Eucharistic Motherhood: Being a Little Christ

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Being a Little Christ

The daily trials are so intense.

Standing in line at an Italian government agency, an old lady shouts on and on at an official and he just looks away and ignores her. Losing days to Covid, to tax concerns, to quarantine. Separated from loved ones. Relegated to Italian internet which just does not work. Relegated to Italy's mis-handling of the pandemic, the vaccine rollout, and unrealistic regulations.

How do I handle it? The temptation to anger, sadness, and living in constant self-protection and defensiveness is palpably real.

Then I ask myself, what gift is lying hidden for me, ready to open and enjoy, in my faith? God’s gift for me today is captured in this quote:

"Christ is present in us. All that the Son of God did and taught is not for us simply a matter of history. Here and now we experience his power at work. It is not only the martyrs who share in his passion by their glorious courage; the same is true, by faith, of all who are reborn through baptism. As we have died with him, and have been buried and raised to life with him, so we bear him within us, both in body and spirit, in everything we do." (adapted from a passage by Leo the Great)

Being a living sacrifice; being a little Christ; being filled with the Spirit of God so that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

How does this happen? First through passionate love for God and his Son; also through my baptism and the Eucharist; then through daily offering up our trials, moments of affliction, frustrations, limitations, failures, sorrows and weaknesses to be united with Christ on the cross. But then always back to passionate love for Jesus, in all that he is, says and does. How could I survive without daily prayer, daily conversation with the One who loves me so personally, so faithfully, so fervently? Becoming a little Christ. Oh the mystery.

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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.