What all Moms SAY Over the years I have tried to locate the “Mommy School.” You know the one. The school they all went to. I know it exists… and you do too. Just think about the Mommy language they all learned.

• Because I said so, that’s why!
• One day you’ll thank me.
• As long as you’re under my roof, you live by my rules.
• If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?
• Don’t you use that tone with me!
• Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.
• You better wipe that look off your face.

I finally found a small web franchised version at Café Mom. They even had a free teaser of 25 Things All Moms Say to Their Kids Sooner or Later Of course, there is also a Daddy School that has a very similar curriculum.

Pope Francis – What Mary … and all Mom’s .. DO

Leave it to Francis to uncover an all too little appreciated dimension of the things that Mommy’s do! This sentence from 2013 jumped out at me…

Three words sum up Mary’s attitude: listening, decision, action. They are words that point out a way for us too as we face what the Lord asks of us in life. Listening, decision, action. (Pope Francis)

I immediately thought of my mother… possibly your mother. They all do it differently. But isn’t that what they do rather than say. They listen, decide and act!

1.  … listening to God who speaks to us, and listening also to daily reality, paying attention to people, to events, because the Lord is at the door of our life and knocks in many ways, he puts signs on our path; he gives us the ability to see them. Mary is the mother of listening, of attentive listening to God and of equally attentive listening to the events of life.

2. … In the Annunciation, in the Visitation and at the wedding of Cana Mary goes against the tide. Mary goes against the tide; she listens to God, she reflects and seeks to understand reality, and decides to entrust herself totally to God. Although she is with child, she decides to visit her elderly relative and she decides to entrust herself to her Son with insistence so as to preserve the joy of the wedding feast.

3. …Mary’s action was a consequence of her obedience to the Angel’s words but was combined with charity: she went to Elizabeth to make herself useful; and in going out of her home, of herself, for love, she takes with her the most precious thing she has: Jesus.

What we all should be doing!

Pope Francis’ prayer May 2013

Mary, woman of listening, open our ears; grant us to know how to listen to the word of your Son Jesus among the thousands of words of this world; grant that we may listen to the reality in which we live, to every person we encounter, especially those who are poor, in need, in hardship. Mary, woman of decision, illuminate our mind and our heart, so that we may obey, unhesitating, the word of your Son Jesus; give us the courage to decide, not to let ourselves be dragged along, letting others direct our life. Mary, woman of action, obtain that our hands and feet move “with haste” toward others, to bring them the charity and love of your Son Jesus, to bring the light of the Gospel to the world, as you did. Amen.

How well do we

• Listen
• Decide
• Act

[The post first appeared on Vincentian Mindwalk.]