Mary, Mother of the Son – Book Recommendation

One of the greatest barriers to my conversion to Catholicism was Marian tradition. To be clear, it wasn’t Mary herself, it was common practice and teaching about Mary that was difficult for me to stomach. As recently as this summer I still had unresolved internal tensions regarding these traditions and my own daily commitment to properly honor her. I was still stuck between my protestant past and my Catholic present in this important area of the one true faith.

With that as a backdrop, in August of this year I had the divinely orchestrated opportunity to resolve some of my struggles by spending a number of hours (driving and getting lost together) with Mark Shea on the way to a Catholic New Media conference in Boston. The insights he shared were compelling and deeply beneficial. When we arrived at the event, he generously provided me a copy of his three volume work, Mary, Mother of the Son.

I began reading the first volume that night in my room. By the time I arrived back home from the trip a few days later I was surprised to find myself on the last page of volume one. Frankly, I couldn’t put the book down. In this complete and compelling work, Mark offers a rare combination of readability, scholarship, and wit that will keep you riveted to every page. His goal in writing the series was to provide one place where the average Catholic could find and understand all the important teachings on Marian doctrine and devotion. He has achieved that goal in grand fashion. Here’s a brief summary of each volume:

In Modern Myths and Ancient Truth you will discover the fascinating way in which Mary emerges with profundity, beauty, and love from the pages of Scripture in the light of apostolic teaching. You will probe how the gospel of Christ crowns and perfects, not only the Old Testament, but the deepest insights of the great non-Christian philosophies, religions, and myths. You can also learn how to read the Bible as the earliest Christians did and find out how Mary safeguards the deepest truths about Christ and his Church.

In First Guardian of the Faith you will learn about the biblical and apostolic roots of Mary’s title as Theotokos; as well as her Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption into heaven. In addition, you will discover the astonishing relevance each of these teachings has, not only for the Christian believer, but for the twenty-first century as it comes to grips with such questions as the dignity, origin, and destiny of the human person.

In Miracles, Devotion, and Motherhood you will explore the devotional life of the Church: a life which includes the communion of saints, the holy rosary, the mysteries of private revelation and Mary’s God-given role as mother of all who believe in Christ.

This is a rare work that I believe every serious Catholic, without exception, must read. As for you, I suggest you buy it as a Christmas present for someone you love, or, for yourself!

Seek Him – Find Him – Follow Him,

Dan

PS: As always, please click here and purchase Mark’s books through this site so we will build credit to purchase and review other great books for you!

I am a convert and am struggling with the idea of praying to Mary, can you help? – Part IV

Q: Father John, I am a convert to the Catholic faith, and I still have difficulties with Mary.  Don’t get me wrong – I believe all the dogma and doctrine fully, but when it comes to praying to Mary, I don’t seem to get it.  What role is she supposed to have in my pursuit of holiness and spiritual growth?

A: She has the role of helping you cling more closely to her Son, Jesus Christ – that’s what first examined, the theological underpinning of Marian devotion.  And she exercises that role in three ways, as we have seen: by her presence, her example, and her intercession.  Now we are ready to drill down to the practical level.  What can we do, concretely, to live this Marian devotion fruitfully, to allow our mother in the order of grace to nurture, guide, and protect our spiritual growth?  Here we arrive, finally, to the most obvious and familiar aspect, Marian devotions. Marian devotions are the many different ways that individual Catholics can engage in a healthy Marian devotion.

The distinction between devotion and devotions is crucial.  Catholics are not superstitious.  We do not engage in ritual or pious practices as if they were magical formulae.  Our devotions give form to our devotion, just as a birthday cake gives form to our appreciation of a loved one’s existence.  Without the sincere appreciation, the cake would have no meaning.  If we engage in specific Marian devotions without plugging into the deeper theological source that gives them meaning, these practices can become distractions or even temptations that actually hinder our spiritual growth.

Having given that warning, we are ready to mention some common Marian devotions that, when lived rightly, allow the Blessed Virgin to fulfill her role in our pursuit of holiness.

Categories of Marian Devotions

The numerous Marian devotions that have arisen and flourished in the Church can be grouped into several categories.  The most common and obvious category are the prayers.  Praying to Mary (not worshipping her as if she were a goddess, but acknowledging her presence, admiring her example, and asking for her intercession) is the most direct and common form of Marian devotion.  And among the prayers, the Rosary holds first place.   Almost every pope since 1900 has written an encyclical letter encouraging Catholics to make use of this devotion.  The Memorare, the Sub tuum presiduum, the Angelus, and the Regina Caeli are other favorite Marian prayers.  We could write an entire post on each one, examining its meaning and its history.  Many lesser known Marian prayers exist as well, especially novenas and individual prayers composed by saints and popes.  These are vocal prayers (except the Rosary, which is a combination of vocal and mental prayer), and we pray them well in the same way that we pray all vocal prayers well.

Another category of Marian devotions consists of Marian shrines.  By making a visit or a pilgrimage to a Church-approved shrine, we can give our Marian devotion a turbo boost.  Shrines are sometimes linked to Marian apparitions (e.g., Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes) or artistic/miraculous images of Mary (e.g. Our Lady of Czestochowa, Our Lady of Chiquinquira, Our Lady of Guadalupe).  The history of these events, places, and images offer eloquent (and sometimes downright awe-inspiring) testimonies of Mary’s active role in leading her spiritual children closer to the Lord.  Every year, they inspire and renew the hearts and minds of millions of visitors and pilgrims.

On a day-to-day level, Catholics have long used household images to channel their Marian devotion.  Reproductions of famous and powerful religious paintings and statues adorn living rooms, bedrooms, laundry rooms, dashboards, lockers, workshops, barber shops, restaurants, yards, road-side chapels, screen-savers, cell phone wallpaper, street corners, hospitals, prisons, and even casinos throughout the world.  The mere fact of such ubiquity illustrates, to some extent, the powerful and inescapable role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of Christ’s Church.  Most parish churches will also have a prominent Marian image, either close to the sanctuary or in a side chapel.  Glancing at these images, or even spending a few moments now and again contemplating them or praying to Mary in front of them (this is often called “making a visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary”), allows Mary’s spiritual motherhood to work in our lives.

Getting Personal

For someone who has not developed a favorite form of Marian devotion, this variety of devotions may seem overwhelming.  Don’t worry!  None of us is called to engage in all of these devotions, though all of us are called to develop Marian devotion.  The key is to find one or two devotions that help you live the devotion fruitfully.  If you are at level zero, I would recommend starting to pray the Rosary, one decade every day (this Rosary booklet may be of assistance).  If you are looking to deepen your devotion, you may want to arrange a mini-pilgrimage to a local Marian shrine for your family, for a group of families, or maybe even for yourself.  An annual Marian pilgrimage, especially during the month of May (a month in which, traditionally, Catholics give special attention to Marian devotion), is an effective way to weave Catholic traditions into the fabric of family life.

I hope these series of posts have helped answer your question and put your mind at ease about the role Mary is meant to have in our great adventure of following Christ and building his Church.  But if it hasn’t, don’t worry; there’s no rush.  By seeking Christ in and through his Catholic Church, you will eventually come to know, love, and feel very comfortable with the Mother of our Lord.

Yours in Christ, Father John Bartunek, LC