Bestselling author and Notre Dame professor, Timothy P. O'Malley invites us to contemplate with him the Mother of Jesus as the Church's first and preeminent disciple. O'Malley probes seven events of Mary's life and shows us how only through her example of tenderness and hope will we and our Church come to know lasting and ongoing renewal.
O'Malley opens his life's story to us, sharing his vibrant testimony about the transformative presence of the Blessed Mother, who he gradually came to know as a constant source of strength in tenderness for him. O'Malley shows us how Mary, as the Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and Queen of All Saints, guides us to Christ teaching us how to live as true disciples. Along the way, we learn what it means to belong to the Church, to journey together through history as a pilgrim people, and to play our part in the "revolution of tenderness" that Pope Francis speaks of--a movement rooted in the mystery of God becoming human in a virgin named Mary. O'Malley helps us to see Mary as the key to unlocking both determined hope and genuine renewal.
The book offers seven thoughtful meditations on Mary's life, including:
- The Immaculate Conception as a model of true freedom
- The Annunciation as the wisdom to trust God
- The Visitation as a source of enduring hope
- The Incarnation as the revolution of tenderness that changes everything
- The Seven Sorrows of Mary, showing us how she walks with us in suffering
- Mary's motherhood of the Church, calling us to deeper discipleship
- The Assumption as a glimpse of our own future victory in Christ
These meditations help us walk the path of hope, aligning our lives with Mary's. O'Malley shows how her journey as a disciple offers us a sure way to find hope in Christ and renewal in his Church.
This book is part of the Engaging Catholicism series from the McGrath Institute for Church Life.