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Views from the Choir Loft

Mothers as dwellings

Veronica Brandt · May 11, 2013

OCTOR NILS BERGMAN came up with the idea that the newborn’s natural habitat is the mother. He found premature babies did much better with maternal skin to skin contact rather than keeping them in special cots. It makes sense that after nine months on the inside there would still be that bond, but amazing the way the body out does the expensive equipment.

It reminds me of the blessing for expectant mothers which sounds suspiciously like the prayer at the end of Compline “Visita quaesumus Domine habitationem istam” “Visit, O Lord, this dwelling”. The mother becomes the dwelling place of a new person.

Before children you may be classified by what you do to earn a living. As a mother your children seem to replace any previous qualifications. This can be frustrating when you think of all the time and money that went into earlier life, but after a while that pales compared with the amazing yet commonplace needs of your family. And the amazing love that grows over time.

Pope Francis made headlines for lauding the role of women in his April 3 address (Read it here) The address tackles the need for faith in the Resurrection of Jesus. The women at the tomb are held up as models of faith and joy in spreading the news. But not just women, mammas and women (mamme e donne). He goes on to say that mothers and women have a special role in witnessing to their children and opening the doors to the Lord, “in following him and in communicating his Face, for the gaze of faith is always in need of the simple and profound gaze of love.”

It may seem like a very inefficient way to pass on the faith. Even having children close together that’s only about one new proselyte each year. Plus ongoing commitment for a good 18 years for each one. Surely in a digital age we can find the killer app to do this much more effectively! But that is not God’s way. Love takes time, and gets better over time.

From the same address: “It is the heart that counts for God, how open to him we are, whether we are like trusting children.” It’s not just getting the message across to the next generation that makes motherhood special, but the outpouring of the mother’s life. We grow to trust God over time, to rest secure in the hope that He has a plan and the plan is Good.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    26 January 2023 • FEEDBACK
    “Jeff, I wanted to personally thank you for your spiritual witness at the Symposium & often blogs that you write too. Praying that prayer in the mornings My God, my Father and my all (by Cardinal Merry Del Val), mentioning saints’ stories of Brébeuf, Jogues, John Vianney, monks who fought in WWII, their hard work in spite of terrible conditions, their relentless zeal for the faith, their genuine love for the laypeople they served, etc. Overall though—more than anything concrete I can point to that you did or said—it was your demeanor at the Symposium. I could tell you really absolutely love and believe the Catholic Faith. You don’t get that everywhere, even in Church circles. And your humility is what then makes that shine even brighter. It is super inspiring! God is working through you probably way more than you know.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Symposium Draft Schedule Released!
    Those who head over to the Symposium Website will notice the tentative schedule for 2023 has been released. This is all very exciting! Very soon, we will begin accepting applications, so please make sure you have subscribed to our mailing list. If you are subscribed, that means you'll hear announcements before anyone else. (It’s incredibly easy to subscribe to our mailing list; just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Good Friday Polyphony by L. Senfl
    The editor of the Sacred Music Magazine recently made available to the public this splendid article by our own Charles Weaver. It includes an edition of polyphony for the GOOD FRIDAY “Reproaches.” Renaissance composers often set the various offices of Holy Week; e.g. readers will probably be familiar with the beautiful TENEBRAE setting by Father Tomás Luis de Victoria (d. 1611). From what I can tell, Ludwig Senfl (d. 1543) was originally a Catholic priest, but eventually was seduced by Luther and ended up abandoning the sacred priesthood.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

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The “jolly good guy” kind of pastor can be an irritant. […] Ministers of the Gospel are not used car salesmen whose heartiness is a mile wide and an inch deep. A bemused layman told me that a bishop joked with him, but turned away like a startled deer when asked an important question…

— Fr. George Rutler (7 August 2017)

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