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    Meeting Mary and the Mystery of Motherhood
    Meeting Mary and the Mystery of Motherhood
    Meeting Mary and the Mystery of Motherhood
    Ebook130 pages2 hours

    Meeting Mary and the Mystery of Motherhood

    By Thom Trunzo

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    About this ebook

    Part 1 is devoted to finding Mary as a more human being. There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of painted or sculpted images of Mary. Most are beautiful works of art but rarely do they depict or capture the reality of Mary’s heritage and human life.
    For most of us in the west, the images of Mary have been fashioned from the Greco-Roman artists. They have been primarily of a young Caucasian woman with sharp facial features, light brown to golden hair, and sporting a blue cape over a white flowing dress. Sometimes she is holding the infant; other times she is wearing a crown; still other times she is floating on clouds or crushing the head of a serpent. While these images are intended to portray a very special woman in our faith journey, they either deny or, at best, diminish the real beauty of Mary. These images make Mary almost unreal and unreachable.
    But Mary is not unreachable. She lived, laughed, cried, felt both joy and sorrow as any one of us. Her true story is that of a human girl who grew to be an extraordinary woman who endured human hardship, pain and suffering. It is a story of a woman who risked execution to follow God’s will; who became a widow, a single parent, a heart-broken mother who helplessly watched as her son was crushed and executed. She is real, tangible, and credible rather than some nearly deified being floating on a distant cloud, too perfect, too remote, too out of touch and too holy to ever replicate.

    In Part 2, we will examine the title of Mother of God in hopes of bringing that title to life. This section is scriptural as well but is based on the concept that being mother is much more than one who gives physical birth. Mystic and theologian Meister Eckhart states, “We are all meant to be Mothers of God, for God is always needing to be born.” In this section, we will encounter Jesus teaching us all to be Mothers of God by allowing God to be born in the hearts of others through our selfless service and love.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThom Trunzo
    Release dateJul 28, 2014
    ISBN9781311365088
    Meeting Mary and the Mystery of Motherhood
    Author

    Thom Trunzo

    Thom is a Catholic Permanent Deacon, ordained in 1995. He has served as Pastoral Associate in several churches since his ordination. He is passionate about Social Justice and healing divisions among cultures and religions. He taught both Social Justice and World Religion for 10 years. He completed a 4 Unit Chaplain Residency accredited by ACPE at the local VA Hospital and believes that humble service to those in pain or in need offers us the best chance for peace.Beth has been in parish ministry for more than 20 years. She served as Pastoral Associate as well as Director of Religious Education in two different parishes. She has a passion for liturgy and social justice. She has organized several workshops and lenten series on Social Justice based on the tenants of Catholic Social Justice Teaching. She has written and presented a variety of retreats and workshops. She has also completed the Ignatian Spiritual Director's Retreat at Guelph University in Ontario Canada..Thom and Beth have been married for 32 years, and together they have 8 children.Native American Spirituality is a part of their life as well. They have a Medicine Wheel on their land and do ceremonies there as well. Thom was given a Lakota name in 2005 that means "Bridge Builder." The name was selected by the Lakota Elders in acknowledgement of his work in bridging cultures and religious orientations, and efforts focused on understanding and healing divisions and acceptance of people who are different.You can find out more about this deacon couple by visiting their website: www.seventhdirection.comWhile you are there, you can sign-up for their FREE Weekly Reflection Service, and check-out Spiritual Direction, Native American Spirituality, and their on-line religion course intended to bring understanding and healing among the Jewish, Christian and Islamic people. They also provides Spiritual Direction. Information about Spiritual Direction is also on the website.You can contact Deacon Thom through e-mail – thom@seventhdirection.com

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      Book preview

      Meeting Mary and the Mystery of Motherhood - Thom Trunzo

      51

      Meeting Mary and the Mystery of Motherhood

      Published by: Deacon Thom and LisBeth Trunzo at Smashwords

      Copyright 2014 Thom Trunzo

      ISBN: 9781311365088

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      ~~~~~*****~~~~~

      Discover other titles by this author at Smashwords.com

      Seventh Direction: Reflections of the Gifts of the Spirit

      Heaven Can’t Wait: Reflections on Spiritual Living

      Who Can Save the Pond? (Children’s Book)

      ~~~~~*****~~~~~

      Forward by Anna Marie Troiani

      What could I possibly have to say of value about Mary and motherhood? After all, I am not a mother in the traditional sense of the word. Upon further reflection, however, I recognized that, like many, I look to Mary and her journey of faith as a guidepost for my life.  Mary’s profound Yes changed the course of history and models for each of us to this day a life changing, vibrant faith to be called upon in our life’s journeys.

