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For the Love of Mary takes the reader on a spiritual journey of tender love that begins with the questions, “How do I fall in love with Mary, the mother of Jesus and my spiritual mother? How do I cultivate a deeper, more intimate and meaningful relationship with her, inviting her into my spiritual life?” Fr. Daniel-Maria Klimek, T.O.R., presents a path of deep spiritual intimacy with Mother Mary that includes practicing the “presence of Mary” in one's life, consoling her Immaculate Heart through a spirituality of reparation, hearing her voice through her apparitions, and delving into a greater understanding of her sufferings as Mother of Sorrows. For the Love of Mary considers Our Lady's important identity and role in matters that are seldom mentioned in books about her but are of the utmost importance, such as her role in spiritual warfare and the ministry of exorcism, as well as her role in the renewal of the priesthood in a time when the Church faces so much scandal and confusion. She is the Morning Star that guides the struggling Church—and each one of her children—in the midst of surrounding storms to a purer path.

The traditional claim that Mary remained a virgin during the very act of giving birth to Jesus is one of the least known and least understood aspects of Marian doctrine today. Has the contemporary Church retreated from this claim? In Vessel of Honor, Fr. Brian Graebe provides a solid introduction to the historical development of the doctrine and its reception in modern Catholic theology. He shows that, far from being responsible for its contemporary occlusion, the Second Vatican Council did much to reaffirm the traditional understanding of Mary's perpetual virginity against its radical reinterpretation in the mid-twentieth century. Fr. Graebe demonstrates that the Council's underappreciated work on Mary's perpetual virginity must be seen as part of the legacy of Vatican II. Perhaps the most significant and timely contribution of this book is its illumination of the Council's revival of the patristic association of Mary with the Church. At a time when many claim Vatican II weakened the Church's commitment to Sacred Tradition, Vessel of Honor amplifies the Council's clarion call to the Church to receive and preserve God's revelation with virginal fidelity. Mary's physical intactness is an icon of the deposit of faith. Vessel of Honor is an important book both for modern Mariology and for the proper reception of the Second Vatican Council.

The Judeo-Christian scriptures understand humans as being made in the image of God. What exactly does this mean? Basic agreement is that it means humans can only know and understand themselves in relation to God. If, however, this God is pure uncreated spirit, where does human embodiment fit in? Is it an obstacle to understanding? Or is it in some way instructive? John Paul II comes down decisively in favor of the body's value and importance. In his catechetical series, widely known as the Theology of the Body, John Paul II analyzes what is distinctive about human beings. He undertakes a'reading'of the body. This book reflects on John Paul II's interpretation, extending his findings to the Virgin Mary. Her specifically female, maternal body is seen to offer insights into how the body images God--in how it'speaks.'The transformations of the female body parallel the transformations of language in poetry. The reconfigurations and accommodations of the gestational body are, this book suggests, poetic incarnations of God-likeness. Body-Poetics of the Virgin Mary offers a Mariological slant on theological anthropology and a new way to think of how humans poetically image God.

The Oxford Handbook of Mary offers an interdisciplinary guide to Marian Studies, including chapters on textual, literary, and media analysis; theology; Church history; art history; studies on devotion in a variety of forms; cultural history; folk tradition; gender analysis; apparitions and apocalypticism. Featuring contributions from a distinguished group of international scholars, the Handbook looks at both Eastern and Western perspectives and attempts to correct imbalance in previous books on Mary towards the West. The volume also considers Mary in Islam and pilgrimages shared by Christian, Muslim, and Jewish adherents. While Mary can be a source of theological disagreement, this authoritative collection shows Mary's rich potential for inter-faith and inter-denominational dialogue and shared experience. It covers a diverse number of topics that show how Mary and Mariology are articulated within ecclesiastical contexts but also on their margins in popular devotion. Newly-commissioned essays describe some of the central ideas of Christian Marian thought, while also challenging popularly-held notions. This invaluable reference for students and scholars illustrates the current state of play in Marian Studies as it is done across the world.

Hans Urs von Balthasar hat keine Mariologie geschrieben. Im Gegenteil, er hat einen eigenen mariologischen Traktat abgelehnt. Er hat die Entscheidung des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils begrüßt, alle Aussagen über Maria in die Konstitution über die Kirche zu integrieren. Denn die ‚vor-erlöste‘ Maria ist nicht auf Seiten des Erlösers, sondern auf Seiten der Erlösten zu veror-ten. Balthasar vermeidet den Marien-Titel ‚Miterlöserin‘. Aber in fast allen seinen Werken er-klärt er Maria als Integral der biblisch bezeugten Heilsgeschichte. Das zeigt Hyungsung Na in seiner vorliegenden Analyse. In Balthasars Denken und Werk ist Maria nicht ein Thema der Dogmatik neben anderen, sondern die Person der biblisch bezeug-ten Heilsgeschichte, an der man die zentralen Aussagen der Schöpfungslehre und Anthropo-logie, der Christologie und Soteriologie, der Ekklesiologie und Eschatologie verifizieren kann.

Since the Second Vatican Council the place of Mary in theology and generally in the life of the Church has been at times muted. This is perhaps understandable given the debates concerning Mary's'place'in the documents of Vatican II. In an ecumenical age, it was argued, the church needed a less triumphalist Mariology and piety with a greater focus on Mary as model disciple. In certain respects this has led to a dichotomy between the continued Marian piety of many faithful (and, truth be told, the piety of the post-conciliar popes) and a theological timidity concerning Mary. This collection of chapters seeks to address the current situation of Mariology. Taken as a whole these chapters represent a welcome call for renewal and reawakening in Mariology. The collection is also delightfully eclectic, both in terms of topics covered and in terms of the denominational and academic backgrounds of the authors.