Eucharistic Motherhood: The Suffering Servant

Friday, July 14, 2017

The Suffering Servant

My favorite painting in the Uffizzi in Florence is this Suffering Servant by Sano di Pietro:

I have not yet found the words as to why the Suffering Servant means so much to me. True, it is a balm to have the Son of God draw close when we suffer. His companionship and empathy are a blessing, especially to those who experience life's hurts. Beyond that, I am trying to put into words my wonder and awe that a divine image could ever look like this. The Son of God being humiliated? Tortured? And that being a gift? Redemptive? I just do not have a way to express how counter-intuitive this is to me.

Even more shocking to me is that some humans--animalistic beings who have struggled so intensely for survival over these hundreds of thousands of years--would find meaning or inspiration in anyone's weakness or loss.

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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.