Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex

The old maxim, “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world” is no sophism. It is a subtle recognition of the importance of motherhood for society and the great influence that mothers, collectively and individually, have over the health of society. One of the most fundamental aspects of this influence is in their teaching their children and so the rest of society the ability to trust.

Trust is essential for the health of society and for faith itself. We are born trusting and only eventually learn to distrust. Without trust a child could not learn, a society could not function, and a man cannot be saved. John Paul the Great identifies this crucial aspect of the feminine genius—that is motherhood and trust:

The moral and spiritual strength of a woman is joined to her awareness that God entrusts the human being to her in a special way. Of course, God entrusts every human being to each and every other human being. But this entrusting concerns women in a special way - precisely by reason of their femininity - and this in a particular way determines their vocation. The moral force of women, which draws strength from this awareness and this entrusting, expresses itself in a great number of figures of the Old Testament, of the time of Christ, and of later ages right up to our own day. 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 (Mulieris dignitatem, 30).

The scandal of our current culture is that it is teaching women that motherhood is at most, something some women seek for personal fulfillment, at worst an impediment to their real success as a person. Both are lies. Motherhood like fatherhood and all aspects of life are only ultimately fulfilling when they are giving rather than taking.

Motherhood is much more than biological but when it is understood primarily in a way that limits it to its biological function, the children suffer and so does society. The blame lies, I think in JP the Great’s view, first with men who have been responsible for establishing the basic structures of society which tend to demean the value of motherhood and family. Motherhood again needs to be extolled and structures need to be found whereby, women can return/enter the work place and social leadership in positions of influence taking into account their experiences as mothers, without requiring them to have sacrificed their nurturing of their children. We need to regain the understanding that motherhood rocks!