The Mother's Calling: Love in the Heart of the World (Paulist Press, 2012)
Chapter One: You Are Chosen
Chapter 2: Be Fruitful and Multiply
"Throughout history and around the globe, there is no calling so ubiquitous as motherhood. It is as common as our daily bread. And yet, when a woman becomes a mother for the first time, suddenly something so routine and mundane becomes an explosive power in her life. It is as if she were on a plane bound for Cincinnati and the plane's captain comes on the loudspeaker and announces the flight is headed for Thailand. Her direction simply changes. And while she may have planned for years to have a child, it is impossible to really understand the repercussions of that decision until it becomes a reality in her own life...
Motherhood originates in God. It is a constant throughout our lives. Other aspects of our work and interests may come and go, but no matter where we live or what new things we learn to do, something deep within us changes irrevocably when we become mothers, which cannot be lost or taken away. It is this mysterious change in us that The Mother's Calling wishes to explore."
(page 1-2)
Listening to the Wind
"Every afternoon my dog, Jessie, needs a walk. My children, too young to stay home alone, come along. One day, when the constant chatter and running in circles got to be enough, I asked my children to sit down with me and listen to the wind. After a minute or two of greatly needed quiet, they told me the things they heard in the wind.
It can be a relief to listen and be still for a moment. The sound of wind and water soothe us and help us rest. For this exercise, which can be done by yourself or with children, take one minute or so to listen to the wind (or look at a flower, gaze into the night sky, examine the different shades of green in plants, listen to the rain, feel the breeze, and so on). Focus your senses on one thing. Afterward, think about what you felt, heard, saw, smelled or tasted. Give thanks to God for the experience of creation of which you are a part." (page 34)
Introduction
1. You are Chosen: the Mother's Calling
2. Be Fruitful and Multiply: a Spirituality of Pregnancy and Childbirth
3. Love as You Are Loved: Mother as Nurturer
4. Do Not Be Afraid: How Love Casts Out Fear
5. Filled with Compassion: Inspired Parenting for Today
6. Blessed Are You: the Future of Motherhood
7. Come Inherit the Kingdom: Justice One Child at a Time
Conclusion: The Mother's Calling: Love in the Heart of the World
Contents