Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Seasons of Grace

Home
Catholic
Three Humble Mothers, Three Sons Who Changed the World

Three Humble Mothers, Three Sons Who Changed the World

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 4:00 pm by Kathy Schiffer

Three Humble Mothers, Three Sons Who Changed the World 2016-09-30T16:00:19-05:00 Kathy Schiffer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In the week leading up to Christmas, as we awaited the birth of the Christ Child in a humble stable in Bethlehem, the daily readings focused on God’s choice of three simple, unsophisticated women to be mothers whose sons would change history.

Hannah, Mother of Samuel

Hannah prayed to God for a son, and in humble trust, she promised that if God granted her wish she would dedicate her son to the Lord. God heard her prayer, and Hannah gave birth to Samuel. Hannah loved him and cared for him, but she remembered her promise—and when Samuel was old enough, she took him to the prophet Eli at theTemple.

Living in the Temple, Samuel grew to know and love God. Samuel was a judge—the last of the Hebrew judges. He was also the first of the major prophets who began to prophesy inside the land of Israel, and he anointed Israel’s first two kings: Saul and David. He was thus at the cusp between two eras in salvation history.

Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist

Elizabeth was a descendant of the high priest Aaron, the wife of Zacharias, and the cousin of Mary. In their long marriage, Elizabeth had failed to conceive; but when she was old, an angel told Zacharias in a dream that Elizabeth would bear a son, and that they should name him John. You know the rest of the story: John didn’t believe the angel, and so was struck dumb. It was only after John was born and Zacharias confirmed by writing on a tablet that “His name is John” that his speech was restored.

John was the first to acknowledge the presence of the Savior here on earth when the pregnant Mary came to visit and John—still a developing fetus—leapt in the womb of his mother Elizabeth. John grew to be a great prophet who announced the coming of the Messiah. He went out into the desert, where he lived on locusts and honey and preached the coming of the New Covenant.

John baptized his followers in the Jordan River. When his cousin Jesus arrived on the shores of the Jordan, John first protested that he was unworthy to even untie Jesus’ sandal; but at Jesus’ insistence, he baptized the Lord. He was present for the first manifestation of Jesus’ ministry—as the Father spoke from heaven and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus as a dove.

Mary, Mother of Jesus

Mary, too, had a Son Who changed the world. Conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was fully God and fully man. From his earliest years, Mary understood that he was special—but the first example of this is found in the gospel when Jesus is lost for three days and his parents find him talking with the high priests in the Temple. “Did you not know,” Jesus asked, “that I must be about my Father’s business?”

Preserved from all sin in order to be the holy mother of God, Mary was an example of perfect humility.

Three women, each modeling a humility so pure, so pleasing to God’s heart. Contemporary mothers can learn much from their example.

Litany of Humility

By Rafael Cardinal Merry delVal (1865-1930),
Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled …
From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …
From the fear of being humiliated …
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

Previous Post

December 22, 2011

"Faith Fatigue": Is That America's Problem, Too?

Next Post

December 26, 2011 Sisters at Guest House Give a Gift to Cherish

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #Synod14 Abortion Abstinence Abuse Addiction Adoption Advent Adventure Advertising Aging Agnosticism All Saints Day All Souls Day Amish Anathema Angels Anglican Animals Annulment Annunciation Apocalypse Apologetics Apostles Apostleship of the Sea Apparitions Archangels Archbishop Cordileone Archbishop Dolan Archbishop Vigneron Archeology Architecture Art Art Buchwald Ash Wednesday Assisted Suicide Astronauts Atheism Athletes Babies Baptism Beatification Beauty Bible Biochemistry Bioethics Birds Bishop Lori Bishops Blasphemy Books Canon Law Canonization Capital Punishment Cardinal Burke Cardinal Dolan Cardinal George Caritas Catechesis Catechism of the Catholic Church Catholic Catholic Education Catholic Higher Education Catholic Social Teaching Celibacy Cemeteries Character Charity Chastity Cheapskate Christian Unity Christmas Churches Civil Rights Cloning Comedy Communion of Saints Community Kitchens Confession Confirmation Conscience Consequences Consistory Constitution Contraception Conversion Cooking Councils of the Church Creativity Criminal Justice Cristero War Crucifixion Crystal Cathedral Culture Death Death and Dying Death Penalty Department of Health and Human Services Diaconate Dictatorship of Relativism Dignity Disability Discrimination Dissidence Divorce Doctors of the Church Early Church Fathers Easter Economics Ecumenism Education Encyclicals Environmentalism Episcopal Church Eucharist Euthanasia Evangelism Evangelists Evangelization Evolution Excuses Facebook Faith Families Family Fashion Fasting Fatherhood Federal Government Feminism Fiction Film First Amendment First Communion For Greater Glory Forgiveness Free Speech Friends Friendship Gender Discrimination Germany Gnosticism Good Friday Government Grace Greed Gregorian Calendar Happiness Health Heaven Heresy History Holidays Holiness Hollywood Holy Land Holy Saturday Holy Spirit Holy Week Holy Year Home Sweet Home Homosexuality Hope Humanism Humility Humor Imagination Immaculate Conception Immigration Impulsivity In Vitro Fertilization Incarnation Indulgences Infallibility Internet Islam Italy Jerusalem Jesus Judaism Justice Kathleen Sebelius Labor Movement LCWR Lent Life Literature Liturgy Lourdes Love Magi Marketing Marriage Martyrdom Martyrs Mary Mass Media Medical Ethics Mexico Michigan Miracles Missionaries Modernism Modesty Monks Monothelitism Motherhood Movies Mushrooms Music Muslim Mystery Mysticism Mythology Nativity Natural Law Nature New Evangelization New Media New Year New Year's Resolutions Nostalgia Obscenity Occult Old Testament Origen Orthodox Orvieto Pallium Papacy Parenting Patience Patriarch Bartholomew Patriotism Peace Peace and Justice Penitence Pentecost People Persecution Philosophy Poetry Political activism Political Correctness Politics Polls Pop Culture Pope Benedict XVI Pope Francis Pope John Paul II Pope John XXIII Pope Paul VI Pope St. Pius X Pope Urban VII Population Prayer Preaching Prejudice Pride Priesthood Pro-Life Protestantism Psychology Purgatory Queenship of Mary Racism Rape Real Presence Reconciliation Reformation Relics Religious Religious Liberty Reliquary Renewal Reproductive Technology Resurrection Rights Romance Rome Royalty Sacraments Sacred Heart Saints Satanism Science Science Fiction Scripture Seal of Confession Secularism Seniors September 11 Seventy Times Seven Sexuality Sharks Sin Smoking Social Communications Social Justice Social Networking Social Sciences Space Exploration Spirituality Sports St. Luke St. Patrick's Day St. Paul St. Peter St. Teresa of Avila Stations of the Cross Steve Jobs Superstition Supreme Court Symbolism Synod Technology Teen Rebellion Television Terrorism Thankfulness Thanksgiving Theology Think This, Not That Tobit Toilets Toys Tradition Traditions Transplants Travel Trinity Twitter U.S. Air Force Uncategorized United Nations USCCB Valentine Vatican Vatican Archives Vatican Blogfest Virtue Vocations Where We Pray White Heart Women World Day of Social Communications World Meeting of Families World News World Youth Day Worship Writing Year of Consecrated Life Year of Faith Year of Mercy Youth

Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Isaiah say about Egypt's future in his oracles?

Select your answer to see how you score.

It would prosper It would rule Persia It would be conquered It would conquer Israel