As far as we know, Saint Opportuna never had any biological children. And yet she left the legacy of being an amazing mother. How is that so?

As abbess of a convent, Opportuna was the spiritual mother of her nuns. She loved and adored them, and they loved and adored her in return. She nurtured the nuns with the tenderness, care, and wisdom that are the best characteristics of loving parents. Even after she passed away, her spiritual children knew how much she loved them, and countless miracles were recorded at her tomb.

Saint Opportuna was an amazing mother. There is little else we know about her. But that is enough, because she teaches us to be amazing parents to our own children.

We read in the Bible that the delight of God is to be with his sons and daughters. God's delight is the delight of all parents. But only when we embrace the grace to set everything else aside and truly be with them.

Is it easy? No. There are days when we have trouble focusing. Days when we find ourselves going through the motions during those precious moments. Days when we are tired, or our hearts are troubled. We all have days when the requirements of parenting seem overwhelming.

We are all prone to self-absorption. The burdens of parenthood can be distracting and debilitating at times. Setting everything aside for a few moments requires discipline and momentous effort some days. Let’s make that effort. We deserve those precious moments with our children, and they deserve those precious moments with us. Whatever we think can't wait, usually can.

There is a mantra that dominates the cultural landscape today: "I don't feel heard. I don't feel seen. I don't feel known. I don't feel like I am enough." Let's save our children from this fate by spending time with them in ways that allow them to know, now and forever, that they are seen, heard, loved, known, and valued beyond anything.

That's what loving parents want. For their children to know in the depths of their being, and in every moment of every day, that they are loved.

Patron Saint of: The Paris

Symbols: Carrying an Abbess, a Crozier, and a Casket of Relics

Feast Day: April 22

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Caius, Saint Agapetus I, and Saint Soter