Eucharistic Motherhood: A Mother's Ash Wednesday Prayer

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

A Mother's Ash Wednesday Prayer

Dear Jesus,
Please help me to be renewed, restored and enlivened by the Holy Spirit this Lent. Please help me to embrace the cross, experiencing it to the fullest, so that I may one day enjoy the Resurrection to the fullest.
Let me say "Yes" to all of the day's challenges, each day this Lent: the fevers, the sicknesses, the messes, the tears, the bad behavior, the bad grades, the empty cupboards and the mountains of laundry.
For the love in my heart of Jesus, for my becoming united to Him, please let me be united to His cross, and see this as a chance for delightful intimacy with Him.
Please let me be purified of my sins, especially self-pity, anger, and impatience. Please give me your eyes of faith, and torrents of kindness, patience and peace in moments of trial. Please help me, despite my recalcitrance, immaturity and pride, to one day become a saint in your kingdom, and let my family and I enjoy heaven together forever.
In Jesus Name I Pray,
Amen

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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.