Mary

Mary has often accompanied the life and spirituality of Christian saints in both the Western and Eastern churches. In this compilation you'll discover a rich spirituality of the Mother of God which will challenge, inform, and strengthen the reader. Mary has always inspired individuals, families, and nations. Even in a secular era like ours, she is a reference point for many. Indeed, in recent times the understanding of Mary has been "updated" to emphasize not only her extraordinary sanctity, but her as a member with us in the People of God and as a model of the Church. Mary: Her Identity, Our Identity contains a collection of texts on Mary as contemplated by Chiara Lubich. What Chiara told a group of young people sums up who Mary was for her, and who she can be for us: "My vocation, which is also yours, more than speaking with Mary... is to live Mary, to be her, to do as she did, and, above all, that she should re-live in us." Lubich's first spiritual reflections on Mary in the 1940's form the base of her devotion, and as the years advance, the reader has a front seat to Lubich's deepening understanding of Mary's role as Jesus' mother, as our model, and as a unifying mother of all people. St. Anthony Messenger Mary has often accompanied the life and spirituality of Christian saints in both the Western and Eastern churches. In this compilation of Chiara Lubich's writing by Bishop Brendan Leahy and Judith Povilus, you'll discover a rich spirituality of the Mother of God which will challenge, inform, and strengthen the reader. Many Evangelicals and Pentecostals have only started our journey of understanding Mary's role in the life of the Christian. Reading this accessible work will bring Christians in these traditions to reflect on the work of the Holy Spirit in deepening one's understanding of Mary, and create needed space for additional dialogue and reflection. Alexei Laushkin, Executive Director, Kingdom Mission Society, Herndon, VA This collection of writings about Mary, the Mother of Jesus, by Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare, not only reflects how this movement developed but also recounts the growth of teaching and devotion regarding Mary for more than half a century. From the beginning of the Movement in the 1940s, Chiara appreciated "the desolate Mary" as a model for Christian life. In the post Vatican II period her enthusiasm emerges for Mary as "the model of the laity" and "the lay person par excellence." She also discovers Mary as the "Model of the Gospel Revolution," plus "Mary, Sign of Protest," and Mary in Ecumenical and Interreligious dialogue. Chiara is a fascinating woman whose varied writings are well worth reading. Mary Christine Athans, BVM, Ph.D Professor Emerita, The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity of the University of St. Thomas Author of In Quest of the Jewish Mary (NY: Orbis Books, 2013)