Our Blessed Mother (Pauline Books and Media)

It is a brand new year, and even though January 1 wasn't a holy day of obligation this year, I am still grateful that my parish offered Mass, despite it being below freezing. I understand that not everyone can attend and those with very small children might not want to get them out in the frozen tundra, but it is still important to teach your children about Mary and her importance in Jesus' lives and ours. To do that, I recommend the book Our Blessed Mother. The book is a softcover, approximately 60 pages and is designed for children ages 7 to 9.

The book is divided into two parts - The Life of Mary and Mary Leads Us to Jesus. The book begins in the Old Testament with Adam and Eve and the first sin. It is here that mankind at its lowest moment is first promised a Savior to save us from our sinful, fallen nature. We then fast-forward to the birth of Mary to Ann and Joachim and also see some glimpses of her childhood in the Temple. The rest of Part One walks us through the Gospels with the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Flight into Egypt, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Pentecost. Part Two focuses on Mary's role in the present in her apparitions. The book covers Lourdes, Fatima, and Guadalupe and also details the Miraculous Medal as well as the Rosary. My favorite part of the book is that each chapter ends with the particular Feast Day that the chapter covered. This is a great primer for your children and one I highly recommend.

This book was provided to me for free by Pauline Books and Media in exchange for an honest review.

Queen of Heaven: Mary's Battle for You

Recently, Saint Benedict Press released a new product called Queen of Heaven: Mary's Battle for You. In addition to it being a beautiful hardcover book, it is also a DVD series designed for parish study or small group study. The program was filmed at over a dozen global locations, such as the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land and the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington D.C. It features expert commentary from noted Catholics Tim Staples, Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, and Dr. Mary Healy to name a few. But what exactly is it about? To know that, let's look at the eight lesson titles:

1. The Battle Begins
2. The Annunciation
3. The Sorrowful Mother
4. Mother of the Church
5. Guadalupe
6. Lourdes
7. Fatima
8. The Consecration

Each lesson is approximately 30 minutes each with a follow-up 10 minute video from Fr. Patrick Winslow to crystallize the lesson. The series is very thorough, taking us back to the Old Testament when Mary was prefigured in many signs and wonders and prophesied that she would give birth to the Savior. We then move forward to the New Testament where we see her place in Jesus' early life, His ministry and Passion, and the period after He ascended where she was Mother of the Church. These lessons alone would be enough to make a thorough lesson, but it doesn't stop there. Instead, we see Mary's role in present day with the apparitions at Guadalupe, Lourdes, and Fatima - three places she left powerful messages for the modern day Church and where miracles still occur today. The lessons close focusing on Pope John Paul II, his devotion to Mary, and the Consecration to Mary's Immaculate Heart he helped introduce to the world. This is a professional and beautifully done series and one all Catholics (I would argue all Christians) need to watch. It will be airing on EWTN from October 6-13, so I encourage you to check it out, learn why Mary is such a powerful warrior for us, and then get your parish to order a copy of this amazing series!

Marian Veneration (Ignatius Press)

When I was in the process of converting to Catholicism, the biggest hangup I had was Mary. I don't know why honestly, and looking back on it, it was so stupid of me. Mary is Jesus' mother! He loved her with all His heart, why shouldn't we? It's not worship or idolatry to honor her. One of my favorite Cardinals, Francis Cardinal Arinze, recently wrote a book called Marian Veneration. I'd like to tell you about it.

The book begins with a chapter explaining two key terms - veneration and devotion. We then see Mary in Scripture in key events like the Annunciation, Visitation, Wedding Feast at Cana, and other mysteries of the Rosary. The next two chapters address her motherhood, both of God (Theotokos) and of the Church. We also have chapters, which show her place in salvation history and the Liturgy. Lastly, we see saints that had great devotion to Mary, different Marian apparitions, and various Marian societies.

The book is approximately 120 pages in length, making it the perfect introduction to Mary for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The book relies heavily on Scripture, Tradition, and history. We see references to Church Councils throughout history, as well as works from great Catholic authors. This is a book that I wish had been around 15 years ago, when I was in the process of my conversion. It would have crystallized things in my mind much more quickly, and I (hopefully) wouldn't have been as stubborn and ignorant on Christ's mother. If you know someone who struggles with Mary and her role in not only the Church, but each individual's life, I strongly recommend you get them a copy of this book!

This book was provided to me for free by Ignatius Press in exchange for an honest review.

Christ and Our Lady (EWTN Publishing)

Today, I am reviewing another Mother Angelica title from EWTN Publishing called Christ and Our Lady. Christ and Our Lady is a combination of five mini-books previously published. They are titled The Promised Woman, The Divine Personality of Jesus, The Fruits of His Love, In His Sandals, and Love is Not Loved.

The first book begins by talking about Eve, because you can't talk about Mary without first talking about Eve. Through one woman sin entered the world, and through one woman salvation entered the world. The next chapter then discusses the prophecies in the Old Testament that related to Jesus and compared and contrasted Eve and Mary. There are then several chapters walking us through the Nativity story - the Annunciation, the shepherds, the Magi, and the Presentation in the Temple. There are also chapters which talk about Jesus being found in the Temple and His later ministry. The next several books focus more heavily on Jesus and talk about the many facets of His personality, the fruits of His life and love, and the Beatitudes. The final book is a reflection on love and how no matter how much love we as people possess, it will never be even one iota of how much Jesus loves us.

