Prefigures of Mary most holy

The Old Testament and Jewish tradition attest to a high regard for the moral dignity of women, which is expressed particularly in an attitude of trust in the Lord, in prayer for the gift of motherhood, and in supplications to God for the salvation of Israel from the attacks of its enemies. […]

“A good wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels” (Prv 31:10). Wisdom literature describes a woman’s faithfulness to the divine covenant as the pinnacle of her abilities and the source of the highest admiration. […] In these female figures, in which the miracles of divine grace are revealed, She – Mary, the Mother of the Lord – can already be glimpsed as the greatest woman.

ST. JOHN PAUL II.General Audience, 10/4/1996

Greatest example of maternal love

Hence the Church, in her apostolic work also, justly looks to her who brought forth Christ, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin, that through the Church He may be born and may increase in the hearts of the faithful also. The Virgin in her own life lived an example of that maternal love, by which it behoves that all should be animated who cooperate in the apostolic mission of the Church for the regeneration of men.

ST. PAUL VI. Lumen gentium. Second Vatican Council, 21/11/1964

Reward for a life of renunciation

By her “yes,” She [Mary ] helped give a human face to the source of all mercy and benevolence: the face of Jesus. […]

This is the face of God that Mary allowed to take shape and grow within her womb, completely transforming her life. It is the face She proclaimed through the joyful yet delicate light of her eyes while bearing Him in her womb; the face whose beauty She contemplated daily in her home as Jesus grew as a child, boy and young man; and the face She followed with the heart of a humble disciple, as He walked the paths of His mission, all the way to the Cross and the Resurrection.

To do so, She too laid aside every defence, renouncing expectations, claims and comforts – as mothers so often do – consecrating her life without reserve to the Son She had received by grace, so that She might, in turn, give Him back to the world.

LEO XIV.Homily, 1/1/2026

Motherhood in light of the Church and Mary

Motherhood is a sublime gift that the Church exalts. How could it not, given that it believes in and recognizes the beginning of salvation, of its very existence, in the virginal motherhood of Mary Most Holy, who gave birth to Christ? […]

Everyday experience shows us that a Christian wife usually gives rise to a family in which love for God, participation in the Sacraments, and love of neighbour remain alive. Likewise, the harmony, serenity, and joy of family life depend largely on the woman, wife, and mother who, with her intuition, tact, affection, patience, and generosity, softens rough edges and tensions. She lifts spirits and offers a welcoming haven when problems arise at any stage of life.

ST. JOHN PAUL II.Homily, 10/5/1990

She who claims the chief place in love

Domestic society being confirmed, therefore, by this bond of love, there should flourish in it that “order of love,” as St. Augustine calls it. This order includes both the primacy of the husband with regard to the wife and children, the ready subjection of the wife and her willing obedience, which the Apostle commends. […] For if the man is the head, the woman is the heart, and as he occupies the chief place in ruling, so she may and ought to claim for herself the chief place in love.

PIUS XI.Casti connubii, 31/12/1930

The heart of the family

As experience teaches, woman is above all the heart of the family. She is the one who gives life and the primary educator, obviously supported by her husband, and systematically sharing with him the entire scope of parental educational duties.

It is known, however, that the human body ceases to live when the heart stops functioning. The analogy is quite clear. The woman who acts as the heart of the family is indispensable. […]

This vocation – essentially linked to the divine gift of motherhood – is also expressed in the mission of wife and mother through the transmission of the truth of the faith and ethical values.

ST. JOHN PAUL II.Speech, 13/6/1987

The teachings of the true Catholic mother

In this initial religious education, mothers have a task that is as important and dignified as it is beautiful and moving.

Mothers, do you teach your children Christian prayers? Do you prepare your children, in accord with the priests, for the Sacraments of early childhood: Confession, Communion, Confirmation? Do you accustom them, when they are ill, to think of Christ suffering, to invoke the help of Our Lady and the saints? Do you pray the Rosary as a family? […]

Remember: this is how you build the Church.

ST. PAUL VI.General Audience, 11/8/1976

Love that is ready for unconditional sacrifice

Motherhood can be a source of joy, but it can also become a source of suffering, and sometimes of great disappointments. In this case, love becomes a test, often heroic, that takes a heavy toll on a mother’s heart. […]

How extraordinary at times is their participation in the care of the Good Shepherd! How they must struggle against difficulties and dangers! How often they are called to face real “wolves”, determined to carry off and scatter the flock! […]

Their guiding principle is Christ, who has revealed the love bestowed upon us by the Father. A woman who believes in Christ finds powerful support precisely in this love that endures all. It is a love that allows her to believe that whatever she does for a child, whether conceived or born, an adolescent or an adult, she does at the same time for a child of God.

ST. JOHN PAUL II.Homily, 24/4/1994

Mothers who reflect the perfect light of Mary

In the light of Mary, the Church sees in the face of women the reflection of a beauty which mirrors the loftiest sentiments of which the human heart is capable: the self-offering totality of love; the strength that is capable of bearing the greatest sorrows; limitless fidelity and tireless devotion to work; the ability to combine penetrating intuition with words of support and encouragement.

ST. JOHN PAUL II.Redemptoris Mater, 25/3/1987