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MARY THE FAITHFUL DISCIPLE
By
Bertrand Buby
S.M. New York: Paulist, 1985, Pp. 139, $6.95
Mary has been and is the model of Christian life for disciples of Jesus to
imitate. Usually we are accustomed to call her Mother of Christ; this book
calls her Disciple! A Mother "disciple" of her son! Something to think
about. This reminds us of the famous verse of Dante in the Divine Comedy,
"Mother of your Son" which encapsulates so deep theology.
The first chapter of the book explains why Buby writes a book about Mary.
Catholic tradition has always emphasized the role of the Blessed Virgin in
the history of Salvation. Our old churches house always an image of Mary,
perhaps even many "Virgins" of different titles, like Our Lady of Fatima, of
Lourdes, of Guadelupe, etc. This makes many people think that devotion to
Mary is "local" or "good for the masses" not for the "enlightened" ones. In
fact, after Vatican II Council the devotion to Mary has waned to a dangerous
low level, despite the efforts of the Pope, both with his example and with
his writings. So Buby thinks that the best way to revitalize this devotion
is to drawing from the authentic sources of our faith, named Scripture,
Tradition and the life of the modem Church.
The main inspiration of this book springs from Holy Scripture, but taking
always into consideration what Vatican Il has taught about Mary. All the
passages of the New Testament where Mary is mentioned are studied carefully.
The author uses also the scripture quotations where an allusion to Mary is
probable or possible. The understanding of such texts is not original or
proper to the author, but is taken from sound contemporary scholarship
avoiding "extremisms", that is both "progressive and fundamentalist"
interpretations. The exposition is clear. The point of view of the author is
"discipleship"; he finds in each text an aspect of Mary's life as disciple,
that is follower of Christ. This idea appeals to modern sensibilities and
coincides with many contemporary spiritualities. The Church also understands
herself thus. The author is well aware that the term "disciple" has slightly
different meanings in the various books of the New Testament; he just
explains them as they are.
The book is easy to understand by any educated Christian. It is recommended
for those who want to confirm and enrich their devotion to Mary with a solid
scriptural basis. The book has no scientific facade, that is not many
footnotes and scholarly quotations; but the bibliography is rich and well
chosen, so that further study of specific issues is made easy for those
interested in deepening their knowledge of the various themes. It is also
useful for study groups, because it does not require special preparation to
be understood and yet provides a modem and scriptural basis for Marian
devotion.
(Ðồng Hành 10/1988)
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