Reading the words of Mother Angelica is always refreshing and uplifting. I believe she will one day be a saint, so it's also remarkable to read her words, because they contain a humble truth to them, and the pearls of wisdom are not high and lofty words that make you read several times, but words the common man can understand. What I like best about this book is that it shows that you can't think about Mary unless you're viewing her through the light/lens of Christ. Every major event in the life of Christ, she is there for, but not as one who takes the spotlight away, rather as one who points the spotlight on Him. I highly encourage you to read this book and other books of her, which Sophia Institute Press has recently reprinted.

This book was provided to me for free by Sophia Institute Press in exchange for an honest review.

Manual for Marian Devotion (TAN Books)

Manual for Marian Devotion is the third book in a line of spiritual manuals published by TAN Books. The first two being Manual for Spiritual Warfare and Manual for Eucharistic Adoration. The book begins with a "How to use this Manual" section, which explains that this book is to be used "to provide Catholics with a basic framework for understanding the Church's veneration of Mary and fostering it in their own devotional lives." The reader is then encouraged to carry this book everywhere and make use of it especially during Holy Hours and other devotional times. The book is then divided into two parts - Preparing for Marian Devotion and Aids for Marian Devotion.

In Preparing for Marian Devotion, the book walks us through Mary in Scripture (both Old and New Testament), doctrines on Mary, and Marian apparitions. The second section provides us with prayers, hymns, writings of the saints, and miracles performed through Mary's intercession. These sources are both from Eastern and Western saints, which I always appreciate because it seems the Eastern saints can be forgotten and overlooked in Roman Catholicism. The part I enjoyed the most was the legends associated with Mary. Unfortunately, there weren't many of those. However, they did include an apocryphal work (The Protoevangelion) as one of their sources as well, so that was a welcome surprise.

Overall, I found this to be a very enriching and enlightening book. As a convert to Catholicism, this book would have been very helpful earlier in my conversion when I was still new to the faith. It's not that I doubted Mary or didn't appreciate her, it's just that I didn't understand her as much as I would have liked, nor loved her as deeply as I should have. In addition to the beauty within this book, the presentation format is top notch with a blue UltraSoft leather binding. I highly recommend this as a gift for Confirmation, conversion, or graduation.

This book was provided to me for free by TAN Books in exchange for an honest review.

Mary of Nazareth (Ignatius Press)

We have just celebrated the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, so it seemed like a perfect time to review a book about her. The book I am reviewing today is called Mary of Nazareth: History, Archaeology, Legends, and it is published by Ignatius Press. The book begins by talking about the Advocata Nostra, which is the oldest icon in Rome and also the cover image of this book. The book then discusses the prophecy of a virgin birth, and how a lot of people tried to attribute it to Octavian the Roman emperor, but he clearly did not fit the bill. The third and one of the most interesting chapters to me delves into oral tradition and apocryphal books to give us a fuller picture on the life of Mary. The Proto-Gospel of James is the major source of inspiration for this chapter and discusses not only Mary, but James the Brother of God, which the Orthodox would say makes him Joseph's, but not Mary's son, and the Catholics would say make him Jesus' cousin.

Rather than continuing to go on and tell you about each and every chapter, I am going to give a brief summary now. The first eight chapters take us all the way up to Jesus' birth. There is a brief aside in the middle of the book, in which the author pinpoints when Jesus was born. The second part of the book talks about the time after Jesus' birth. We see the Flight into Egypt (to escape Herod), Mary's agony under the Cross, and Mary in Ephesus with John the Apostle taking care of her after Jesus' death and Resurrection. At the end of the book is a brief chronology; a very detailed bibliography of other books I now want to read; and most importantly of all, an epilogue on Marian devotion. This brief epilogue shows us that Marian devotion is not a new phenomenon but has roots in Scripture and Tradition.

This book lives up to its billing, as it does a fine job of mixing many different sources of knowledge to give us a detailed portrait of Our Lady. We already know we should have great reverence and devotion to Mary, but this book helps provide us with a wealth of information that should only make our devotion even deeper. What I appreciated most about this book is the variety of sources and interpretations the author (Michael Hesemann) used. It is very easy to get the Roman Catholic blinders on when it comes to matters of Church history and tradition, but within this book were Eastern Orthodox interpretations as well, which helps provide a fuller picture of the greatest saint of all. If you are looking for a fascinating and educational book on Mary for the new year, I highly recommend this one!

This book was provided to me for free by Carmel Communications in exchange for an honest review.

The Maiden of Nazareth (Scepter Publishers)

I don't normally read fiction, with the exception of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Every now and then, I will dive into some classics, historical fiction, or religious fiction, and today I want to tell you about a new religious fiction book I have recently read called The Maiden of Nazareth. Written by Javier Suarez-Guanes, an Opus Dei priest, this book combines elements of Scripture, tradition, and the author's imagination to weave a narrative of Mary's life.

