The Perfect Christmas Gift for Catholic Moms

Each year as the leaves begin to fall, and the sweaters are taken out of storage, our minds start turning naturally towards Advent, and the coming expectation of the joys of Christmas. But as we get closer to that blessed season, it’s all too easy to be bogged down in the material things of life: What do I get people for Christmas? And while Christmas is about so much more than any material gifts, expressing our gratitude and love to those around us is an important part of the season. That’s why I was happy to see that Angelus Press just made this year a bit easier when choosing gifts for the mothers in your life.

As of this past month, Angelus Press released a brand new, completely retypeset edition of the famed Mother Love, a prayer book and manual for Christian mothers. Written in the 1880s by a Capuchin priest, this book contains much that a mother would need to nurture and grow her spiritual life. It also comes in a nice faux-leather, soft cover with gilded edges and a ribbon for devotional use.

The book begins with Morning and Evening prayers, followed by the Holy Rosary and various prayers to be used throughout the day. From there, it examines the Points of doctrine which a Christian mother should teach her children, and principles a Christian mother should instill in her children, such as “The road to heaven is the Way of the Cross,” or “If heaven is gained, all is gained. If heaven is lost, all is lost.” The goal seems to be to teach children a number of small maxims that will help form and prepare them for a life of grace.

After this, there are various devotional prayers to be said throughout the Holy Mass, followed by the “10 Commandments of Christian Education,” and Devotions for Confession, Communion, and other devotions.

After this, the second part of the book begins, which is Prayers for Various Special Necessities of Christian Mothers for all of the duties of their state in life, flowering in the third section with prayers to some of the patrons of mothers.

The book concludes with a long educational section, helping Christian mothers to effectively do their duties, and, as the book says, to help do them easily. The section of instructions on Christian training of children is priceless and a sure aid to any mother trying to raise Catholic children in this vale of tears.

Put simply, I am not aware of any book for Christian mothers that surpasses this one. Whether you are a mother of a newborn, or a grandmother whose children are already grown and out of the house, this book will help you to advance in the spiritual life primarily by aiding you to better accomplish your duties of state. The amazing thing is that this book, which is so full of information and prayers, is available from Angelus Press for only $24.95.