Mary: A Perfect Model of Motherhood on Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day! On this day of celebration of the important women in our lives, we turn our attention not only to our earthly mothers, but also to Our Blessed Mother in Heaven—the epitome of maternal grace, patience, and self-sacrificial love. During our month-long celebration and veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, today is the perfect day to contemplate her love, her role in our salvation beginning with her fiat, and her constant intercessions and mediation of grace.


Today we honor mothers. While it is not a Holy Day of Obligation, perhaps it should be! Regardless, it is a special day of celebration. We celebrate and recognize the unique gift that has God placed in the hearts of women from the beginning of the world - a gift that gives the world life, generation upon generation. Motherhood is not just about bringing biological life, but the fullness of life through love, encouragement, nourishment (physical and spiritual), and nurture.

The gift of motherhood also assured the world of redemption, as God brought forth from a mother’s womb—the womb of Mary, the second Eve, the Arc of the Covenant-- His only begotten Son. And that was just the beginning. The Blessed Virgin was with Christ through his years of development, nurturing and strengthening Him. She provided the maternal foundation upon which our Lord grew “in wisdom and in stature, in favor with God and with man” (Luke 2:52). She presented Him at the temple in accordance with the law, suffered the joy and agony of finding Him after three days of being missing, self-sacrificially encouraged Him to leave home and start His ministry at the wedding in Cana, stood at the foot of the cross becoming mother to all at His crucifixion, was the only woman who had faith enough to understand her Son had risen from the dead without visiting the tomb, and was greeted by Him on Pentecost with the disciples in the Upper Room.

Through Him, the Blessed Virgin Mary has become the Mother of all—Our Mother-- in His Church. For mothers, Mary is the perfect model. For children, the relationship between Jesus and His mother, and the respect and love which He bestowed upon her is the perfect model. We pray for all mothers in a special way today, both those here on earth as well as those sitting in heaven with Mary, and we look to Our Blessed Mother for continued grace and intercession.

Mary, on this day when we honor all mothers, we turn to you. We thank the Lord whom you serve for the great gift of motherhood. Never has it been known that anyone who sought your intercession was left unaided by grace. Dear Mother, thank you for your “Yes” to the invitation of the angel which brought heaven to earth and changed human history. You opened yourself to God’s word and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.


Dear mother, intercede for all of our mothers. Ask your Divine Son to give them the grace of surrendered love so that they could join with you in giving their own “Fiat.” May they find daily strength to say yes to the call to the sacrificial love- the very heart of the vocation of motherhood. May their love and witness be a source of great inspiration for all of us called to follow your Son.

On this Mothers day, Mother of the Word Incarnate, pray for us who have recourse to you. Intercede for all mothers with Jesus, our Lord. Amen.