The book begins with Joachim and Ana. We learn that Ana is aged and barren, like other notable women before her, i.e., Sarah and Hannah. However, it isn't long in the book before she experiences feelings of nauseousness and other pregnancy symptoms. She waits a few months to share the news, which is understandable given her age and probably high risk the pregnancy would be, but when she does inform others, they are all extremely happy for her. She eventually gives birth to a girl, whom they name Mary (Miriam), like Moses' sister.

The rest of the book takes us through the rest of her life all the way to her death and Assumption. I know the thought of Mary dying will upset some people who believe she was assumed into Heaven without experiencing death, but that is not what the ancient tradition teaches. In her life, we see her parents teaching her Scripture, her assisting in the Temple, and the role she in Jesus' ministry, both during Jesus' time on Earth and after. There is also a heavy focus on Joseph in this book, which is nice, because he surely was responsible in shaping the man Jesus became. In addition to Joseph, we see other Biblical figures, like Elizabeth, Cleophas, the Apostles, etc. Many are introduced before Jesus' ministry again, so it is like getting a glimpse of their lives before Jesus changed their lives forever.

The book has a nice pace and flow to it. You get a fair glimpse at what Mary's childhood could have been like, but it doesn't overly dwell on it. You can also see clear foreshadowing or references to Scripture in some of the things the author says. Two examples that most stand out in my mind are when she is memorizing Scripture, it says she remember them while other kids forgot them. This reminds of the passage where it talks about Mary treasuring all things and letting them dwell in her heart. The other most obvious one was her seeing a man about to be crucified. However, the author does a nice job of not glamorizing Mary's life. There are a few moments where it just spells out the mundane tasks of daily life and how it can be boring. Overall, I found this book to be an interesting read, and even if it was fictional it gave flesh to people in the Bible and made them feel more real.

This book was provided to me for free by Scepter Publishers in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and/or here and hit Yes!

Meditations on Mary (Sophia Institute Press)

If it feels like you went to Mass a lot these past two weeks, you're not alone. Christmas was on a Friday and then Sunday Mass. January 1 was a holy day of obligation (Mary, Mother of God), and then Sunday Mass again. Four times in two weeks may seem like a lot to non-daily Mass goers like myself, but it was a good way to end and start the new year. Ash Wednesday and Lent are a little over a month away, so what are you going to be reading until it gets here? Allow me to recommend to you Meditations on Mary.

Meditations on Mary is a 150 page book by Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, author of Meditations for Advent and Meditations for Lent. The first meditation in this book is appropriately entitled "The True Eve." I say appropriately, because the Bible begins with Adam and Eve. In this opening meditation, Bossuet quotes several Church Fathers who compare Eve and Mary. "St. Irenaeus: 'Condemned to death by a virgin, the human race was saved by a Virgin.' Tertullian: ' What was led astray into perdition by this sex was restored to salvation by this sex.' And the incomparable Augustine: 'By a woman, death; by a woman, life. By Eve, ruin; By Mary, salvation.' " Bossuet is quick to point out that Mary's honor does not put her on equal ground with God, but instead she played an important role in salvation history.

In other meditations, we get different glimpses of Mary. For example, in one meditation we see that Jesus created Mary for Himself. Jesus is responsible for all of Creation, and He created other people to teach us and instruct us, but Mary was made for Him and she was made pure and innocent because of His love for her. In the meditation "Pierced by a Sword," we learn of Mary's deep sorrow she experienced at Jesus' death. Bossuet poetically explains that, "Only one Cross was required for both her beloved son and herself." This is not to diminish what Christ experienced on the Cross, but to explain the depth of love that a mother feels for her son, that Mary felt for Jesus. As a father, I know what it is to love a child, but I believe there is a special love between mothers and their children.

There are twenty-four meditations in all, each around five pages or less. This makes this book the perfect companion for that short span of Ordinary Time between Christmas and Lent. The meditations are poignant and beautiful and serve as a good introduction to the many facets of Mary's life. After reading through this work, you might want to read other great books on Mary, including Behold Your Mother, Little Book of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Meet Mary. All are great books that will surely not disappoint!

This book was provided to me for free by Sophia Institute Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

A Year with Mary (Saint Benedict Press)

A Year with Mary: Daily Meditations on the Mother of God is the fifth and latest daily devotional available from Saint Benedict Press. The other four are A Year with the Bible, A Year with the Saints, A Year with the Angels, and A Year with the Church Fathers. Like the other volumes in this series, this book has gilded pages and is Premium UltraSoft leather, making it perfect for presentation or gifting. The book itself is blue, which is fitting as that is the color we most associate with Mary. Despite the impressiveness of this book, I was a little skeptical to review this book. I personally am not a fan of the daily devotional, which is strange even to me seeing that I came from a Protestant background. However, I decided to give it a shot.

The first thing that I noticed about this book is the numbering of the devotions. Most daily devotionals give you a specific date, i.e., January 1. This book instead labels the devotions as Day 1, Day 2, etc. This means that you don't have to wait until January 1 to start this book, which is the fatal flaw of daily devotionals. Also, in case you are wondering, there is a ribbon bookmark, so you won't have to remember which day you are on. The next thing I noticed about this book was that St. Louis de Montfort and St. Alphonsus Liguori were the bulk of the readings. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with this. They wrote two of the best books on Mary with de Montfort pinning "True Devotion to Mary," and Liguori "The Glories of Mary." I was just expecting a little more variety in reading selections. The last thing that I noticed was the brief section at the end of every day entitled, "In God's Presence Consider." This makes the devotional more than just something to do everyday, but something which you need to ponder, study, and mediate on. Each day then ends with a closing prayer.

