Through a process of careful deconstruction and reconstruction, this book takes a critical, biblical, and feminist look at Mary and finds an image of Mary not previously seen. The authors examine Marian piety and teachings, questioning all presuppositions and, with the help of recent exegetical studies, rejecting those characteristics that contradict the Scriptures. Little by little, from beneath the clerical rewritings and the devotional dressings, another Mary emerges. She is a powerful, rich, and complex figure with prophetic strength who responds to contemporary expectations and nourishes our faith.
Love and delight characterize this special book on Mary, the mother of Jesus. Eight appearances of Mary in different countries range from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, to Our Lady of La Vang in Vietnam, to our Lady of Lourdes in France. This book shows that no matter where or how Mary appears, she is always the same mother who delights in all of God's children and who reaches out in love to draw them to her Son.
Shannon K. Evans, studied spirituality at the Institute of Spirituality of the Gregorian University, Rome, and obtained a PhD in theology, specializing in the history of spirituality, from Fordham University. Her dissertation compared discernment in Catherine of Siena and Ignatius of Loyola. She is a trained spiritual and retreat director with over thirty of years of experience. After many years in the Boston area, she now lives in her native Colombia.
Told from the perspective of Mary and the other women that Jesus encountered on his road to Calvary, this Way of the Cross is a true spiritual journey, filled with thoughtful prayers and reflections.
Carlota Valenzuela, graduated in law and political science from the University of Granada and holds an MBA. In 2022, after a career in institutional relations, banking, and human resources, Carlota left the corporate world to pilgrimage on foot from Finisterre, Spain, to Jerusalem—more than 3,700 miles. Currently, Carlota spreads her enthusiasm for Christ in audiovisual projects and in leading others on walking retreats to the shrine in Spain that guards the lignum crucis.
Owen Cummings explores the traditions regarding Mary that have developed since New Testament times. In addition to the patristic themes usually covered, he includes other traditions such as Syriac and Celtic. He includes Islam since their tradition comes from Christian sources such as the Protoevangelium of James, and more is written about Mary in the Qu'ran than there is in the New Testament. After surveying church history, especially in Europe and including the Reformation, he examines Vatican II, the relatively recently defined Marian doctrines, and devotion to Mary.
