The Sacred Ordinary: Meeting God in the Mundane 

Laura Vazquez Santos reminds mothers that God sees the sacred but ordinary moments of motherhood.

I used to believe holiness had to look extraordinary, like mission trips or hours of contemplative prayer. But then came motherhood. And with it, a sea of diapers, laundry, dishes, and tears — some mine, some not.   

At first, I struggled with the invisibility and loneliness of it all. The world doesn’t hand out medals for staying up all night with a teething baby or keeping toddlers alive through tantrums and grocery runs. In fact, with the age of modernism has come (at least in my experience) a certain contempt or belittling of motherhood and its value. I felt small. Unnoticed. Exhausted and emotionally drained most of the time. I often wondered if God noticed, too.  

A Quiet Nudge 

It wasn’t until I was rocking my second child to sleep during a 2 m feeding that I felt it: the quiet nudge of grace. The gift of this vocation of motherhood that the Lord had blessed me with. As I gazed down at my son, I realized this was sacred work. God wasn’t waiting for me on the other side of this season; He was right here in the middle of it.   

The Church has long taught the dignity of daily work. St. Thérèse of Lisieux called her path “the little way” — offering small acts of love to God. And isn’t that what motherhood is?   

Making lunch for the third time in a day? Sacred.  
Listening patiently to a child’s endless story? Sacred.  
Praying silently over a sleeping baby? Sacred.   

Enduring pain, exhaustion, and the stress of competing obligations in order to care for your child in every possible way reminded me of our Lord’s sacrifice — how, in divine and infinite love, He gave up His body for us. Sacred indeed.   

The world might not see these moments, but God does. He sees us when we sacrifice sleep, when we put someone else’s needs above our own, when we love our families without applause. These are the quiet offerings that build the Kingdom.  

Living as Our Blessed Mother 

I think of the Blessed Mother of God, spending her days cooking and cleaning for her family in Nazareth. She lived her vocation, day in and day out, with faithfulness and love. And that was enough for God. She stands as an example to follow. The perfect template of enduring love and faithfulness in God.   

We are raising souls. We are participating in the creative, nurturing work of God Himself. And in doing so, we are being sanctified too.   

So, to the mother reading this in the chaos of a weekday morning, unsure if what you’re doing matters: Remember, you are living a vocation. These small, hidden acts of love? They echo in eternity.   

Your ordinary life is not an obstacle to holiness — it is the very place where holiness is found.  

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Copyright 2025 Laura Vazquez Santos
Images: Canva