Overall, this is an impressive book in both presentation and content. The devotions are each one page long, making them just short enough that you don't feel overwhelmed and just long enough that it requires you to put forth a bit of effort in your journey with and toward God. It didn't turn me into a devotional fan, but it did provide me with some sources and texts on Mary to read that I had not heard of before. For example, St. John of Eudes' work "The Admirable Heart of Mary" is a work that I now want to read after the excerpt I read in this book. So whether you are a Mary novice or an expert on Mary, there is enough wisdom in this book that will enrich your life every time you read it.

This book was provided to me for free by Saint Benedict Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this book helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

The Day The Sun Danced: The True Story of Fatima (CCC of America)

Today, is the last day of my reviews of the Marian Collection available from CCC of America. I will be reviewing The Day the Sun Danced: The True Story of Fatima. As you might or might not have been aware, the Church celebrated Our Lady of Fatima on May 13th. This movie begins with three shepherd children - Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto. One day an angel appears to them in 1916. He taught them how to pray and make sacrifices all to prepare them for what was going to happen to them very shortly.  and asks the children to pray with him. On May 13th of the following year, the Virgin Mary appeared to the children. Word got out when Jacinta told her unbelieving mother and soon more and more people began to go up to the place where the young shepherds saw Mary. Mary instructed the children to continue to come and on October 13th, she would reveal who she was and perform a miracle. She also encouraged the children to continue to pray the Rosary. On October 13th there were tens of thousands of people there, including many government skeptics. However, even they could not deny what occurred. Mary appeared and it seemed as if the sun was dancing, changing colors, and rotating like a wheel.

The Day the Sun Danced is the flagship of CCC of America, and if you can only buy one religious movie for your children this year, then make it this one. It has a simple message for children and the childlike. Pray the Rosary. Go to Mass. Make sacrifices in reparations for not only your sins, but everyone's sins. And consecrate yourself to the heart of Jesus and His mother Mary. CCC of America recently re-mastered and re-released this movie. The first 1,000 people to order the DVD here will get it for a low price of $9.99, and the first 100 people will also receive a children's prayer poster. There is also a companion book to the film located here.

This movie was provided to me for free by CCC of America in exchange for an honest review.

Juan Diego: Messenger of Guadalupe (CCC of America)

Juan Diego: Messenger of Guadalupe is a 35 minute animated film that tells the story of an Indian man named Juan Diego. During this time, Mexico was undergoing colonization by the Spanish. In an attempt to Christianize Mexico, Spanish men tore down temples to Indian gods and goddesses and replaced them with Catholic churches. This was marginally effective in that it did result in conversion. However, those that converted, like Juan Diego, did not receive proper catechesis and were left trying to explain their new beliefs by referencing their old beliefs. To make matters worse, most all of the Spanish looked down on the Indians and treated them as inferior in every way. Juan Diego prayed to Jesus and Mary for unity among the Spanish and Indians and that is when Mary appeared in the apparition known as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to Juan Diego in his native tongue, which is pretty remarkable. In true Marian fashion, she also asked that a church be built where she appeared to Juan Diego. As per the norm, he was not widely believed and proof was demanded. The proof was given in the form of roses and her image miraculously appearing on his tilma. The animated film does a wonderful job not only being historically accurate, but also welcoming to younger children. Juan Diego's love for Jesus and Mary shines through as an example for young and old. At the end of the film is a song called Lady of the Roses and after that is a brief summary of the major impact that Our Lady of Guadalupe had in the conversion of millions! Like all CCC of America Saints and Heroes titles, this movie is available in English, Spanish, and French. It's also available for purchase individually or discounted in the Marian Collection which includes Bernadette (Our Lady  of Lourdes) and The Day the Sun Danced (Our Lady of Fatima). Highly recommended.

This DVD was provided to me for free by CCC of America in exchange for an honest review.

Bernadette: The Princess of Lourdes (CCC of America)

This week I am taking a break from book reviews at Stuart's Study. It is a welcome break as it allows me to catch up on some reading of heavier thinking books. However, it also gives me a chance to review products I normally wouldn't have as much time to do. CCC of America sent me their Marian Collection from their Saints and Heroes Series. There are eleven total movies in this series, but based on their home screen (the image above), there is potentially another one coming. The three pack of Marian animated movies includes Bernadette (Our Lady  of Lourdes), Juan Diego (Our Lady of Guadalupe), and The Day the Sun Danced (Our Lady of Fatima). I will be reviewing one Monday, one Wednesday, and one Friday. Today, we will start with Bernadette.

Bernadette: The Princess of Lourdes is a story that is within a story. It begins with the story of a young family that includes a father, mother, and a sick little boy. I'm not sure exactly what the little boy has, but he cannot see and cannot walk either. It seems the parents have tried everything to get the child healed, but nothing has worked. The mom seems to be having a crisis of faith, which is sad, but I would hate to pass judgment on her (even if she is a cartoon), because I don't know how I would act in her situation. The dad, however, is taking the family to Lourdes to see a cure for the boy, which leads us back to Lourdes in 1858.

