February 7

The Mother of Christ

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom. — Luke 2:40

One of the chief influences in moulding Christ’s life was His mother. When God wants to prepare a man for a great mission, He first prepares a noble mother, and puts the child into her bosom to be trained. The Jews had a saying, ” God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” Nearly all the truly great men of the world have received the inspiration and stamp of their lives from their mothers. When Moses was to be trained for his work, the Lord put the little babe back in the hands of its mother as his first teacher. There is no doubt that in preparing Mary to be the mother of the Saviour, the rarest and loveliest graces of womanhood were wrought by God into her nature. She was not sinless, but surely we may believe that no more perfect woman ever lived.

“Woman! above all women glorified;
Our tainted nature’s solitary boast;
Purer than foam on central ocean tossed;
Brighter than eastern skies at daybreak strown
With fancied roses.
With fancied roses.
In whom did blend
All that was mixed and reconciled in thee
Of mother’s love with maiden purity.”

Such a mother would exert a wonderful influence over the child Jesus. She was His first teacher. Her love wrapped Him around in its warm folds in His earliest infancy and through all His youth and young manhood. Her sweet life was the atmosphere that hung over His tenderest years. Her prayers kept heaven lying ever close about Him. Her hands guided His feet and shaped His character. What a blessed mission is that of a mother, any mother! What woman in whose arms God has laid an immortal life will despise her glorious calling? What woman so honoured will not die rather than prove unfaithful to her holy trust?