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Book Review
Author details the Virgin Mary's motherhood to all people
Reviewed by Andrew Junker, ajunker@catholicsun.org
January 1, 2009
When theologian and Mariologist Mark Miravalle set out to write a book on Mary that could be read by Catholics and non-Catholics alike, he predicted that many readers would be suspicious.
“I can just see the eyebrows rising and hear the questions forming,” he writes in the introduction to his book “Meet Mary: Getting to Know the Mother of God,” which was recently published in paperback.
His impetus was the increased attention Mary has received in the press over the past couple of years. He cited a Time magazine cover story from 2005, a one-hour special on Marian miracles that was shown on Dateline NBC, and stolidly Protestant magazines like Christianity Today running articles on her.
“Venerable Protestant pastors such as the Rev. John Buchanan of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago have started preaching sermons about her, and young Christian authors such as Shannon Kubiak have started writing books about her,” he writes.
“Radical feminists are holding her up as a model of female empowerment, and Muslims do homage to her on a daily basis,” Miravalle writes.
The book exists as a handy source for anyone interested in Mary. And while this audience could be non-Catholics or even non-Christians, “Meet Mary” is an invaluable resource for Catholics as well, especially those whose catechesis is wanting.
“This book is a straightforward presentation of Catholic teaching on Mary — where we encounter her in the Bible, what core beliefs we hold about her, how we honor her, and how she honors us in return — with the goal of leading you to a personal encounter with an extraordinary woman who lived 2,000 years ago and lives still today,” Miravalle writes.
“It’s a sort of Marian guidebook for inquiring minds who want to know: who want to know about Mary, and who want to know Mary,” he adds.
This dual focus, which embraces both a historical and devotional approach, enriches the book and broadens its appeal.
Miravalle begins with the historical and biblical Mary. In a few succinct pages, he summarizes the events in Mary’s life that are known to us through the New Testament.
Some are especially familiar because of their placement in the rosary. They include: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple.
From the Gospel of Matthew, we also learn about her betrothal to Joseph, a carpenter, his confusion about Mary’s pregnancy, the arrival of the three Wise Men, the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt and their return to Israel.
She is also mentioned at the Wedding at Cana, at the foot of Christ’s Cross, in the Upper Room, where she awaits the Holy Spirit with the Apostles and a few other instances.
From these passages, Miravalle draws out a few Marian themes: her miraculous motherhood, the closeness between her and Jesus, her suffering and her role as “woman.”
These themes segue nicely into the following chapter, which deals with the four Marian dogmas in the Church: her status as Mother of God, her perpetual virginity, her Immaculate Conception and her Assumption into Heaven.
In listing such a catalogue of facts, I hope I don’t give the impression that Miravalle’s writing is dry as an encyclopedia entry. It’s not. In fact, his writing is a good example of the best of these kinds of books. It’s clear and easily understandable even for someone who knows very little about Mary.
See how he draws a practical lesson from the four Marian dogmas:
“As we will see, each truth about Mary both protects and leads back to the truths about Jesus. For example, her motherhood protects the truth that God the Son truly became a member of the human race. Her virginity helps us understand the fact that Jesus had no human father, but was conceived by the Holy Spirit,” he writes.
“In life and in truth, Mary is the perfect mother who leads us without exception back to her Son,” Miravalle writes.
In the second half of the book, the author shows how Mary is also a mother to all. This section contains a nice mix of theological exegesis, explanation about Catholic devotions like the rosary, the brown scapular and total consecration to Mary, and heartfelt witness to Mary’s maternal presence.
The book also contains a helpful section on the main private revelations of Mary, like at Lourdes, Guadalupe and Fatima. Miravalle explains how private revelation differs from public revelation. There’s also a great index that contains Marian prayers like the rosary, the Angelus, the Memorare and others.
The different approaches to Mary all come together in the book to create an environment where Catholics and non-Catholics can enter into a fruitful relationship with the Mother of God.
Hopefully, Miravalle writes, the book will inspire readers to do as Jesus commissioned the Apostle John, and take Mary into their homes.
Media critic Andrew Junker is a staff writer for The Catholic Sun. Comments are welcome. Send e-mail to letters@catholicsun.org.
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