The story of Bernadette Sobuirous is a pretty familiar one for most Catholics. She was a sickly little girl who was always behind in school. However, she had a deep love for the Lord. One day she was out with other girls and she say a "small young lady." She was asked to come back to this grotto for fourteen days straight. She was told that by the "small young lady" that there should be a Church built where she was appearing. And Bernadette was also told to drink water at a place there was no water yet. Bernadette followed all these instructions, despite ridicule and people thinking she was crazy. All she wanted to know was the "small young lady's" name. Eventually, she learned that her name was "The Immaculate Conception." A church was built in her name, and the waters where Bernadette was told to drink healed not only people in her day, but still continue to heal people this day.

The animation style for this film is not Disney "quality," but reminds me of older movies like The Last Unicorn or The Hobbit, kind of Rankin and Bass if you know what I mean. The film itself was short, approximately 30 minutes, but each DVD contains the film in both English, Spanish, and French. The time and availability of several languages makes it great for not only home use, but also religious education use. It's just long enough to give your children the basic message, but just short enough to leave them wanting more and asking questions, which is what you want when instructing your children in the faith. I highly recommend this for children aged 2-8. If you'd like a preview of the video look below.

This DVD was provided to me for free by CCC of America.


Bernadette from CCC of America on Vimeo.

Seven Words of Jesus and Mary (Angelico Press)

Seven Words of Jesus and Mary is another recent Fulton Sheen re-release from Angelico Press that made it here in time for Lent 2015. In this 70 page book, Sheen begins with a summary of Homer's epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey. Many of us know these works. In the first, Achilles defeats (kills) Hector, and in the other Odysseus is lost at sea while his wife Penelope waits for his return. He astutely points out though that it is Hector who is the hero, not Achilles, and that Penelope is the hero, not Odysseus. He then uses these examples of the defeated man and the sorrowful woman to compare them to Jesus and Mary during Christ's Passion.

Sheen then points out a fact I never realized before. Mary is only recorded as having said seven phrases in the New Testament. This leads to the heart of the book - a juxtaposition of Jesus' seven last phrases with Mary's seven total phrases. One such example of their words next to each other is Jesus saying, "Behold your Mother," and Mary saying, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord." In these words, Sheen shows us that religion is not something one experiences individually. It is a communal thing that requires fellowship with others. That is why Mary willingly gave herself to be the mother of Jesus and bring salvation into the world. It is also why Jesus gave John (and by extension us) His mother while He was hanging on the cross.

This book reminded me of another book that Fulton Sheen penned called, The Cross and the Beatitudes. In that book, Sheen too focused on Jesus' seven last words and compared them to the Beatitudes. I already knew that Sheen was a highly intelligent man, but reading both of these books, it is clear that Sheen valued these seven phrases perhaps more than any other seven phrases in human history. If you need a perfect book for Holy Week, particularly Good Friday, I highly recommend Seven Words of Jesus and Mary and The Cross and the Beatitudes. Neither one will disappoint you, and you will walk away with a better understanding of the seven last words and a deeper love of Jesus.

This book was provided to me for free by Angelico Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here!

Mary: Virgin, Mother, and Queen and Growing in Faith (Our Sunday Visitor)

Every year; sometimes twice a year Our Sunday Visitor publishes a Bible study book by Fr. Mitch Pacwa. Today, I will be reviewing two of those books. They are entitled Mary: Virgin, Queen, and Mother and Growing in Faith. I won't hem around since this is a two review day, and we'll just get straight to the reviews.

Mary: Virgin, Queen, and Mother is one of Fr. Pacwa's thicker Bible study books, sitting at 160 pages. Most of his other studies are approximately 100 pages. Topics touched on in this book include early events in the Gospels like The Annunciation and The Visitation; and later events like Mary during Christ's public ministry and after His public ministry. I realize this is a Bible study, and Fr. Pacwa is sticking to the Canon of Scripture, but I wish he would have touched on Tradition a bit more and talked about Mary's early life.

The most interesting chapter or session to me was Session One: Old Testament Background. Fr. Pacwa limits his Old Testament prophecies to those that tie Mary and Jesus together, i.e., Mary as the New Eve, Mary as the Burning Bush, and Mary as the Ark of Covenant. As someone who has read a lot on Mary before, this Old Testament allusions to Mary are not new to me. However, if you don't know a lot of Old Testament, this is a great chapter that will teach you a lot.

No surprise, but this was an excellent study by Fr. Pacwa. Whether you are looking for an individual study book or one that you can do in a small group setting, this book will not disappoint. It is at a basic enough level that anyone can understand it, and the tools you need for this study (the book and a Bible) are minimal so there is no high start up cost to lead a study if you wanted to.  If you are looking for a good starting point to understanding Mary this serves as a good beginner. You could even loan it to a Protestant friend or family member, so they might finally understand Mary better. Five stars.

