Our Mother, Who Art in Heaven?

"So you, Lord God, are the Great Mother"

By Christ himself we are instructed to pray, Our Father. More, throughout holy Scripture we not only find God spoken of by fatherly names, but also directly addressed using father as a title. However, many passages speak of him by motherly names, and we also find mother used as direct address in prayers of the saints—like the following and quite lovely prayer from St. Anselm:

…And you, Jesus, are you not also a mother?

Are you not the mother who, like a hen,

gathers her chickens under her wings?

Truly, Lord, you are a mother;

for both they who are in labour

and they who are brought forth

are accepted by you.

You have died more than they, that they may labour to bear.

It is by your death that they have been born,

for if you had not been in labour,

you could not have borne death;

and if you had not died, you would not have brought forth.

For, longing to bear sons into life,

you tasted of death,

and by dying you begot them.

You did this in your own self,

your servants, by your commands and help.

You as the author, they as the ministers.

So you, Lord God, are the great mother.

Then both of you [Paul and Christ] are mothers.

Even if you are fathers, you are also mothers.

For you have brought it about that those born to death

should be reborn to life -

you by your own act, you by his power.

Therefore you are fathers by your effect

and mothers by your affection.

Fathers by your authority, mothers by your kindness.

Fathers by your teaching, mothers by your mercy.

Then you, Lord, are a mother

and you, Paul, are a mother too…

Christ, my mother,

you gather your chickens under your wings;

this dead chicken of yours puts himself under those wings.

For by your gentleness the badly frightened are comforted,

by your sweet smell the despairing are revived,

your warmth gives life to the dead,

your touch justifies sinners.

Mother, know again your dead son,

both by the sign of your cross and the voice of his confession.

Warm your chicken, give life to your dead man, justify your sinner.

Let your terrified one be consoled by you;

despairing of himself, let him be comforted by you.

and in your whole and unceasing grace

let him be refashioned by you.

For from you flows consolation for sinners;

to you the blessing for ages and ages. Amen

All this induces two questions, which we want to handle here: first, can we pray Our Mother?; and second, Ought we to pray this equally to Our Father?

Question 1: Can We Pray, Our Mother?

Let’s begin with the first question. In order to respond to this, we need to recall that father and mother are relative names, just like creator, lord, and other names of this sort. Now sometimes relations are founded upon actions or works, whereupon the relative name is said upon such. Accordingly, insofar as God has done actions or works which are similar to those done by creaturely agents, he receives the same relative names as those creaturely agents do as a result of their works. Thus e.g., as John of Damascus notes, God is said to be shepherd not as if we are sheep nor as if he had a staff, but only because we are led by him throughout our entire lives, and this work is similar to that or those works of a man whence he receives the name shepherd.

Now the actions or works of creaturely fathers and mothers are very different from each other, and this follows their uniquenesses as male and female respectively. Some works are altogether unique to one and not done by the other, given unique abilities. For example, works of gestating and nurturing a child are unique to a woman given her bodily abilities. Other works however are shared by both, but especially belong to one only given something unique. For example, although both a man and woman can and do discipline a child, this work especially belongs to a man given his unique physical strength.

Relative names will follow accordingly. As much as a certain work is more unique to a man versus a woman, so much can a similar divine work tend to found the relative name father versus mother respectively. And we see this all throughout holy Scripture: usually, God’s works of discipline make him a father, whereas Paul’s works of nurturing make him a mother.

Hence it is clear that we can indeed address God as our mother, insofar as we regard his various works which are more unique to creaturely mothers.

Question 2: Ought We to Pray this Equally to Our Father?

This brings us then to our second question: ought we then to pray Our Mother equally to Our Father?