Sunday, August 13, 2006
Mary Called Magdalene
by Margaret George
Excellent!
It is easy to understand why there are those who may be uncomfortable with the "humanization" of [specifically] Jesus and his Mother Mary.
For those who believe that Mary, Mother of Jesus was a Virgin her entire life - the contents of this book will cause varying levels of discomfort - and will be either accepted or rejected as the individual reader sees fit. And for those who believe that Jesus was truly adored and spent his days on earth surrounded by a heavenly glow and a halo - this book will certainly create all kinds of mixed emotions.
However the contents of this book helps us to face the fact that Jesus was a man with the same fears, and dreams and mood swings - and expressions of temper [in the Temple] as we do today. Then we read how Mary, Mother of Jesus was burdened with many children - which crushes the "Virgin" beliefs.
But....all that aside...how I grew to love Mary from Magdala from her childhood until her death. I shared the wonders of her world as a child, her fears, her joys of young womanhood that lead us through her happy marriage, motherhood and then sadly, to the pain from the ultimate loss of her family and home. The depiction of her 'demons' [schizophrenia maybe]? was so well portrayed, I found myself involuntarily taking mental inventory of possible forgotten figurines in my home. [No - I'm not neurotic - it only lasted through the first few chapters - I'm back to normal now].
What a pleasure it has been to share Mary of Magdala's life - her losses, her joy of knowing and loving Jesus, her lifelong loyalty to the memory of her daughter - and her fierce determination until her death to make peace with her child.
Excellent!
It is easy to understand why there are those who may be uncomfortable with the "humanization" of [specifically] Jesus and his Mother Mary.
For those who believe that Mary, Mother of Jesus was a Virgin her entire life - the contents of this book will cause varying levels of discomfort - and will be either accepted or rejected as the individual reader sees fit. And for those who believe that Jesus was truly adored and spent his days on earth surrounded by a heavenly glow and a halo - this book will certainly create all kinds of mixed emotions.
However the contents of this book helps us to face the fact that Jesus was a man with the same fears, and dreams and mood swings - and expressions of temper [in the Temple] as we do today. Then we read how Mary, Mother of Jesus was burdened with many children - which crushes the "Virgin" beliefs.
But....all that aside...how I grew to love Mary from Magdala from her childhood until her death. I shared the wonders of her world as a child, her fears, her joys of young womanhood that lead us through her happy marriage, motherhood and then sadly, to the pain from the ultimate loss of her family and home. The depiction of her 'demons' [schizophrenia maybe]? was so well portrayed, I found myself involuntarily taking mental inventory of possible forgotten figurines in my home. [No - I'm not neurotic - it only lasted through the first few chapters - I'm back to normal now].
What a pleasure it has been to share Mary of Magdala's life - her losses, her joy of knowing and loving Jesus, her lifelong loyalty to the memory of her daughter - and her fierce determination until her death to make peace with her child.
# posted by Gina @ 2:31 PM 
