My introduction to Dr. Edward Sri’s writing was a few years ago, when he wrote a thoughtful, bite-sized book about the Mass. His latest book, Walking with Mary: A Biblical Journey from Nazareth to the Cross, caught my attention in part because I loved his writing so much in that earlier book.
Walking with Mary is one of my favorite reads this year, and one of my new favorite Mary books.
Dr. Sri weaves his scholarly expertise with a tone that’s approachable and even, in parts, whimsical. He unpacks what amounts to a few phrases of Scripture and puts them in context, explains their significance, and then uses them to paint a picture of the person of Mary of Nazareth.
Seeing Mary as a person is something that’s a bit of an obsession of mine. So much of the time, I’m tempted to keep her on the pedestal at the front of church, pristine and untouched. She’s a distant ideal, not a here-and-now reality.
This book combines devotion to Mary and the Word of God in a way that’s enjoyable and educational. In 145 pages, Sri taught me some key lessons about Scripture and the Mother of God, and I don’t even need an extra brain to process them!
I can’t help but think that I’d like to attend a few of Dr. Sri’s classes. He has a streak of gentle humor and a way of presenting material that appeals to me in a big way.
I highlighted quite a bit of this book and will never read the Gospels of Luke and John the same way again. Dr. Sri invites us to ponder with Mary, and as we walk with her, we find ourselves closer to her Son.
No surprise there. It’s what she does: lead us always closer to Jesus.
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