Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, Superior General, draws from science to offer this unique insight into the importance of the tenderness of a mother.

EVERY MOTHER LIKE MARY

What a beautiful picture! Mary is in the last days of her pregnancy, embracing with tenderness her child who is soon to be born.

Not long ago, in a few countries around the world, a very detailed study on “water” was made by some scientists, professors, and academics, coming out of a conviction that water is a living organism and that it reacts in different ways to different kinds of human emotions and feelings.

By putting water in a glass in different environments: at meeting groups or in front of people naming certain known personalities, the water reacted by changing color and taste. By putting the water in a frozen state under a microscope, different shapes and figures appeared, from the most beautiful to the ugliest. The scientists had proven that water reacts positively or negatively, depending on different human behaviors.

If the persons in the room, where the glass or jar of water was placed, were quarreling and fighting among themselves, that was reflected in the water: the water lost some color, becoming dark, or lost taste. When the people were talking nicely to each other, with respect and in a friendly atmosphere, the water perceived that and remained clean and tasty.

The scientists even did some tests by freezing the water and looking under the microscope at its reaction. Depending on the words spoken or the personalities named from history, it was incredible what the analysis showed.

When bad, insulting, hurtful words where used, or names of persons known worldwide, who in the past had brought so much pain to humanity, like Hitler and Stalin, were spoken, the shapes of the frozen water were ugly.

However, when nice, supportive, friendly words were said in front of a glass or jar of water, including names of persons like Mother Theresa, the frozen water brought about beautiful figures, shapes of stars, diamonds, and other forms that brought joy to the eyes and heart.

Plants are known to have similar reactions. They feel who likes them, cares about them, enjoys their company, talks to them; or, on the contrary, does not pay attention to them, walks by them like in front of an empty space, waters them by chance or when reminded to do so by somebody else, sees the plants as more an obstacle than a support or source of joy.

The reaction of the plants is also seen from the outside. From negative reactions or messages the plant will start to dry up, stop growing nicely, and even die; or, in the case when the message is positive, friendly, and warm, the plant will grow nicely, exhibiting its beauty, making the place where it is enjoyable and warm.

If this is true with “water” and with “plants,” how much more is it true that the human person is perceptive to positive or negative reactions from family, relatives, friends, or anyone else who touches him/her.

This is also very true in the first nine months of a human being’s life, from the day of conception through all the stages of growth in the mother’s womb. If the mother, father, brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends talk to the child in the womb with warmth, expressing the joy of him or her being given life and coming into the world, speaking to the child, singing songs to the child, embracing him, showing the love the child deserves, that child will come into the world with peace, feeling accepted, and with an assurance of being loved! However, if the child in the womb, as small as he or she still is, perceives nonacceptance from the mother, father, brothers, sisters, or any other person, when the child is put into very stressful situations, filled with hate, violence, or rejection, the child may carry the consequences throughout his/her life.

But Mary in this beautiful picture gives us the example! She is embracing her child with tenderness and love.

We can imagine Mary talking to Jesus from the time she got the news that she had conceived, caressing Jesus over and over again, singing songs to Jesus, assuring Him that He is wanted and loved.

Every mother is like Mary! Jesus is Incarnated over and over again in every human being. Every child, from conception, is the face of God who needs to be assured that he or she is wanted, loved. The child needs to hear songs sung by the mother, father, brothers, and sisters. He/she needs to listen to their voices, voices of tenderness, acceptance, eagerness to see him or her soon born into the world, voices of love that will then be reciprocated from one person to the next, in this way building up the Kingdom!

Thank you, Mary!

Tomaž Mavrič, CM