Dorothy Day always insisted that it was the joy of her daughter’s birth that brought her to God:
“I was happy but my very happiness made me know that there was a greater happiness to be obtained from life than any I had ever known. I began to think, to weigh things, and it was at this time that I began consciously to pray more.” – Dorothy Day, The Long Loneliness
Today, we give thanks that Dorothy knew love, and was blessed with the joy of motherhood and family. We pray for the repose of Dorothy’s loved ones, and for her grandchildren, great grandchildren and others.
Let us pray for couples and families; help us to grow in love. And we ask for the grace, like Dorothy, to recognize our shared humanity with other families.
“When the little one was born, my joy was so great that I sat up in bed in the hospital and wrote an article for the New Masses about my child, wanting to share my joy with the world. I was glad to write this joy for a workers’ magazine because it was a joy all women knew, no matter what their grief at poverty, unemployment and class war.” –Dorothy Day, The Long Loneliness
