Every woman is born with a mother’s heart and the intuitive vocation to nurture. Even if she never conceives a child, she’s called to be love in the world in a way that only women can. This, ladies, is God’s unique gift to us.
St. Therese of Lisieux discovered her vocation to love and lived it heroically despite terrible suffering.
“Then, nearly ecstatic with the supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed: O Jesus, my love, at last I have found my calling: my call is love. Certainly I have found my place in the Church, and you gave me that very place, my God. In the heart of the Church, my mother, I will be love, and thus I will be all things, as my desire finds its direction,” she wrote in her memoirs.
The Little Flower’s vocation stemmed from her womanhood and she’s a prime example for all of us. Men also can live heroic love, but not in the same way women can.
A learned Catholic psychologist I interviewed once told me that scientific research has shown that our hearts communicate to each other even without saying a word or doing a thing. Somehow, hearts “read” each other and echo each other’s emotions. So, if someone is upset, angry, hostile, etc., then the surrounding hearts get riled and are moved to upset, anger, hostility, or fear and anxiety. One heart plays off another. The same is true in reverse. If someone is upset or hostile yet you remain calm and peaceful, then the other heart “reads” yours and it will begin to calm down and return to peace. Is there someone in your life in whose presence you simply feel good or in whose presence you immediately feel calm? It’s your heart reading theirs, bringing you to the same peace and calm as they have. It’s the same for men and women alike.
Let’s look at this phenomenon in women, taking into account woman’s nature and vocation to nurture. Men, generally speaking, assess the needs of others. Women, on the other hand, perceive the needs of others. Thanks to our motherly hearts, we have the innate desire to give of ourselves. This is why a mom will just “know” that a child is hurting emotionally whereas the dad may be completely oblivious to the situation. He’s not a bad dad, he’s just not wired the same way as his wife.
In the current state of our country, hearts are certainly riled, creating the volatile situation of spreading anger and hostility among friends, families, and beyond. Sad to say, I’ve experienced this myself. What is needed – desperately – are calm, peaceful hearts to counter the angry, hostile ones. We especially need heroic motherly hearts to “be love” in our country.
We, women, are called to use our beautiful, intuitive gift of nurturing to help calm the hearts of others through prayer, presence, and petition for our loved ones and our nation. Most certainly this begins with ourselves. Before we can be a calming force for others, we must bring ourselves to calm and this takes firm resolve, frequent reception of the sacraments, and much prayer. For this, we can look to our Blessed Mother. Because of her closeness to her Son, she knows your heart better than you know it yourself. She knows all our hearts and is eager to nurture us as only a divine mother can – through love, understanding, and grace.
Beginning with those closest to us – family and friends – and moving outward from there – fellow parishioners, co-workers, acquaintances, people we encounter as we go about our daily lives, those we’re connected to on social media – we can use our motherly hearts to be a calming force in these turbulent times. We cannot stop seeking the Truth, we cannot stop saying the Rosary for our homeland, we cannot stop fasting and sacrificing, and we cannot surrender our Faith. But, we can become a calming force as we move forward. It will be challenging, but we can do it if we set our minds and hearts to it.
Women, you were born to nurture. Your country needs you NOW.
Ladies, here’s an excellent opportunity to nurture your nurturing heart so that you can nurture others. Join the tens of thousands of other women who’ve registered for the Catholic Moms Summit November 13-15! This FREE online conference is the only one of its kind and features 84 talented speakers presenting on a host of topics that will show you how to find balance, peace, and joy in your life.
I’ll be presenting “Real Forgiveness is R.A.R.E.” and will guide you through the process of forgiveness and the essential steps to reaching lasting forgiveness, healing, and peace – something we all need in our country right now.
With so much amazing information and inspiration in store for you, consider the All Access Pass that gives you lifetime access to all of the content from all of the speakers plus live daily Main Events, live Q&As with the speakers, and other special perks.
Check out the All Access Pass here.
100% of the Summit proceeds go directly to supporting the presenters, ministries, and Catholic organizations during this difficult time.
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