When I first received, Growing in Faith, I noted that it looked a lot like The Year of Faith. The cover color was different, but it had the same images otherwise. Therefore, I thought this was a sequel or follow-up Bible Study. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Growing in Faith is almost identical to The Year of Faith. The biggest difference is that anywhere Pope Benedict XVI's words were, Pope Francis' words now have replaced them. Where Porta Fidei excerpts once were, we now see excerpts from Evangelii Gaudium. I won't be overly reviewing this book as I already have here, but I will say that it is a good study. If you are a Pope Benedict fan, get The Year of Faith. If a fan of Pope Francis, then get Growing in Faith. I would have preferred this more if it was a follow-up, and not just a revision, but since it is a revision, I think it would have been better served to include both Pope Benedict's and Pope Francis' words in the revision. For that reason, I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars.

These books were provided to me for free by Our Sunday Visitor in exchange for an honest review. If you found these reviews helpful, click here and/or here and hit Yes!

Behold Your Mother (Catholic Answers)

"Catholic Answers is one of the nation’s largest lay-run apostolates of Catholic apologetics and evangelization." They are "dedicated to serving Christ by bringing the fullness of Catholic truth to the world. We help good Catholics become better Catholics, bring former Catholics “home,” and lead non-Catholics into the fullness of the faith." I became familiar with them on my drive home from work. Each day they devote several hours a day to answering questions for Catholics, non-Catholics, atheists, and agnostics. Their apologists also write books, one of which I am pleased to review today.

Behold Your Mother is a 300+ page blue hardcover (Really what other color would be appropriate?). It is written by Tim Staples, who is the Director of Apologetics at Catholic Answers, and is billed as "a Biblical and Historical defense of the Marian doctrines. The book is divided into five parts, one for each of the core doctrines. They are as follows:

Part I - Mother of God
Part II - Full of Grace
Part III - Ever-Virgin
Part IV - Assumed into Heaven
Part V - Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix

Each part includes one to three chapters defining the doctrine; Scripture references/citations, which support the doctrine; and the historical Tradition that the Church has believed about these doctrines. Each of the five parts also includes a chapter, which answers common objections. These chapters above all are very useful for Catholics looking to defend Mary against Protestants, atheists, and agnostics. There are copious footnotes in this book as well, which even contain either citations or personal commentary by Mr. Staples on the subject at hand. Lastly, there are six appendices at the end of the book. Two of them use Patristics, which is a huge selling point for me, and one of them addresses the puzzling doctrine of Mary remaining a virgin, even during labor.

Each section of the book was well-organized, well-argued, and insightful. His argument for how Mary is Theotokos or God-bearer made perfect sense. Mary can't just be mother to Jesus' human-nature. She is mother to all of Jesus, humanity and divinity. Therefore, she is the Mother of God. Another section I enjoyed was the talk of Mary's Assumption, and his comparisons of her to the Ark of the Covenant. Though he doesn't state in the main text whether or not Mary died, because the Church doesn't have an official teaching on that, he does state in the footnotes that he believes she did. I too share that belief. With all these helpful sections, the one most important to me dealt with Mary as Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix. This is a doctrine I have always struggled with, probably due to lack of understanding. I can't even begin to summarize Mr. Staples explanations in these chapters, but I can say I walked away from them at peace and with a better understanding of a doctrine that has caused me many nights of head-scratching.

With all the positive aspects of this book, the main question one must ask is who the book is intended for. I would say that this is primarily intended for faithful Catholics. While, they may believe all five of these doctrines (blindly or with limited understanding), they would benefit from this book in trying to articulate these points to people who don't believe in them. While Protestants and non-believers would benefit from reading this book, I have to think that only the serious inquirer would dare tackle a book this thick. Others would simply be turned off the size and possibly look for something a little more brief. I am proud to have this book in my library, and I know it will be a valuable reference for years to come. Five stars!

This book was provided to me for free by Catholic Answers in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Mary of Nazareth (Ignatius Press)

Mary of Nazareth starts off in a startling fashion. A band of marauders with a group of dogs is going through a small town and capturing all the young girls. Anna and Joachim hear them coming and manage to hide Mary from the men. The dogs, however, are sniffing around and miraculously are unable to find Mary. This is the first hint of one of the underlying themes in the movie - Mary is special. What about the captured girls? They are lined up and inspected by a woman, Herod's wife. She is looking for the one who is to give birth to the Messiah, and wants to kill her. This and other scenes, like Mary taken to the Temple to live were inspired by the writings of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. It therefore became clear early on that this movie will be a mixture of Scripture, tradition, and creative license.

Fast forward about a decade, maybe two, and we see Mary back home with her parents. Joseph has come to ask Mary to be his wife. They could have went with one of two traditions regarding Joseph. They could have made him an older widower with children from his first wife (my preference). Or they could have went with Joseph who was slightly older than Mary, never married, and remained a virgin his whole life like Mary. They chose the latter. In the first scenes with Joseph, we see him seek the permission of Joachim to talk to Mary and Joachim blows him off. Anna, however, says to go and talk to Mary. This seems out of place given that time, but it made for a "cute scene."  I'm not entirely sure how I felt about the interaction between Mary and Joseph. It was a bit flirty, and just felt like they reduced it to some superficial love story.

