THE LITURGY OF MOTHERHOOD: Moments of Grace

Finley, an author and mother, views motherhood through the lens of the Catholic church's worship rites in this compilation arranged around the liturgical year and the seasons of Advent, Lent, Holy Week and Easter, Pentecost and Ordinary Time. Using stories from her own maternal life and those of other mothers, Finley develops the theme in each chapter by describing the particular season and its traditions, then reflects on its presence in the interplay between mothers and their children. For example, in the chapter on Advent, she likens the liturgical season of waiting for the coming of Christ at Christmas to the waiting implicit in the lives of all mothers, whether they are expecting a child's birth or her arrival home from a dance. In another section, she compares the relics kept by the church to the locks of baby hair cherished by mothers everywhere. Finley also offers models of motherhood drawn from her church's collection of saints and saintly women. Knowing that moms can sometimes take their innate spiritual qualities to extremes, she devotes part of each chapter to "achieving a balance" in exercising such attributes as compassion and patience. Christian mothers, especially those from liturgical traditions, will relate to this book, and those who use it for group study will find the Scripture verses and questions at the end of each chapter helpful. (Nov.)