Eucharistic Motherhood: A New Birth

Monday, March 3, 2014

A New Birth

Today I read: "God in his great mercy has given us a new birth." (1 Peter 1:3) Oh, what joy for this new birth! He has, mercifully, given us fresh, new life. he has given us membership in his DIVINE family. Oh, what joy!!!!!
Today is Granny Ruth's birthday. I give great thanks for the many ways in which she taught me that I am loved, and for the safe haven that she was to me in dark times.
I also pray for the resolution of the issues between her and her children, and anyone with whom there were conflicts. I pray that they would find comfort in these words from 1 Peter, that our ultimate life, comfort and identity is in our NEW birth, and that our heavenly parent teaches us how to love and forgive our earthly parents--and APPRECIATE them in every way that we can.
How rich--intellectually and emotionally advanced--our faith is!

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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.