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Loving motherhood

On this wonderful occasion of Mother’s Day, we would like to thank God for all mothers. The sacrificial love of a mother is something that can never be forgotten or taken for granted.

There are numerous changes in a woman’s body when she is ‘with child’ or becomes pregnant. Her body, like Christ’s is “given-up” for the sake of her child.

In the time of Adam and Eve, based on that Genesis story before the fall, women were not supposed to have labour pains in delivering their children. Of course, we know the story of Adam and Eve not trusting God sufficiently and destroying that close relationship they had with God, hence the awful consequences of not listening to God continue to be felt today.

In 2015, Pope Francis examined the text of Genesis on the complementarity and reciprocity between man and woman (cf Gen 2:18–24).

“For this – the Bible says – the man leaves his father and mother and joins his wife and the two become one flesh, that is, one life, one existence (cf v 24). In this unit, the spouses transmit life to new human beings: they become parents. [They] participate in the creative power of God himself. But be careful! God is Love, and one takes part in his work when one loves with him and like him.

“To this end – as St Paul says – love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (cf Rom 5: 5). And this is also the love that is given to spouses in the Sacrament of Marriage.

“It is the love that fuels their relationship, through joys and sorrows, quiet and difficult moments. It is the love that awakens the desire to create children, waiting for them, welcome them, raise them, educate them. It is the same love that, in today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals to the children: ‘Let the children come to me, do not prevent them: for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these’ (Mk 10:14).

“Today, we ask the Lord that all parents and educators in the world, as well as all of society, are made instruments of that acceptance and love with which Jesus embraces the little ones.”

In today’s world, motherhood is not always seen as glamorous or glorious; pregnancy is often viewed negatively, as a burden or bothersome.

Some prefer to never get pregnant when they talk about our overpopulated world, or the number of criminals being birthed or the increase in poverty that exists today.

The world is not overpopulated, but inequity of resources does exist. Not every child born will become a criminal, and poverty is a reality that more people will face once we do not listen to what God wants us to do, that is, to love one another as He loved us.

While those who are better off could think about having more children, those in poverty would have reservations. BOMA-TT can help families wanting to achieve or postpone pregnancies by teaching couples the Billings Ovulation Method. But remember we teach family planning, not family avoidance!

Fr Denis Vincent Wiseman OP states in a July 19, 2002, article titled Divine Maternity Dogma, that The Blessed Virgin is the mother of God. “Mary was not Mother of the Holy Trinity, but only of Jesus made flesh. Mary did not cooperate actively in begetting Christ, but rather supplied the matter for His being, and that the begetting was miraculous.”

We are all called to be saints, wrote St Louis de Montfort in The Secret of Mary and if we are to live in the eternal Kingdom of Heaven, we have God the Father as our Father and Mary, Mother of God, as our mother. Mary’s ‘yes’ gave us Jesus the Head of the Church and we are the remainder of His body.

If Mary is our mother, let us go to her to strengthen us in our faith, hope and love. In this month of May, may mothers look to the mother of all mothers for the grace of loving motherhood.

 

Contact BOMA-TT: 384-1659, email: billingstt@gmail.com, website: www.billingstt.com