The movie continues on with scenes we are familiar with from the Bible. There is the Annunciation, Mary's visit to Elizabeth, etc. The director takes creative license with the story and embellishes the facts, like Joseph getting FURIOUS with Mary for her pregnancy, and Joseph giving up on Mary for what seems like a long time. It was puzzling to me why Mary's parents refused to believe that Elizabeth was pregnant in her old age or the manner in which Mary became pregnant with Jesus. For starters, Anne and Joachim were supposed to be barren as well, so why should it be puzzling that Elizabeth became pregnant. Secondly, her parents said early on in the movie that Mary was special, so why change that all of a sudden? It doesn't fit with the storyline. I'm sure Mary felt some level of ostracization, as was portrayed in the movie, but she shouldn't have felt judged by her parents.

There are parts of this movie that seemed forced and reaching for an emotional moment, and there are parts that leave you raw after viewing them. The scene of the slaying of the Holy Innocents ripped my heart out, and it caused me to really stop and think about those poor mothers and fathers back then whose children died at the hands of Herod. The rest of the movie is a mixture of Bible, tradition, and creative license. We see Jesus as a child get hurt and bleed, which was nice as it's foolish to think that Jesus never got hurt or bled. We see Jesus as an adult performing miracles, preaching, and ultimately dying on the Cross. The final scene of the movie has Mary telling the Apostles about how Jesus disappeared in the Temple for three days, and how she didn't understand at the time, but did now. Mary Magdalene then comes in to tell them that Jesus is risen, and the Apostles run off to see. The move then ends with one last scene of Mary and Jesus, Mother and Son.

As I expected beforehand, I have very mixed feelings regarding this movie. There were times I wanted to scream at the screen, and say, "That's not accurate!" or, "Joseph would have never acted like that!" There were other times I was in awe of how the scene captured the human experiences Mary endured while on this Earth. I waffled between giving this movie a 3.5 or a 4 and ultimately decided on a 4 for one very important reason - the message of this movie. That message is that Mary, greatest Saint ever, wants none of the attention on her and wants it all on her Son. She is there to lead us to Jesus, not the other way around.

This movie was provided to me for free by Carmel Communications in exchange for an honest review. Be sure to check out the corresponding book, Mary of Nazareth: The Life of Our Lady in Pictures. Also, EXCITING NEWS, the actress who played Mary, Alissa Jung, will be visiting 5 cities in North America starting November 15th to promote the movie and blog. The schedule can be found here. Unfortunately, I don't live near any of the cities, but if you are lucky enough to, stop by and see her!

Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother (Ascension Press)

As a former Protestant, a Southern Baptist to be exact, Mary one was of my biggest hurdles coming into the Catholic Church.  Looking back on it, I feel really stupid having such a hard time accepting her. It's not like she was any less in my Protestant New Testament than in the Catholic New Testament. In fact, the Protestant New Testament has the same number of books as the Catholic New Testament. It is their Old Testament that is lacking sadly, but I digress. Despite my acceptance of Mary as my mother, I unfortunately am not as close to her as I would like to be. The knowledge is there. The prayers are there. But through no fault of hers, the emotional connection and reliance is still lacking. That's why I was very pleased to receive the opportunity to review the latest Ascension Press study program called Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother.

Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother is a 4 disc/8 lesson program led by Dr. Edward Sri. The Catholic Church has a lot of great theologians at the moment. Pope Benedict XVI is par excellence in my mind, but other great ones include Dr. Scott Hahn, Dr. Peter Kreeft, and Dr. Edward Sri. I've only discovered Dr. Sri in the past few years, but he is very approachable in the way he teaches, and I quickly learned that if you want to learn about Mary, he's one of the top sources to go to. This study is based on his 2013 book Walking with Mary. The contents of the 8 lessons are as follows:

1. Introduction
2. The Annunciation
3. The Visitation
4. The Nativity
5. The Presentation and The Finding in the Temple
6. The Wedding at Cana
7. Mary at the Cross
8. Mary Crowned with Glory

Each lesson is approximately 30 minutes long and is filmed on site with the exception of her being crowned in glory in Heaven. If that was in this study program, it'd carry a much higher price tag. :) What you do get to see are the place Mary lived before Joseph, the cave where Jesus was born, the place where Jesus was crucified. These aren't grainy videos or videos shot far away behind a chain-link fence. They are high quality, up-close access videos that if you haven't been to the Holy Land (like myself) will take your breath away. They remind me a lot of the Catholicism series in terms of visual beauty, which is the recent gold standard in Catholic DVD study programs. I would argue the material is better, but perhaps I'm biased. The presentation quality also shows how much effort we have made in keeping up with the latest in technology, even in the last 5-10 years, to help with the New Evangelization and spreading the Faith to all corners of the world. You can see the official trailer below.

The material in the DVDs and the Study Binder is top-notch. When you have a brilliant mind, like Dr. Sri, presenting on a topic they are an expert on, you run the risk as a presenter to only reach 1%. By this I mean, you run the risk of alienating 99% of your audience and only the top 1% grasp what you are saying. I had this problem in college with a professor or two. Fortunately, Dr. Sri is not that type of teacher. He is engaging and approachable. He takes you on a journey and shows that he not only has a brilliant mind when it comes to Mary, but a deep devotion to her as well. The binder is very well-organized. The questions in it lends themselves to discussion easily, and it is a perfect complement to the DVD series.

