Book Review: Mary, Mother of the Son Trilogy

Posted on | October 21, 2009
by | Kim, Obl.O.S.B

I’ve had this trilogy since our trip to California (so, the beginning of September), and finished it last night. Usually, I’m a quick reader, but there was something about these three books that really slowed me down.

They weren’t boring.
They weren’t over my head.
They also weren’t dumbed down.
They’re not long thousands of pages long, either.

Mark Shea, the author of the books has a very different writing style than anyone I’ve read, and that’s what slowed me down. These books were like having a very animated conversation with him about Our Lady, with him showing Evangelical thought process and Catholic explanation without condescending Evangelicals or making Catholicism elitist. His balance is remarkable, and I would expect that a good number of Evangelicals could read these books without feeling threatened or like they were going to get thrown to the wolves, or made to feel like they’re stupid (because they’re not, after all).

The point of these books is to unpack the Catholic Church’s place of Mary – showing from Sacred Scripture things like the Immaculate Conception and her Perpetual Virginity. He unpacks and explains Marian devotion, the development of Marian doctrine, and just Mary in general in a way I’ve never encountered before. I would put these books on my ever-growing “must read for people who are thinking about converting!” list, especially for people like yours truly who had and still has remnants of “Maryphobia” from growing up.

I learned a great deal from these books – beyond what I already believe and accept about Our Lady. Some of the more interesting parts of the books was discussing the various heresies attacking Our Lord and how Marian doctrines actually reinforce a belief about Our Lord (both God and Man, born of a Virgin, fully God and fully Man, what He has laid out for us in Heaven, etc).

If you’re looking for a great Christmas present (I know, it’s the middle of October) for you or someone you know, I’d recommend these books.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Mary, Mother of the Son 3 Volume Set. I received a complimentary copy of the trilogy in exchange for my honest review.