For many mothers, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed; rest can be elusive while domestic demands mount, and acts of service may seem to go unnoticed. But motherhood is no trivial undertaking; it is a sacred vocation. This Mother’s Day, as we thank God for the mothers in our lives and reflect on their vocation, we hope you are inspired by these seven Catholic quotes on motherhood.
On What it Means to be a Mother
“To be a mother is to nourish and protect true humanity and bring it to development.” — St. Teresa Benedicta
“Thank you, women who are mothers! You have sheltered human beings within yourselves in a unique experience of joy and travail. This experience makes you become God’s own smile upon the newborn child, the one who guides your child’s first steps, who helps it to grow, and who is the anchor as the child makes its way along the journey of life.” — St. John Paul II
“Better to instruct a child than to collect riches.” — St. Herve of Brittany
“When we had our children, our ideas changed somewhat. We lived only for them. They were all our happiness, and we never found any except in them. In short, nothing was too difficult, and the world was no longer a burden for us. For me, our children were a great compensation, so I wanted to have a lot of them in order to raise them for Heaven.” — St. Zélie Martin
On How a Mother Should Love
“Love and sacrifice are closely linked, like the sun and the light. We cannot love without suffering, and we cannot suffer without love.” — St. Gianna Beretta Molla
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
— St. Teresa of Calcutta
“Keep happy and let nothing rob you of the interior joy of motherhood. Your child deserves your happiness. Don’t let fears, worries, other people’s comments or problems lessen your joy at being God’s means of bringing a new life to the world.”
— Pope Francis
Sources:
“6 Essential quotes this Mother’s Day from saints who were mothers,” Aleteia.
“7 Quotes from St. Zélie Martin that moms can lean on,” Aleteia.
A Dictionary of Quotes from the Saints, Dr. Paul Thigpen.
“Amoris Laetitia,” Pope Francis, accessed at Amoris.
“Mother’s Day 2024: 12 Catholic quotes on the beauty of motherhood,” CNA.
“Mother’s Day: 7 inspiring Catholic quotes on motherhood,” Our Sunday Visitor.