Mary: Shadow of Grace

Written by teacher and theologian Mary McKenna, Mary: Shadow of Grace is a methodical examination of the life of Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, as told through scripture. Chapters quote passages of scripture and then discuss their nuance at length, offering historical, theological, spiritual, and even metaphorical interpretations of Mary, her relationship with God, and her role as Mother of the Savior. Now in a newly expanded edition, Mary: Shadow of Grace is as much an uplifting expression of worship as it is a methodical and scholarly study. "Theologically, the term 'virgin' is connected to the long history of Israel, which is characterized as the woman, wife, beloved of Yahweh, who is more often unfaithful, wanton, worshiping other gods and sacrificing to other powers and forces. But Mary is a virgin. She is faithful, not like Israel with its long litany of infidelities. Mary is not just an individual Jew, but the woman of the Jewish people; she receives the promise for a virgin people, with a pure, single-minded heart." Willis M. Buhle Reviewer

First of all I ought to congratulate Megan McKenna for the lovely portrayal of Mary in this book.She appears not as an icon, not as a person who is far removed from our sufferings etc, not as someone who is holy-holy, and not one of us.She is portrayed to be a common woman, who shares with us all her trials and sorrows just as an ordinary human being ..... like you and me. Even she didn't have all the answers on Day 1, but she believed....and she invites us to have faith.It is lovely to be able to relate to her as a human being and not an icon.She seems (and is) so much a part of our life that it's a fabulous feeling to have her as a part of our life.I commend Megan heartily and if she reads this (somehow) I'd like to tell her that I'm waiting to buy some of the other books she's written to enhance my knowledge of her vision of Mary,Jesus and Joseph.