July 12, 2015

The Total Sacrifice of Mothers

Having a tough day, Mom?  Then this one's for YOU!

“I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.”  (Romans 12:1)
 
"The most important person on earth is a Mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral—a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby’s body. The angels have not been blessed with such a grace… What on God’s good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"  (Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty)

Okay.  So, maybe it's not, "glorious," EVERY day.  Especially not on the days wherein you're ready to tear your hair out, if one...more...person...wails your name...for the forty-eleventh time!

"Maaaaah-ahm!?"

Argghhh!!!

Deep breaths.  Hang in there.

Today might seem like an eternity, but this time with your little ones WILL be fleeting.  You WILL miss this.  And if you so much as blink, you might well miss it altogether.

Take some time for yourself ( ! ).  (Hahahaha!  I know.  What a funny idea!)  Don't be shy about asking a friend or a relative to come babysit the kids for an hour, an afternoon, or an overnight. No, really.  Whatever you need.

Do it.

Not because you have something to do.  But, because YOU, as a mom, need some time to do nothing.

You need some time to completely unwind and recharge, without a single soul requiring that you change a diaper, fill a sippy cup, make a sandwich, fix a toy, clean up [fill in repulsive bodily discharge here], check homework, find a lost favorite shirt, or load everyone into the van and drive somewhere.  Again.

Do it.

Get away.

I mean it.

You are not selfish.  No machine can run without fuel.  That includes you.  And your fuel is not just physical nourishment, whatever the kids left on their plates, or a sip of tea while you wash dishes at the kitchen sink.  As mothers and as women of Catholic faith, we all counsel each other to, "take care of you," but we seldom do it ourselves.

Do it.

Get away.

I mean it.

You will be a healthier mother for having replenished the stores from which you give, and give, and give.  And you and your children will love and enjoy and appreciate each other that much more! 

Do it today!

July 1, 2015

On Perseverance

"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it." (James 1:1-5)