(I wrote this piece for the September 2022 newsletter of the California Association of American Mothers, Inc.: https://www.americanmothers.org/)

For the past several months, we have considered several virtues which mothers should cultivate—such as humility, temperance, and meekness—and the corresponding vices which mothers should strive to avoid—such as vanity, envy, and anger. The difficulties of motherhood give women countless opportunities to grow their characters into something more beautiful.

This month we consider how the virtues work together to produce what might be called the fruit of all the virtues: wisdom. “God gives us wisdom as a crowning gift when we exercise the virtues, in particular the virtue of charity, or the love of neighbor” (Carrie Gress, Ultimate Makeover: The Transforming Power of Motherhood, p. 109). When we possess wisdom, we can judge well how to best use our time, treasure, and talents, and how best to live our roles as mothers.

We all need wisdom when it is time to begin a new school year. Balancing the needs of everyone in our families is never easy; we need wisdom to help us set our priorities and let go of what we simply cannot do. We need wisdom to make sure that everyone is getting a good night’s sleep, fresh air and exercise, and healthy food amid professional, academic, and extracurricular demands. We need wisdom to help us keep our families close and united despite countless challenges and distractions. We need wisdom to take care of our marriages and our faith lives.

May God bless us and give us the wisdom to be excellent mothers!