I was highly impressed with this series, and cannot recommend it to you enough. It definitely made me feel closer to the Blessed Mother after completing it, and I hope to continue to grow closer to her still. It also had a grand scale pilgrimage feel to it. Many of us either can't afford to go on one or don't have the time. This was not an exact substitute for one, but it was the next best thing. Looking back at all the topics, it was like walking through the Rosary in some ways, so I have also developed a new appreciation for the Rosary as well. On a scale of 1-10, I give this series an 11, and advise all Bible Study leaders, Pastors, and Directors or Religious Education to purchase this.

This program was provided to me for free by Ascension Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Walking with Mary (Image Books)

When we think of important Marian Feast Days in the Church Calendar, the Catholic Church recognizes three as Holy Days of Obligation. They are as follows:

• Mary, Mother of God – January 1st
• Mary's Assumption/Dormition – August 15th
• Mary's Immaculate Conception – December 8th

The Orthodox mark Mary's nativity (September 8th) as one of their Twelve Great Feasts, and I believe the Catholics should make this a Holy Day of Obligation as well! In honor of Mary's nativity this month, I have a special book to review called Walking with Mary by Edward Sri. Dr. Sri is a brilliant mind and quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Watch out, Dr. Hahn!

Upon reading the Introduction to Walking with Mary, I was immediately reminded of Dr. Scott Hahn's early works that led me and many others like me to Catholicism. Dr. Sri begins by drawing upon personal experiences in his life as they relate to Mary. He then sets the framework for this book by giving us three Biblical facts about Mary - 1. She lived in Nazareth. 2. She was betrothed to Joseph. 3. Joseph belonged to the house of David. You'll need to read the book to find out why these three facts are so important. After these three facts, we embark on an exciting nine-step Biblical journey of Mary's life with seven steps coming from Luke, two from John, and one from Revelation.

The most eye-opening chapter for me was "Step 5: Sharing in the Sword." In this chapter, Dr. Sri outlines Simeon's prophecy to Mary at Jesus' Presentation in the Temple. He cites Pope John Paul II, who called the Presentation in the Temple a "second Annunciation." (The first Annunciation was Gabriel to Mary.) He then outlines and explains the four key messages of Simeon's words, which are found in Luke 2:34-35. These four points not only tell what Jesus' life and ministry will be like, but they also reveal the suffering Mary will endure because she is Jesus' mother. As Dr. Sri points out, though, Mary did not shrink from this "second Annunciation," but embraces her mission and with it her Son's Cross and suffering. We would do well to imitate her example.

This is a 5-star book which provides the reader with a Biblical view of Mary from the Annunciation to her Crowing in Heaven. And since it is all Biblical, this would be the perfect book for those considering becoming Catholic or those who merely struggle with the Catholic viewpoint of Mary. I plan on gifting a copy to my mother, a Southern Baptist, in hopes that this book will explain what I have a hard time putting into words. Let us all look to Mary as our model on how to be a Christian, a she will always point us to her Son.

If you found this review helpful, please click this link and hit Yes! For a reading guide to go with this book, click here. For an interview with the author, click here. And if you're interested in seeing the first of many to come video reflections on Mary by Dr. Sri, check out the video below!



I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. For helpful links, click below:

• More Info
• Author Bio

Gingerbread House Publishing: Take it to the Queen

Today, I have another beautiful book to review from  Gingerbread House Publishing. It is not a sequel to The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith, but it is written and illustrated in the same style. The book is called "Take it to the Queen: A Tale of Hope." I would send you the publisher's link, but they are currently building a new website, so all links to it are broken at the moment.

"Take it to the Queen" is a tale which involves the relationship of a town and a king. In this story, a king chooses a town to lavish all his goodness upon as he awaits the birth of his future queen who will bear him a prince. The king finally meets his queen and she bears him a son. However, the town has grown selfish and takes for granted all the goodness the king has bestowed upon them.

Like her work, "The Weight of a Mass," Ms. Nobisso writes in allegory. To the adult reader, it is easy to see that the king is God the Father; the queen is Mary; the prince is Jesus; and the ungrateful town represents all of humanity. You might have to point this out to your children, depending on their age, but once they make the connection the story will click on two levels for them. There is a lot of rich symbolism in different aspects of both the story and the artwork. Don't feel bad if you miss a lot of it on your first reading through. I definitely did, but thankfully the inside flaps of the book explains everything to you.

Overall, this was a very good book with a great story and beautiful illustrations. It touched on various theological points including Sacraments, grace, forgiveness of sins, etc. Most importantly though, it will teach your children that Mary is a mediator between Christ and us. This book will show your children that they can turn to her in times of need. I give this book 5 stars. I did like "The Weight of a Mass" better than this book, but it's unfair to compare the two books, as I proclaimed "The Weight of a Mass" to be the best children's book EVER! I also noticed that the first book dealt with faith, and this one dealt with hope. I will have to contact the author to see if a third book is in the works that deals with love.

If you found this review helpful, please click the link and hit Yes!