Home Page Dr Pravin Thevathasan's Reviews page  Dr Pravin Thevathasan's home page Review by Dr Pravin Thevathasan Walking With Mary A Biblical Journey from Nazareth to the Cross by Edward Sri Image Books This is surely one of the very best books on Our Lady written in recent times. The author combines scholarship with devotion to give us a highly readable account of Mary's pilgrimage of faith as it is given to us in Sacred Scripture. We get to know the Virgin of Nazareth who is called to her sublime vocation of becoming the Mother of God, who encounters both joys and sorrows. The Angel Gabriel tells her: "The Lord is with you." These words mean that she is called to suffer like Moses and David before her. Mary's "fiat" is more than resignation to the will of God. It is a joyful affirmation of her calling. She is blessed, as Elizabeth tells us, because she believed. We can identify with her because like us she faced moments of both great joy and sorrow. We encounter Mary in the most crucial moments of Our Lord's life: the Incarnation, the Birth and the Death on the Cross. Even at His birth, there is no room at the Inn or in the hearts of many.Like so many of the great saints of the Church, she encounters darkness as well as light. The book consists of nine chapters or steps: the Annunciation, Mary's obedience to the will of God, the Magnificat, Simeon's prophecy, the Finding in the Temple, the Wedding at Cana, the Crucifixion and Mary's last days. It is very helpful indeed to relate these events to the Old Testament and other parts of the New Testament. For example, when Our Lord calls Mary "Woman" at the marriage feast of Cana, the expression is related to both the "Woman" of Genesis and the "Woman" of the Book of Revelation. The author gives us insights into other words such as "hour" and "the third day". The author reminds us that when it is said that Mary "kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" it means that Mary is both reflecting on something profound and also living the mystery in her own life. It is not simply a matter of pondering. This is a great book that will draw us closer to mary. Copyright ©; Dr Pravin Thevathasan 2016 Version: 22nd January 2016 Home Page Dr Pravin Thevathasan's Reviews page   Dr Pravin Thevathasan's home page