Review: Behold Your Mother by Heidi Hess Saxton

Heidi Hess Saxton said that as a convert to Catholicism, one of the most difficult things for her to understand was praying to Mary. Why not just talk to Jesus himself? Her experiences as a mother of adopted children, however, gave her insights into this reluctance to accept an adoptive mother and helped her overcome her own hesitations.

In Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections from a Catholic Convert, Heidi shares three of those experiences--once when she asked Mary for a small favor, once when she herself was the answer to that favor, and once when a difficult time with her children brought her an epiphany about our relationship with the Blessed Mother.

I have not had the beautiful and touching experiences she had when praying to Mary--nor the difficult time waiting patiently for her new children to learn to trust and love her. However, I can certainly identify with how her experiences a mom led her to understand the Divine Mother. In my case, I learned it while "meditating" on the common call in my household: "Mom! Would you tell (sibling) to (do this, stop that, give me this..)" Mothers are natural intercessors, and Jesus gave us Mary as Mother, with all the roles that implies.

Heidi examines those many roles--from the Intended of Joseph to the Queen of Peace, in the 48 meditations that follow her three stories about her experiences with Mary. Each begins with a bit of Scripture or legend about Mary, followed by a meditation in verse and a prayer to her or to a saint important to her role. These are beautifully done, but more than that, they are heartfelt. A few brought tears to my eyes. I read through the first time quickly, but I intend to go back over these, one a day, and spend a few minutes giving my love to the Mother of God.

This is a terrific book for someone wanting to strengthen their relationship with Mary, our Mother or to learn more about her life and her roles, past and present, and what they mean for us today.

Karina Fabian,
Editor, Infinite Space, Infinite God
www.fabianspace.com
to go in www.virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com in March/April