I will soon be standing beside my goddaughter and her family as she is welcomed into the Catholic Church, or as I like to say, “welcomed home.” When my husband and I were asked to be godparents, each to a twin girl, by our close friends, we were taken aback—not by the surprise of being asked, but by the abundance of God’s love and grace. Next to becoming parents, becoming godparents has been one of the greatest gifts God has ever bestowed upon us. There really is nothing like it.
Since learning that I would be a godmother, I have prayed and thought hard about the great responsibility I have to share the faith with my goddaughter. What will I say? How will I show her the beauty of our faith? What great pilgrimages will we get the opportunity to embark on? How might I support my friends as they set out on the great adventures of parenthood?
I have also spent a lot of time pondering the life of our mother Mary and her continual guide as my spiritual mother. Just as she has shown me the way of guiding my own children in the faith, Mary has been the source of my first steps into the role of godmother. I can think of no greater role model than Mary as I journey with my children and goddaughter, while they travel on their own faith journeys.
As I continue my journey as a mother and godmother, I hope not only to share my love of Christ and the Catholic faith with my children and goddaughter, but I also hope that they, too, draw inspiration and comfort from the loving arms of our heavenly mother. Saint Francis de Sales once remarked that we all should “run to Mary, as her little children, [and] cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.” I can think of no greater embrace than a mother’s arms and how beautiful it is that our heavenly mother stands with her arms always open wide to embrace and share with us God’s undying love for his children.
It is my prayer that my children and goddaughter will always know that no matter who they become, where they go, or what they do, they will know that our mother Mary is there to offer them her joy, comfort, and God’s love whenever they need it, and so will I.
And my prayer for you, mothers, is that you, too, will forever be guided by our Mother’s warm embrace, on the good days and challenging ones. We are never alone as we continue our walk on our motherhood and faith journeys—Mary and her Son are with us always.
Jodi,
This is beautiful. What a sweet tribute to your duty as godmother. What a great gift to pass on to your goddaughter- the truth about our Mother Mary, and the joy in running to her in good times and bad. Thank you for sharing a glimpse into the gift of motherhood from a “godmother’s” perspective:)