As someone who studies motherhood and theology and who
has five children myself, fellow Orthodox mothers often ask me if I can point
them to prayers for mothers for their children, since few of our prayer books
include prayers on this subject. While I do have a few prayers I pass on, I
also recommend that they read Saint John Chrysostom’s thoughts on prayer and
motherhood.
Saint John of the fourth century is a frequent source
for reflection on family life in the twenty-first. His reverence for family
rings clear across the centuries, and this is true especially in his
appreciation for motherhood. Saint John elevated motherhood to something beyond
the mundane, daily care of children and into the realm of spiritual
significance. Directing his remarks at mothers, he said, “I mean, the children
being born, provided they receive proper care and are brought up to virtue by
your attention, prove a basis and occasion of complete salvation for you; and
in addition to your own virtuous acts you will receive a great reward for your
care of them.” (Homily on Hannah, Old Testament Homilies by Robert Hill) Thus
Chrysostom saw motherhood as a salvific opportunity, as a vocation that can
lead to the heavenly reward.
Saint John was particularly moved by the vision of
motherhood he saw in Hannah, the mother of Prophet Samuel in the Old Testament
(1 Samuel 1-2). He admired the power of Hannah’s spontaneous prayer when she
visited the temple eager to have a child. He wrote of the intensity of the
prayer she prayed in her quest for motherhood and in her later dedication of
her child to the Lord.
In praising Hannah’s spontaneous prayer, Saint John
contrasted it with more typical, less mindful prayer: “I mean, while we all
pray, we do not all do it before the Lord: when the body is lying on the ground
and the mouth is babbling on, and the mind wandering through all parts of the
house and the market place, how will such people be in a position to claim that
they prayed before the Lord?” (Homily on Hannah, Old Testament Homilies by
Robert Hill)
In short, Hannah provides the model for all types of
prayer, not just a mother’s prayer. Most prayer is half-hearted, barely
present, whereas Hannah’s prayer is fully present, felt in her body and her
soul. Yet, Saint John also saw a special role for prayer by mothers. His
specific instruction to mothers is that they should consecrate their children
through prayer. As a mother and a theologian, I find this to be an important
reminder of the importance of my prayers for my own children.
Though the Orthodox Church lacks many composed prayers
for mothers, and though the addition of such prayers would be welcome, Hannah’s
tale shows that mothers have taken prayers for their children into their own
hands for millennia—and that the Church has celebrated this initiative. This is
why I point mothers to Saint John: he reminds us that our spontaneous prayers
as mothers are powerful on their own. Whatever words we choose, it is our
sacred responsibility as mothers to bless and consecrate our children by
praying for them.
Source: http://blogs.goarch.org/blog/-/blogs/the-power-of-a-mother-s-prayer?_33_redirect=%2Fmarriage-and-family
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