By Catholic Stewardship Consultants
www.CatholicSteward.com
Each year, the month of May invites us to pause in gratitude. We celebrate Mother’s Day, and we honor Mary, the mother of God. These two observances naturally belong together, because in Mary we are given the clearest example of what faithful motherhood — and true Christian stewardship — looks like.
At its heart, stewardship is about receiving God’s gifts and returning them to him with gratitude. For mothers, this call is lived in a deeply personal and sacrificial way. The gift of a child is entrusted to their care, and from the very beginning, a mother responds by giving of herself completely — her time, her energy, her attention and her love.
This self-gift begins even before a child is born, but it certainly does not end there. Day by day, year by year, mothers continue to pour themselves out for the good of their children.
They teach, guide, encourage and support. They help form not only healthy individuals, but faithful disciples. In this way, motherhood becomes a daily expression of stewardship — often quiet, often unseen, but profoundly important.
Mary shows us what this looks like in its fullness. Her “yes” to God was an act of total trust and surrender. She did not know all that lay ahead, but she entrusted herself completely to God’s will. Throughout her life, she remained faithful — from the joy of Christ’s birth to the sorrow of standing at the foot of the cross.
For every mother, there are moments of joy and moments of sacrifice, times of confidence and times of uncertainty. In all of it, Mary stands as a steady example and a source of intercession — a reminder that God is present and at work even in the ordinary and challenging moments of family life.
As we celebrate this month of May, we give thanks for the mothers in our lives — for the ways they have reflected God’s love through their care, sacrifice and faith. And we invite all mothers to look to Mary as their model and guide, asking her intercession as they continue to live out their vocation.
In honoring our mothers, we also recognize something deeper — that their love is a powerful witness to what it means to live as good stewards, offering our lives back to God in gratitude and trust.
Above: A mom enjoys the Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens with her children in North Andover, Massachusetts, on Mother’s Day. (Reuters / CNS / 2022)