucharist, in a way that no other vocation is. Some mothers shed blood for their children in childbirth--just as Christ shed his blood for us, a gift we celebrate in the Eucharist. Some mothers nourish children with their own bodies--just as Christ nourishes us with his body in the Eucharist. Mothers give themselves up in countless ways for their children--just as Christ gave himself up for us: "This is my body, given up for you." Every aspect of our day, from feeding our children, to cleaning up their messes, to disciplining them, to listening attentively to them, to hugging them, to laughing with them, to cherishing them, reflects the ways Christ gives himself to us. Motherhood is a role fashioned in the image of Christ, more so than perhaps any other vocation. It is singularly close to and reflective of the Heart of Christ.