Br. Leo Mary | May 8, 2025
Mother’s Day is near, and we all love our mothers. We should show them every day how much we love and need them.
My parents consecrated my brothers, sister, and me to the Blessed Mother when we were born. She has been the perfect mother throughout my life. My dad had a deep love for the Blessed Mother. I often joke that if she could care for my dad with his unique way of thinking, she could care for anyone.
My mother died when I was three years old, leaving me to wonder what it would be like to have a mother. I looked to the Blessed Mother, the example for all mothers and the Mother of the Church. In seeking to understand motherhood, I see why the Church is called Holy Mother Church. Jesus gave us the Church because we are children, and all children need a mother.
Through the sacrament of baptism, we become children of God. Original sin, personal sin, and the punishment for our sins are washed away, making us a new creation. However, the weakness of concupiscence remains, meaning we can fall into venial or mortal sin again. Holy Mother Church provides the sacrament of confession, which we should use often, like children who frequently need a bath. Confession uproots the causes of sin and restores us to a state of grace.
Holy Mother Church understands the challenges of marriage and raising children. Through the sacrament of marriage, husbands and wives receive grace to help each other grow in holiness.
A mother loves to feed her children and watch them grow. Holy Mother Church nourishes her children with the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, allowing us to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion.
To feed her children spiritually, Holy Mother Church provides the sacrament of Holy Orders. Deacons, priests, and bishops receive the grace to proclaim and explain the Gospel message, feeding God’s children the Word of God. Priests and bishops, acting in the person of Christ, consecrate bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. With so many children to care for, the Church needs many priests.
Like a mother, Holy Mother Church wants to strengthen her children in her love. Through the sacrament of confirmation, they receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: fear of the Lord, piety, fortitude, knowledge, understanding, counsel, and wisdom. When these gifts are embraced, God’s children can powerfully proclaim, teach, and defend the Gospel. Some even give their lives for Jesus.
When children are sick, their mothers care for them, and Holy Mother Church does the same through the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. She supports her children in suffering and, if they are dying, prepares them for Heaven, the eternal home of God’s children. No eye has seen what God has prepared for us.
I envision the Church as a tricycle, designed for children. My dad once bought a tricycle for older people, but as kids, we found it more fun than a bicycle. The front wheel, which steers and pedals the tricycle, represents the magisterium of the Church. The Pope and bishops, in union with him, serve God’s children. The Pope, as the Vicar of Christ, has the gift of infallibility, ensuring he cannot err when teaching faith and morals from the Chair of St. Peter. Faith is what we believe, and morals guide how we live. This gift has sustained Holy Mother Church for over two thousand years and will until the end of time. While the Pope can sin as a person, he is protected from teaching error in matters of faith and morals. Children need a stable home, and Jesus provides this through Holy Mother Church.
The two rear wheels of the tricycle symbolize apostolic tradition and the Bible. Before the Bible was written and compiled, the apostles preached and taught the Gospel. I see the Bible as a single pen with many colors of ink. The Holy Spirit, the primary author, inspired the human authors to write in their unique styles. The Bible does not list its own books and letters; it was the magisterium, guided by the Holy Spirit, that determined the canon of Scripture. The magisterium explains apostolic tradition and the Bible to God’s children through Holy Mass, the sacraments, and the catechism.