Happy Feast of the Divine Maternity, 

or, the Motherhood of Mary!

(St. Isidore's Church, Watkins, Colorado)

Mother Cabrini's letters are full of interesting reflections on the times in which she lived. In 1904, she wrote about the poor Indian (Native American) women that she saw on the reservations in the Western United States....doing most of the work for the family, as well as bearing children that the woman then carried "around her waist in a sack". After seeing how hard these women's lives were, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini wrote:

"See how grateful we should be to Christianity, which has raised the dignity of woman, re-establishing her rights, unknown to the pagan nations. Until Mary Immaculate, the Woman by excellence, foretold by the prophets, sighed for by the patriarchs, desired by the people, Dawn of the Sun of Justice, had appeared on earth -- what was woman? But Mary appeared, this new Eve, true Mother of the Living, elected by God to be the Co-Redemptrix of the human race, and a new era arose for woman. She is no longer a slave, but equal to man; no longer a servant, but mistress within her domestic walls; no longer the object of disdain and contempt, but raised to the dignity of Mother and Educator, on whose knee generations are built up. ...Mary derives all her greatness from Jesus. If it was her boast that she became the Mother of the Redeemer, to her also...was consigned the office of guarding and preparing the Victim of the human race."

Then she advised the young college students she was writing to thus:

"Remember that we shall only be true women, when, by the discharge of the principal duties that are imposed upon us, we become the true educators of society, Angels of the family and faithful imitators of Mary Immaculate."

True motherhood, whether spiritual or physical, is fulfilled when we behave like the Blessed Mother did...bringing education, courtesy, light, peace and joy to those among whom we live.