Eucharistic Motherhood: Immaculate Conception

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Immaculate Conception

Today is one of the biggest holidays in Italy, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, marking her conception as free from original sin. My way of thinking about this is that she, too, needed to be saved by God in Christ, but He lovingly saved her in her conception, so as to make a way for the coming of Christ. So the glory of her being preserved from original sin is all about Christ, what was fitting for him. But she still stands in need of mercy, a mercy she received in a beautiful and unusual way.
This is a huge day for the Italians, the day that many families put up their Christmas trees and decorations, and the day the tree in front of Palazzo Venezia is lit. But even more, it is the day that the pope goes to Piazza d'Spagna and pilgrims gather and say prayers at the statue of the Immaculate Conception there. Annie, Sebastian and I braved the crowds and were there!

We also went to Mass at Santa Anna, my all time favorite church in the world.

That was after being at St. Peter's Square for the Angelus with the pope.
And THAT huge day was after being in Rome yesterday with Sebastian and Annie, going to the Christmas market in Piazza Navona. Heaven for these two kids! Rome is sooooooo beautiful at Christmas time!

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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.