February 7

The Mother of Christ

And the Child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom. — Luke 2:40 BSB

One of the most powerful influences on Jesus’ life was His mother. When God wants to prepare someone for a great mission, He begins by preparing a noble mother, and places the child in her care to be nurtured and trained. The Jews had a saying, “God could not be everywhere, so He made mothers.” Nearly all the great men of history were shaped and inspired by their mothers. When God needed someone to care for Moses, He put him back in the hands of his mother as his first teacher. In preparing Mary to be the mother of Jesus, God must have worked the most beautiful and noble qualities of womanhood into her character. She wasn’t sinless, but we can believe that no more perfect woman ever lived.

“Woman! above all women glorified;
Our tainted nature’s solitary boast;
Purer than foam on central ocean tossed;
Brighter than eastern skies at daybreak strown
With fancied roses.
In whom did blend
All that was mixed and reconciled in thee
Of mother’s love with maiden purity.”

Such a mother would have had an extraordinary influence on the child Jesus. She was His first teacher. Her love surrounded Him in His infancy, and her presence shaped His youth and early manhood. Her prayers kept heaven close to Him. Her hands guided His steps and helped shape His character. What a blessed mission it is to be a mother! What woman, entrusted with the care of an immortal soul, would ever despise her calling? What mother wouldn’t give her all, even her life, to be faithful to this holy trust?