By Mark Shea (Catholic Answers, 2009)<\/em><\/p>\n These books are indispensable, down-to-earth, and just plain awesome. They are out of print\u00a0(I heard rumors of a complete volume, but I can find no evidence that it exists), and yet these remain favorites of mine.<\/p>\n I was about two paragraphs into\u00a0Volume One, Modern Myths and Ancient Truth<\/em>, when I was captivated,\u00a0enthralled, and falling in love with Mary all over again.<\/p>\n Volume Two,\u00a0First Guardians of the Faith,<\/em>\u00a0was no less enchanting, and Volume Three,\u00a0Miracles, Devotion, and Motherhood<\/em>, might have been my favorite.<\/p>\n The kicker, for me, is that Shea does not consider himself a Marian devotee. He writes about this from a very facts and figures standpoint, and yet there are moments, as in Volume Three when he shares reflections on each mystery of the rosary, when his faith shines through and becomes synonymous with Mary.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the point, isn\u2019t it? Mary doesn\u2019t ever take us away from our faith. She leads us to it and helps us deepen it.<\/p>\n This trilogy is a must-read for every Catholic \u2013 and many non-Catholics \u2013 I know. It\u2019s approachable while intelligent, and it explains all those objections in such black-and-white terms that I think I\u2019ll be dog-earing new pages as I go back and reference, reread, and quote from them.<\/p>\n By Michael E. Gaitley, MIC (2011, Marian Press)<\/em><\/p>\n Fr. Gaitley\u2019s writing is so accessible and beautiful\u2013poetic, really\u2013that I think I could make this a quarterly read. (I won\u2019t. I\u2019m lazy. But it\u2019s\u00a0that good<\/em>.) If you haven\u2019t done a consecration to Jesus through Mary\u2013and even if you have!\u2013check out this book. For that matter, read it anyway. One of my favorite Marian reads.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve done the 33-day consecration to Jesus through Mary before, and it wasn\u2019t too bad. Using Fr. Gaitley\u2019s book, though, was amazing. If I had let myself, I would have whipped right through it\u2013the writing is accessible and down-to-earth and relevant to modern readers.<\/p>\n Gaitley tapped into four great Marian saints and transformed the consecration preparation into a whole new experience for me. His explanations and insights were smack-my-forehead good and somehow, they stuck with me. I couldn\u2019t recommend this more. If you read one book this year, let it be THIS one.<\/p>\n By Saint Alphonsus Liguori<\/em>\u00a0(available free online<\/a> if you\u2019re so inclined)<\/em><\/p>\n This is one of those spiritual classics that I was determined to push my way through.\u00a0 I found, early on, that this was a book best approached during my Adoration time and in my quiet morning reading time (if and when the latter actually exists).\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a book that I could read while Bob watches TV; I found myself finding excuses to put it down if given the distraction of commercials (or anything, really).<\/p>\n Don\u2019t let that fool you into thinking this isn\u2019t a good book, though.\u00a0 It\u2019s a classic for a reason.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure some of this has to do with the translation, but even beyond that, the images are great.\u00a0 Here\u2019s an example, from the commentary on the Hail, Holy Queen, under the heading \u201cMary is the Peacemaker between Sinners and God\u201d:<\/p>\n Another figure of the Blessed Virgin was the rainbow seen by Saint John, which encircled the throne of God: And there was a rainbow round about the throne\u00a0<\/em>(Apocolypse 4:3).<\/p>\n Cardinal Vitalism explains the image this way: \u201cThe rainbow round the throne is Mary, who softens the judgment and sentence of God against sinners.\u201d\u00a0 He means that she always stands before God\u2019s tribunal and mitigates the penalties which sinners have to pay.<\/p>\n Saint Bernadine of Siena says that God was speaking of this rainbow when he promised Noah that he would place it in the clouds as a sign of peace, so that when he looked at it he might be reminded of the covenant of eternal peace he had with man.<\/p>\n I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a token of the covenant between me and the earth\u2026I will look upon it and recall the perpetual covenant\u00a0<\/em>(Genesis 9:13).<\/p>\n According to the saint, Mary is this bow of eternal peace; for when God sees it he remembers the peace he promised to the earth; and then, by Mary\u2019s prayers, he forgives the crimes of sinners and confirms his peace with them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n I love the idea of a rainbow symbolizing Mary.\u00a0 It probably helps that I live with a four-year-old fan of rainbows, one who draws them, paints them, and talks about them every chance she gets.\u00a0 After reading this, though, I look at rainbows with a whole new appreciation.\u00a0 Every time I see one \u2014 in the sky or on a piece of paper \u2014 I think of Mary.<\/p>\n I had this experience throughout the book.\u00a0 That\u2019s why\u00a0Glories of Mary\u00a0<\/em>has a permanent home in my office, with the Catechism, two different Bibles, and a few other Mary books.\u00a0 I don\u2019t promise it will be an easy read, but I highly recommend it.<\/p>\n By Amy Welborn (2008, Word Among Us Press) (Out of Print, but available as a free PDF<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s not a big book, but that\u2019s not why it\u2019s one of my across-the-board favorites. It\u2019s not terribly scholarly or high falutin either, which is probably why I\u2019ve lent it out and recommended it so much.<\/p>\n Amy Welborn\u2019s now out-of-print\u00a0Mary and the Christian Life: Scriptural Reflections on the First Disciple<\/em>\u00a0(which is still available through\u00a0her website<\/a>) is, hands down, one of the best books about Mary that I have ever read. I put her up against the saints and scholars of past ages, because what she accomplished in this thin tome is worthy of that praise.<\/p>\n In less than 150 pages, Welborn shares relevant history, devotions, and thoughts on the Blessed Virgin. Her language is so accessible, so real, that I almost felt\u00a0like she was sitting across the table from me as I drank coffee and devoured the book.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re unsure about devotion to Mary and why it\u2019s important, this is a great book to introduce you to it without hitting you over the head with it. If you\u2019re grounded in your Marian approach, pick up this book and find yourself reminded of the beauty of the simple, of the richness of the history, and of the thoughts of great minds before us about Mary.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/94\/2014\/05\/cover-marymotherofthesonSERIES.jpg\" "\\"cover-marymotherofthesonSERIES\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Glories of Mary<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Mary and the Christian Life<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nWalking with Mary: A Biblical Journey from Nazareth to the Cross<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n