A mother, a saint, a caregiver and a defender of
the faith. What do any of these things
have in common? What binds such women
together and how is their journey shared?
Mother Mary, Saint Joan of Arc (whose feast day we celebrate this month)
and my own birth mother sacrificed their lives for the betterment of
others. They freely gave of themselves
without fear of want or retribution.
They contributed by shear drive of worth and love. Mother Mary is our intercessor to Christ and
we offer up our prayers to her each day.
My mother interceded on behalf of her children and stood up for them
when they were tested. Saint Joan of Arc
gave her very life for her belief in a more just world. The strength and character by which each of
these women contributed to the people around them was nothing more than
spectacular.
When a debutant comes down the stairs for the
first time at a ball, all eyes are cast upon her and she exerts a radiance and
glow. Such was the attention that these
women commanded. When they entered a
room, all eyes were on them. When they spoke,
it meant something. When they acted, it
meant something. When they offered up a
prayer, it meant something.
No one is more moved by reflection than I
am. I look back on my childhood as one
of a carefully orchestrated plan. Each
step in my life was a careful contribution to a verse played out on life’s
stage. Each actor was a player in my
upbringing and each role, a performance on a grand scale. I was to find that each day I would offer up myself
to someone or something, no matter how slight or miniscule, whether it simply
be to time, element or person.
We base our lives on this sense of accomplishment
for it is a dish best served warm, in the heart of Christ and in the mind so
many wonderful women. Is it such a
coincidence that God refers to things in the feminine realm – a bride, a womb,
a beginning, the first witness? It is
this respect for the power of divine grace that these women bring their unique
gifts to the banquet of life. These women
became something larger than themselves and forever changed the way we approach
life.
As Saint John Paul II once said, “A woman is strong because of her awareness of this entrusting, strong because of the fact that God "entrusts the human being to her", always and in every way, even in the situations of social discrimination in which she may find herself. This awareness and this fundamental vocation speak to women of the dignity which they receive from God himself, and this makes them "strong" and strengthens their vocation.
Thus the "perfect woman" (cf. Prov 31:10) becomes an irreplaceable support and source of spiritual strength for other people, who perceive the great energies of her spirit. These "perfect women" are owed much by their families, and sometimes by whole nations.
They are independent, united and together in their belief in Christ and in a better world. As I sit here in tears thinking about the times my own mother and I had together and the way she influenced my life, I am reminded by the ending of a song written by Lionel Richie.
In my eyes I see no one else but you
There's no other love like our love
And yes, oh yes, I'll always want you near me
I've waited for you for so long
Lady, your love's the only love I need
And beside me is where I want you to be
'Cause, my love, there's somethin' I want you to know
You're the love of my life, you're my lady!
This one is for you momma, for you are and always will be, my lady. May God bring His graces to all the wonderful women in my life. May the wind be forever at your backs and may His peace be with you, always.