By “Adriana” 11th Grader from Mater Dei Academy.
What makes a great woman?
Who comes to mind? Many, when asked this question, think of a woman with a successful career: maybe a politician or someone who made great discoveries. Perhaps she was the first woman to succeed in her field.
Still, who was the greatest woman? It is a simple fact that the highest place in heaven below God Himself belongs to a woman named Mary. Her only job, her one accomplishment, was being a mother. Motherhood is the ideal vocation for a woman.
Motherhood is a beautiful and exalted vocation. The wife and mother is the heart of the family. She makes the house a home. God has furnished her with the perfect talents and abilities to attain to this end. She is creative. Her eye for beauty is evident in the furnishings of the home.
She creates lovely family customs and her cooking is the delight of her husband and children. These priceless treasures will necessarily be curtailed or entirely lost if a mother is frequently absent from her home. A good mother is compassionate and patient with her children. Because of her tender, loving care, they trust her completely, a thing no daycare can provide.
The order of her home brings peace and happiness to all its inhabitants.
Many today mistakenly believe that women in the home do not have any influence on society. This is so far from the truth! The minds of the next generation, while they are still as impressionable as soft wax, are in the hands of mothers. A good mother impresses upon her children good habits and virtues by her teaching and example. Their values and ideals all come from her.
“Remember that redemption came to the world through a woman. She, the Mother of God and of all, is the greatest woman.”
How many young men have become priests and how many young women have become religious because of the pious example of their mothers?
As stated by Fr. Benedict Hughes, “It is owing to the outstanding upbringing of their mothers that most of the saints owe their sanctity, and thus their influence upon souls.” From the rearing of Blanche of Castile came the great king St. Louis IX. Perhaps the world would never have received the great gifts that were Pope St. Pius X or St. John Bosco were it not for the excellence of their mothers. The importance of mothers in society cannot be overstated.
This is not the common belief of the day. Today, motherhood is looked down upon as inferior. The world tells women that to be great, they must be equal to men. It claims that an empowered woman has a career, is involved in politics, and does everything a man does. This is a lie. To say that this is true is to say that women in their natural role are inferior. It is to say that God’s plan for them is not enough. If a woman wishes to be great, she must lay aside her womanhood and, as it were, become a man.
It is clear, then, that this modern thinking is not empowerment, but really a debasement of the natural dignity of women. Now, this is not to say that no woman should ever work outside the home at all. Some careers like nursing and teaching are well suited to them. Nonetheless, motherhood is much nobler. It is the preferred path and should be the norm.
To be a mother is a noble and uniquely beautiful thing. Indeed, the heart of a woman was made for it. Where would the world be without good mothers?
Remember that redemption came to the world through a woman. She, the Mother of God and of all, is the
greatest woman.
