57. The Catholic Mother's Retreat: Day 5 - How to find Christ in Homemaking

Day 5: The Catholic Mother's Retreat - Finding Christ in our homes and in Christian Homemaking

In explaining homemaking to our children, we can use the metaphoric language of the kitchen table as similar to an altar where we offer our big and small sufferings and challenges of the day. That single idea reframes the noise, chores, and constant motion of family life as a sacred rhythm that draws us back to Christ through ordinary work. We explore how prayer, Scripture, and tradition give homemakers a path from overwhelm to offering, with Mary’s quiet strength as our guide.

We begin by rooting the home in the Gospel: Mary pondering the mysteries in her heart, the beloved disciple receiving her into his home, and the hidden holiness of family life where work, worship, and prayer intertwined. The tradition surrounding Our Lady of Częstochowa, the Black Madonna, adds a vivid symbol of perseverance—soot-darkened yet radiant—mirroring the way devotion matures through daily sacrifice. From there, we turn to the emotional and spiritual weight many parents carry, and how a simple offering of tasks can transform drudgery into devotion without romanticizing exhaustion.

Practical wisdom grounds the vision. Veil + Armour guest Tessa Weenink, a homeschooling mother of six and life strategist from Alberta, Canada, shares actionable ways to build capacity: begin the day with prayer, create small systems that stick, and assign age-appropriate chores so the home becomes a shared workshop of character. Tessa’s story of moving through depression and postpartum struggle with prayer and support offers hope that joy is possible. We talk routines that reduce decision fatigue, evening resets that protect peace, and habits that shift motherhood from depletion to strength. Along the way, we honor St. Joseph’s steady provision and invite listeners to see every meal, every folded towel, and every bedtime blessing as a living liturgy.

If you’re longing for a calmer home and a deeper sense of purpose, this conversation offers both vision and tools. Subscribe for more faith-filled, practical episodes, share this with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review to help others find the show. What small habit will you offer up today?

This retreat was written for the Hozana Prayer app, a free app which began in France, and is now used by 1.9 million people around the world.

To find the original retreat for last Mother's Day, please visit:

https://hozana.org/community/12511-veil-armour-our-lady-s-prayer-warriors?origin=communities-search

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening And Theme: Homemaking As Prayer
• 0:11 Prayer And Marian Intercession
• 0:42 Scripture And Mary’s Hidden Life
• 2:01 Tradition Of The Black Madonna
• 2:54 From Overwhelm To Offering
• 3:41 Practical Motherhood With Tessa Weenink
• 4:51 Litany And Closing Prayer

Transcript

Sheila Nonato: 0:00

Day 5: Finding Christ in the home and homemaking

Sheila Nonato: 0:06

Opening prayer: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sheila Nonato: 0:11

Our Lady of Czestochowa, O Blessed Mother, Protector of our Homes, Protector of the Domestic Church of the Family. At times we can feel overwhelmed in all of the duties that overwhelm us in running our family and being the heart and soul of our family. Blessed Mother, you know the weight of the responsibilities of running a home. There are times we feel overwhelmed by the world around us. Sometimes we feel so very alone. We know, however, that if we offer up our work, we will be able to live in the true presence of our Lord, just as you have done watching the child Jesus playing in the corner, contemplating him and keeping all these thoughts in your heart, offering up all your work and struggles out of love for your Beloved Son, Jesus.

Sheila Nonato: 1:05

Saint Luke wrote of the birth of Jesus, how an angel appeared to the shepherds in the field announcing the birth of the Savior, and how they found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. Meanwhile, "Mary kept all these things pondering in her heart," Saint Luke wrote.

Sheila Nonato: 1:24

Help us, blessed mother, to do the same, to keep Jesus and our family close to our hearts, and at the far and at the forefront of our prayers and daily offering of our work. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "'Woman, behold your son.' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home." The Gospel according to Saint John 19, verses 26-27.

Sheila Nonato: 2:01

We know that after the Crucifixion, Our Lady was taken to the home of Saint John, the beloved disciple who was at the feet of the cross with Mary. Tradition tells us that they lived in Ephesus, what is now modern-day Turkey. While they were there, Saint Luke is believed to have spoken with Mother Mary before he wrote his Gospel, telling us the Gospel from her perspective. According to church tradition, Saint Luke painted an image of our Blessed Mother, thereby gifting us with an image of Our Lady through the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa. The canvas on wood is a true likeness of Mary, painted by Saint Luke as our lady sat by a wooden table built by Saint Joseph. The image has become known as the Black Madonna, as the image darkened over time because of the soot from devotional candles. When we are exasperated in the world of our daily life, may remember that light overcomes darkness, and we are never alone. We have help in Jesus and Mary, the example of patience, perseverance, and strength. And we have help in our families, our husbands and children. Our husbands provide the home around us as Saint Joseph did for our Blessed Mother. We can work towards sanctifying our work to find Jesus and his mother Mary.

Sheila Nonato: 3:25

Isn't it true that when we look at the tables on which we serve our families, we can see that as our humble altar. Offering up our work there and finding ourselves in the presence of Our Lady, holding the infant Jesus. On the practical side of motherhood and homemaking, Tessa Weenink, a homeschooling mom of six, a Christian mom coach and life strategist, and a dairy farmer from Alberta, Canada, talked about the importance of beginning our day with prayer. She firmly believes that motherhood is a source of happiness, not depletion, and that it doesn't have to be hard all the time. On a recent Veil and Armour podcast, Tessa spoke of the importance of rebuilding society by rebuilding mothers. She said, "increase your capacity so that your life, your marriage, and your motherhood is not draining you, so that you do have more left to give to your surrounding community, rather than feeling drained and always coming from a place of depletion." Building capacity can come from learning homemaking skills, organization, and teaching our children to do chores based upon their age and ability.

Sheila Nonato: 4:36

It is never too young to start, says Tessa, who has battled depression and postpartum depression as a young wife and mother. She said she relies upon prayer, a good support system, and the love, prayers, and support of her husband and children. May we also be able to create that holy, happy, and peaceful village in our homes. May we become strengthened and emboldened in our vocation, a vocation that leads to true happiness and our sanctification. Litany, Good Saint Anne, please pray for us. Our Lady of La Vang, please pray for us. Our Lady of Penafrancia, please pray for us. Our Lady of the Cape, please pray for us. Our Lady of Czestochowa, please pray for us. Our Lady of Kibeho, please pray for us. Our Lady of Lourdes, please pray for us. O God, through the intercession of Our Lady of Czestochowa, may we turn our home, our dinner tables, on which we show our love for our families, through the food that we prepare. May these become our altar of offering of our daily tasks and of our whole selves to you, O Lord. We ask this in Jesus' Holy name. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.