"maternal martyrdom"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Pope Francis in his Wednesday Audience of Jan.7, 2015 quoted the saintly Archbishop Romero:

…Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero said… mothers live a “maternal martyrdom.” In the homily of the funeral of a priest killed by death squads, he said, echoing Vatican Council II: “We must all be ready to die for our faith, even if the Lord does not grant us this honor … to give one’s life does not only mean to be killed; to give one’s life, to have the spirit of martyrdom, is to give in duty, in silence, in prayer, in the honest fulfillment of one’s duty; in the silence of daily life; to give one’s life little by little. Yes, as a mother gives it who, without fear, with the simplicity of maternal martyrdom, conceives a child in her womb, brings him to life, nurses him, helps him grow and attends to him with affection. It is to give one’s life. It is martyrdom.” The quotation ends there. Yes, to be a mother does not mean only to bring a child into the world, but it is also a choice of life. What does a mother choose, what is a mother’s choice of life? A mother’s choice of life is the choice to give life, and this is great, this is beautiful.

A society without mothers would be an inhuman society, because mothers are always able to witness, even in the worst moments, tenderness, dedication, moral strength. Mothers also often transmit the profoundest meaning of religious practice. The value of the faith is inscribed in the life of a human being in the first prayers, in the first gestures of devotion that a child learns. It is a message that believing mothers are able to transmit without explanations: these will come later, but the seed of the faith is in those first, most precious moments – and the Church is Mother, with all this, she is our Mother! We are not orphans; we have a Mother! Our Lady, the Mother of the Church, is our Mother. We are not orphans; we are children of the Church, we are children of Our Lady, and we are children of our mothers.

Dearest mothers, thank you; thank you for what you are in the family and for what you give to the Church and to the world. And to you, beloved Church, thank you, thank you for being Mother. And to you, Mary, Mother of God, thank you for having us see Jesus. The full text is HERE

Mary is the Mother and Model for all of us. Together as her sons and daughters in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we build up His Body in Love. The Church needs this spirit of “maternal martyrdom” – the willingness to give freely and without fear, little by little, in the silence of daily life.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your Faithful. Kindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Form Jesus in us as you did in Mary.

 

[sepgs2004]

Greetings in the Love of our God.

I (too) believe the Love of a Mother can be generalized, without doing injustice, to be (and to mean) the best form of Love on the earth.

We all know, in Bible, God refer to a mother’s Love, in a sort of comparing tone, to His never forgetting Love. Refer: Isiah 49:15. God did not, or shall we say could not, choose to take any other form of relationship or love for this purpose.

Doesn’t this mean Mother’s Love, in its true form, is the best, that is as best as Love could get to, on this earth? Mother and child are mutual loving gifts to each other by God.
When I think about my mothers love on me, I have no reservations at all in saying the above.

Yes, when God Himself takes mother’s Love as a significant example…
Why not we, in following our Loving God and Loving one another?

Thank you.

 

[MariaChristi]

Greetings in the Love of our God.

I (too) believe the Love of a Mother can be generalized, without doing injustice, to be (and to mean) the best form of Love on the earth.

We all know, in Bible, God refer to a mother’s Love, in a sort of comparing tone, to His never forgetting Love. Refer: Isiah 49:15. God did not, or shall we say could not, choose to take any other form of relationship or love for this purpose.

Doesn’t this mean Mother’s Love, in its true form, is the best, that is as best as Love could get to, on this earth? Mother and child are mutual loving gifts to each other by God.
When I think about my mothers love on me, I have no reservations at all in saying the above.

Yes, when God Himself takes mother’s Love as a significant example…
Why not we, in following our Loving God and Loving one another?

Thank you.

Dear sepgs,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, your reference to Isaiah 49: 15 is an excellent one:

"Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.

Not only does God compare His Love to a mother’s love but He assures us that His Love surpasses all human love – it is Divine! What tremendous confidence His Word gives us when our hearts may condemn us, for God is Love beyond what we can even imagine! For anyone who perhaps has not experienced the tender love of a human mother such as you and I have had, but rather has experienced a harsh or neglectful mother – still, such a person can look to God and receive from Him infinitely more Love than any human mother can give us.

And it is only from God that we can receive the love we need to love Him in return. It is only from God that we can receive the love He commands us to give one another, for He told His Disciples:

This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12)

The “maternal martyrdom” of which saintly Archbishop Romero (himself a martyr) speaks is for the Church to see and realize as members of the Body of Christ: we are called to share in His Divine Love and bring that love to others. Mother Church is not just a “pretty title” or a mere “pious expression” but a reality we need to live. Every man, woman and even a child baptized into Christ is called to love even to martyrdom. In the terrible scourge of Christians today, we have read of such brave children unwilling to renounce Christ in the face of death at the hands of Islamic terrorists. May God give us His Grace and may we receive all His Love if we one day are faced with such a choice.

When we are not called upon to give our lives at the hands of violent killers, let us take the daily duties of love and endure patiently and loving the maternal martyrdom which Archbishop Romero describes – for if we are faithful in little things, we will, by God’s Grace, be faithful in much!