What Moms Can Learn from Contemplative Nuns

Katie Fitzgerald reviews Mother to Mother: Wisdom from the Cloister to the Home by Mary Elizabeth Cuff, PhD, new from TAN Books.  

Mother to Mother: Wisdom from the Cloister to the Home

by Mary Elizabeth Cuff, PhD
Published by TAN Books

A new book for mothers  

Ever since reading Rumer Godden’s novel, In This House of Brede, for the first time several years ago, I have been fascinated by the lives of women religious: nuns and sisters who live in community and whose vocations, I have always thought, are so different from my own as a wife and mother. In her new book, Mother to Mother, Mary Elizabeth Cuff, PhD, reveals that the distance between mothers raising children and mothers serving contemplative religious communities is not so great after all. In fact, there is much that lay women raising children can learn from their counterparts in monasteries.  

Advice from contemplative nuns  

This encouraging, easy-to-read nonfiction title is written in an accessible question-and-answer format. The author has asked contemplative nuns for their best advice on many issues that are relevant to family life: the role of the mother in a family, comparing ourselves to other women, doing chores, finding moments of silence during a busy day, prioritizing poverty over materialism, and praying with and for our husbands and children. The nuns, who are introduced early in the book along with the communities in which they live their vocations, use their experiences in their monasteries to inform their insightful responses. 

Wisdom shared with love  

Many times, books about motherhood are sources of discouragement. They either set the bar too unrealistically high, or they make moral matters out of decisions that are left to parents’ prudential judgment. What is remarkable about this book is the charity with which these nuns share their wisdom. The advice in this book obviously comes from a place of love: love of Christ, and of the mothers He has created in His image. 

I am not ordinarily someone who makes a lot of notes while reading, but I added several dozen book darts to my copy of this book, marking passages I found especially helpful that I want to revisit. I felt a stronger connection to women religious, as well as a newfound desire to improve in my own vocation. These nuns are so encouraging and understanding in their thoughtful responses to every question, and reading this book felt very much like having a soothing talk and a cup of tea with a trusted friend.  

Something for every mother  

Mary Elizabeth Cuff is a stay-at-home, homeschooling mother, and this book is clearly informed by her experience. It does not in any way suggest that all mothers must follow Cuff’s example, but some of the questions she asked the nuns did seem to address mainly the concerns of mothers in situations similar to hers. Many sections, though — especially those about prayer, and the various prayers included at the end of each chapter — will benefit any mother, whether she works outside the home or not. I can’t recommend Mother to Mother highly enough. What a blessing for women to encourage each other in their journeys with the Lord!  

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Copyright 2024 Katie Fitzgerald
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