Mothers are Geniuses
By Fr. John Jaddou
“Woman, behold your son. Behold your Mother” (John 19:26-27). The month of May is celebrated by Catholics as the Month of Mary, the mother of God and our Mother. It is fitting that Mother’s Day is traditionally celebrated on the second Sunday of May, where we shower our mothers with love and gratitude for the gift of their lives. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers, grandmothers, and spiritual mothers. Whether you call them yom, yimmee, nana, bebe or any other endearing title, our matriarchs deserve more than we can offer, because they have given us more than we can imagine. How fitting would it be for every day to be treated like Mother’s Day?
When we think of our mothers, we are instantly drawn to their giving nature. Mothers beautifully embody the commandment of Christ; to love, or “to lay down one’s life” (John 15:13). Their capacity for self-gift is etched into their very bodies, as an expecting mother gives her body to her beloved child before ever laying eyes on him or her. Our mother’s womb was our first home, and it is through their sacrifice that we have life.
As Chaldeans, we love to serve. Who does that more than a Chaldean mother? Whether through her service in the home or workplace, her desire for quality time, or even cooking a delicious pot of dolma (extra sour preferable) or riza maraqa, our mothers taught us the beautiful truth of love. With all that being said, the particular genius of a woman, and a mother, is their capacity to receive.
A mother’s love is “genius.” One of my favorite saints and role models is Pope Saint John Paul II. The late great saint develops what he calls “the feminine genius.” He writes, “woman has a genius all her own, which is vitally essential to both society and the Church.” The heart of the feminine genius is the quality of receptivity. A woman, like no other, receives life and offers her “body as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1).
The other main qualities of the feminine genius are sensitivity, generosity and maternity, but the quality of receptivity is important for all of us to appreciate. Have you ever heard the saying “You cannot give what you have not first received”? Even Saint Paul writes, “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you.” (1 Corinthians 11:23). Our mothers don’t just teach us how to give, but most importantly, how to receive life and love.
A mother’s love is special. In his masterpiece, The Theology of the Body, Pope Saint John Paul II dives into the subject of human sexuality, and the way in which our bodies reveal God. In his Letter to Women, the late great saint and pope writes, “Woman complements man, just as man complements woman: men and women are complementary.”
The love of a mother is special and unlike the love of a father. It’s why the Bible compares God’s Love to the love of a mother. “Can a mother forget her baby, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15). We could not fathom a mother forgetting her baby, and yet the tragedy of abortion persists. God’s promise reigns ever true, “Even should she forget, I will never forget you.”
Mom, thank you for loving me daily. Mom, thank you for receiving me into your womb and giving me a safe place to develop, both before birth and after birth. Mom, I love you for loving me. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).
Father John is a Chaldean priest at St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in Troy, MI.