Women are amazingly strong creatures of God:

- with emotional strength

-physical strength

-mental strength

Women naturally love attention (they want people to have their back)
An average woman when there are stakes (when she is put in charge of something/something depends on her - project/family, they give their best.

Women are brought to the world to live for other people:

-as a child, she lives for her siblings,

-as a young girl/adult, she lives for her siblings, parents and 'boy friend' (looking out for them and making sure they are ok. Also supporting and encouraging them)

-as a mother/wife, she lives for her husband (changing her maiden name to bear his, at least in our culture). Sacrificing the shape/figure she worked so hard for, to bear him children and then living the rest of her life loving them, taking care of them and giving them the best.

THAT IS WHY I CONSIDER A 'GIRL CHILD' A BLESSING BECAUSE EVEN WHEN SHE MARRIES SHE THINKS MUM AND DAD AND SIBLINGS, OF COURSE, STILL NOT NEGLECTING HER OWN MARRIAGE (unlike men who most likely will be drawn to their nuclear family, may be because of the challenge of immediate responsibility especially financial).

Women are not only symbols of peace but of respect too. Even the bible upholds this fact - "he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains Favour from the Lord' Prov. 18:22.

This implies that all men who are married have been favored by God.

Although today many unflattering things are said about women, but I think a woman is a product of what surrounds her or in fact of what you give her.

So, you give her love = you get love,

You give her respect = you get respect in return,

After all, you give her a house = she gives you a home,

You give her a sperm cell = and she gives you a complete being (a baby or babies as the case may be).

You give her ingredients = and she gives you a well prepared/made dish.

TRY IT!
WHATEVER YOU GIVE A WOMAN, SHE MULTIPLIES ITS VALUE.

womanhood is a calling indeed!

A woman's job doesn't end with her marriage to her husband.

Apart from focussing on the family she has a job/trade where she tries to support her husband from.
She comes back tired but still has a family to feed, so as tired as she may be, she starts job #2, ( this is actually the most important job).
Not even taking off her clothes, she goes straight to the kitchen till food is ready and serves it.
Then time to shower and rest (well may be not ...because her husband may need her attention beyond).
She gets up before everyone else the next morning to get the kids ready for school, prepares the meals for everyone even lunch packs because she thinks ahead. And she has to get ready for work herself.

WOMEN ARE SUPERHUMAN

Labour pains are like having so many bones crushed at the same time. I know you can't imagine how you can have your bones crushed at the same time AND YET SHE GOES THROUGH IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN EVEN WITH ALL THE TIRING STITCHES.

Even when kids are all grown up, she is busy praying and interceding for them more still, nursing and giving care for their children, grand children and sons and daughters in-law.

When troubles arise in the family, they are the binding factor for either dads and kids, sons, daughters and in-laws.
They are there at good times 'Omugo' and know how to catch fun combined with post natal responsibilities, and in times of sorrows, they cry harder because they feel the pain harder and also sooting the wounded with the proper balm (empathy).

When a group of children misbehave, other women step in/intervene being mums to every child.
Even when a woman dies in labour, another takes over and breast feeds her children/babies.
Again when a woman is put to bed and breast milk isn't forthcoming or impaired (however) another woman can improvise.
Women from puberty (some from extraordinary ages of 9, 10, 11, 12) start experiencing the pains of menstrating (menstrual cramps) which lasts a life time in different forms.

WE CAN GO ON AND ON, INDEED WOMEN ARE PRICELESS.

Today as we celebrate Mother's Sunday, I choose to dedicate this piece (MY HONOUR TO WOMANHOOD) to these classes of women:

-Women abused both or either by husbands and/or children.

-women abused by society, people and culture, exposing them to all forms of criminal assault.

-women that were never married.

-women from broken homes and of broken homes.

-women that were and are still not appreciated.

- women that never put to bed or conceived (have no child/children of their own)

-women that have died out of labour complications (in fact, those who died in labour), even women who have worked so hard and didn't live to reap the fruit of their labour.

-even women of Consecrated Life (nuns and other female Religious) who receive/get little or no care.

-even women who are terminally sick and incapacitated.

-to my priceless mum, sisters, sisters in-law, and every other woman.

PRAYER

I pray life treats you kind and that you have all you dream of, I wish you joy and happiness and above all things I wish you love. Amen!

May the Blessed Virgin - the Mother of God be your model and lead you to actualize the dignity of womanhood with all its joy. Amen!

Let us all with more joy and enthusiasm say Happy Mothers' Sunday our priceless ladies, women and Mothers for we all have women in our live.

PART OF FR. JUDE'S HOMILY AFTER REFLECTING ON THE READINGS FOR THE DAY, AT ST CAMILLUS DE LELLIS CHAPLAINCY, COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES, NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY, OKOFIA, NNEWI CAMPUS

Laslasticlala, seen, obinoscopy, afam4eva

Wow! what a lovely write-up.

Kudos to you Fr. Jude.

May the grace and blessings you need to continue working in the Lord's vineyard be bestowed on you.

Undiluted truth from a trained priest.