The month of May invites us to celebrate the gift of motherhood -that of Mary and of our earthly mothers. Mary's motherhood is special because she not only gives birth to Christ in the physical order. She also has a very special spiritual connection to Our Lord by means of a faith deeper than any human being has ever had. The woman in the Gospel of Luke calls out: "Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that fed you." Our Lord responds: "Blest rather are those that hear the word of God and keep it"(Lk.11:28). Here Our Lord not only points out the importance of faith in each one of us. He is also saying that His Mother is blest rather because of a special bond she has with Him through Her faith (Redemptoris Mater No. 20, by Pope John Paul II). This bond bears fruit since Our Lord's first miracle at Cana is performed at Her request. This shows Her special tie with Her Son's Mission (Ibid. No.21).
Our earthly mother in a way mirrors Mary's actions. Through conception, gestation, and birth she forms a special physical bond with her child. Yet her ties with the child doed not stop with the physical. Her being is ordered towards the development of the whole personhood of the child (Mulieris Dignitatem , No. 18, John Paul II). Her Motherhood goes beyond the pure physical aspect to the full nurturing of the person in all his dimensions.
We can only marvel at the great role God has given mothers in the words of Cardinal Mindszenty:
"The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral-a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body…the angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation…What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"