With Mother's Day approaching, I thought to make my prayer of the week one that can be gifted to mothers for their own personal prayer. Last week I spent time reading through my old blog posts on motherhood. As I reflected on my past writings I was again reminded of how sacred the role of motherhood truly is in our war torn and contentious world.
In my 2012 blog post titled, A Mother's Voice, I shared my experience leading a retreat for mothers of young children. At this retreat we discussed motherhood as a vocation. Since the word is connected to the Latin vox, I asked the mothers in attendance to reflect on what voice they want their children to hear and remember. Some hoped for voices of strength and affirmation. Others talked about the desire for warmth, love, and patience. Someone wanted her children to remember her "tucked-into-bed" voice, which is calm and soothing.
Although I wrote this blog article over three years ago, the message is one we desperately need to reflect on in 2015. What voice do you want your children to hear and remember? What is the value of children hearing calming, compassionate voices in the home? How can our voice foster an attitude of listening on the part of both mother and child? How can our voice influence how our children see themselves and others?
This Mother's Day pray a Blessing for a Mother's Voice in your home or parish.