      Part 1 of this book gives flesh and brings to life the many gifts of this simple woman from Nazareth…. her steadfast love and faithfulness, her trusting dependence on God’s will, her courage as she birthed Light to the world, her profound joy in her Child’s life and her unspeakable grief in her Child’s death. Through it all Mary believed that the promises made to her by God would be fulfilled, through her and ultimately through the Blessed fruit of her womb, Jesus.

      Thom and Beth put words and imagery to the process of faith through which Mary goes; the struggles, hardships, and joy. They link her experiences of many years ago to the experiences of today as we travel like paths, separated only by time. Mary is an example of holiness, love, and hope for each of us. She embraced life in all its fullness, was gentle in her character, and yet strong in her convictions.

      This book makes Mary tangible. As I read it and discovered how human Mary really was, it reminded me of my own mother. She was a beautiful example and model of love and hospitality for my family and for those she cared for as was Mary with her family and community. Like Mary, she showed us God, alive in our lives, by her daily acts of service and love. By accepting all the moments of joy and sorrow that we as a family had to journey, she guided us with a humble spirit and reminded us always of God’s presence.

      The title, Mother of God, has traditionally been attributed to Mary because she gave birth to Jesus. Part 2 of this book presents the concept in a much broader way. Opening ourselves to the idea that WE are also deserving of this title is humbling. Whether the readers are single or parents of many children, we are all called to bring God into the world through our acts of service, courage and compassion.

      I pray that this book be a blessing to all who read it; leading each one ever closer to Mary and, through her, closer to her Son. Her Yes in response to an angel resounded in God’s ears. May we respond in the same way so that our Yes might resound throughout the world in which we live so that God can continue to be born.

      ~~~~~*****~~~~~

      With Special Gratitude

      Spiritual friends with generous hearts and compassionate spirits are pure gifts. These people are rare. In our case, we are blest to know people who live that life.

      Two of these friends were also teaching colleagues, Teresa Musgrave and Andi Mckenzie. Their attention to grammatical detail and views from their religious traditions helped us to enrich the content of this book.

      We also are very grateful for our loving and talented daughter, Valerie Eisenbeiss, for designing the book cover. She continues to amaze us with her abilities and willingness to give freely of her time to serve others.

      ~~~~~*****~~~~~

      Introduction

      This book begins with looking at titles for Mary. Some of the titles will be new to you; others more conventional or traditional. Among these, one of the titles that we have traditionally given to Mary is that of Mother of God. This title can be comforting to some and confusing and even absurd to others. But in examining this title given to Mary along with what it means to be mother, we can find a deeper understanding. Part 1 of this book is a reflection on Images of Mary. Part 2 presents a focus on the roles and actions of being Mother of God. We should first set the stage by making a few observations.

      There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of painted or sculpted images of Mary. Most are beautiful works of art but rarely do they depict or capture the reality of Mary’s heritage and human life.

      For most of us in the west, the images of Mary have been fashioned from the Greco-Roman artists. They have been primarily of a young Caucasian woman with sharp facial features, light brown to golden hair, and sporting a blue cape over a white flowing dress. Sometimes she is holding the infant; other times she is wearing a crown; still other times she is floating on clouds or crushing the head of a serpent. While these images are intended to portray a very special woman in our faith journey, they either deny or, at best, diminish the real beauty of Mary. These images make Mary almost unreal and unreachable.

      But Mary is not unreachable. She lived, laughed, cried, felt both joy and sorrow as any one of us. Her true story is that of a human girl who grew to be an extraordinary woman who endured human hardship, pain and suffering. It is a story of a woman who risked execution to follow God’s will; who became a widow, a single parent, a heart-broken mother who helplessly watched as her son was crushed and executed. She is real, tangible, and credible rather than some nearly deified being floating on a distant cloud, too perfect, too remote, too out of touch and too holy to ever replicate.

      To embrace the authentic beauty of Mary, we need to shed the illusions portrayed of her in painted and sculpted images, and become intimate with her humanity. When we reflect on the actual life of Mary, something more beautiful, more miraculous, more marvelous emerges than any painted or sculpted image could ever portray. The beauty of Mary is in her continual surrender to God; in her faith and belief that God is always good and always near even when she could not find God in her darkest moments.

      The following pages in Part 1 of this book take us through the life of Mary so we can discover her beauty in a different way. It will lead us to appreciate the human person of Mary who experienced heartache, joy, pain, confusion and suffering as most people do. These images are scripturally rooted and should serve to paint or sculpt a different image of this woman who is not only beautiful, but reachable.

      In Part 2, we will examine the title of Mother of God in hopes of bringing that title to life. This section is scriptural as well but is based on the concept that being mother is much more than one who gives physical birth. Mystic and theologian Meister Eckhart states, We are all meant to be Mothers of God, for God is always needing to be born.1 In this section, we will encounter Jesus teaching us all to be Mothers of God by allowing God to be born in the hearts of others through our selfless service and love.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Part 1 Images of Mary

      Chapter 1 Background

      Chapter

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