The Marian Option: God’s Solution to a Civilization in Crisis Kindle Edition

The title of course brings to mind Rod Dreher's "The Benedict Option." Gress is quick to explain that the Marian Option is not offered as a criticism of Dreher's thesis. Rather, what she terms the Marian Option is a fundamental orientation compatible with all schools of authentic Catholic spirituality and all of the so-called "options" for addressing our civilization's crises. Mary is, after all, the icon of the Church - the corporate body as well as each individual soul. What God has done in her and through her, he wishes to do in each of us...and that is how civilization will be renewed. This book is about intimacy with the Trinity, about serving Christ with the heart of His Mother. It is about holiness, and how Jesus entrusted our growth therein to His Mother.Dr. Gress argues - quite successfully in my opinion - that cultures thrive when the Blessed Mother is venerated. She deftly points out how as western culture's veneration of Mary deepened, so too did its esteem of womanhood - motherhood in particular. Men, instead of regarding women as trophies or objects of gratification, were instead led to ponder the mystery at the heart of every woman and to embrace men's God-given mission of laying down their lives in service to wife and children. Women, in turn, recognize the incredible dignity with which the Creator has endowed them - their unique genius for cooperating with God to bring new life (both individual and cultural) into the world and nurture it to adulthood. When Mary's place in salvation history and our devotional lives is forgotten - or worse yet, rejected - then Christian culture begins a process of deformation: the exaltation of the "I" in place of the "we," marital breakdown, contraception, abortion, moral relativism, etc. We see the results all around us. The answer? We must accept Jesus' gift from the Cross, Mary, and allow her to mother us into a life of radical discipleship.Cultural change always begins small - look no further than Mary and Joseph in the cave of the Nativity...or Mary and the small cluster of disciples awaiting Pentecost...or Mary and Juan Diego and the conversion of the Americas...or Mary and Cardinal Wojtyla behind the Iron Curtain. Mary is always there, waiting to introduce us, as she has countless millions of other disciples, into deeper intimacy with her Son, greater receptivity to the stirrings of the Spirit, and heroic obedience to the Father.There is a great deal to love about this book but at the top of the list, at least for me, is the way Dr. Gress explains the theology of consecrating oneself to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She pulls together insights from saints such as Bernadine of Siena, Louis Marie de Montfort, Maximilian Kolbe, and John Paul II, as well those of theologians like André Feuillet and Johann Roten. (My "to read" list has grown as a result.) I especially appreciated her discussion of Mary's relationship to each Person of the Trinity; it is extremely well done.At just over 200 pages, this book is not so thick as to intimidate. As soon as one begins reflecting upon what he or she has read, however, the scope of the discussion and weighty insights give it the feel of a much longer work. The Rosary is a subject woven throughout, but Dr. Gress also discusses Marian apparitions, devotional items like the Miraculous Medal and Brown Scapular, as well as drawing a number of historical connections of which I was unaware. (Fulton J. Sheen fans likely know of the connection between Fatima and Islam, but who knew that the same was true of Lourdes? "The Marian Option" is filled with these kind of historical gems.)There is a great deal of buzz about this book and deservedly so. "The Marian Option: God's Solution to a Civilization in Crisis" is a gorgeous book, both inside and out. (Seriously, online images cannot do the cover justice!) I heartily recommend picking up a copy and allowing the Lord to renew the fire to live your vocation.

Have you ever read a number of books on a particular topic only to find that some are simply "retelling" of previous works? This is not one of those books! As a Catholic who has done a fair amount of reading in recent years, in and out of the classroom, I found this book to be fully engaging and enjoyable, from intro to conclusion.Especially regarding a topic like the Virgin Mary, abut which so much has already been written, it's hard to have something fresh to say. And by "fresh," I do not mean theological innovation but simply a new objective or perspective. Dr. Carrie Gress has given us such a book. Although she draws from many great saints and other sources throughout, I never once found myself asking "OK, what's the point?" Her writing is so clear and concise, she can dive into her sources without losing sight of the target. I found this very refreshing, as several books I have read recently came from priests and theologians who may have had good intentions but lacked the writing talent to serve their readers. Gress has both!Having done some professional writing over the years, and now finding myself in the seminary classroom, I tend to be somewhat critical of an author's writing style and choices as I read. So one of my joys while reading this book was enjoying page after page without being turned off by poor writing mixed with good subject matter- Gress delivers a great subject wrapped in good writing.In some books, appendices look like extra material an author or publisher tacked on to lengthen a skimpy book. Not so here; a very trim and useful appendix sends the reader off with something on which to chew for a while. And speaking of book length, Gress has crafted a perfect work. It is neither too short, making one feel shortchanged, nor too long, losing our interest before the curtain falls.One curious thing I found... towards the end of the book, Gress relates the traditional story of Saint Peter leaving Rome to avoid being killed. In it, the author writes that Our Lord asks Peter, "Where are you going?" The way I have often heard the story is that in walking away from Rome to avoid being crucified, Peter encounters Our Lord. Peter asks "Where are you going, Lord?" Our Lord replies, "I'm going to Rome to be crucified again." Peter than turns around and heads back to Rome. But who knows, such a traditional tale may have more than one version.I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Our Lady, the Rosary, the role of Mary in the Church, the state of our society or all of the above. And if you purchase the hard copy of the book, you will find that the cover art is almost as lovely as its author.

It is a good, readable, informative and useful book. It ties together the most famous Marian apparitions. Anyone with the slightest appreciation of Our Lady can appreciate it. My only reservation that is keeping me from five stars, is there are times when the author cites Wikipedia and a few websites that I do not know well enough to have any weight with me. It is a fine book. Its not going to tax your intellect, but it is not meant to do so. It is meant to show emphasize the power, propriety and history of a quality relationship with the Mother of our Lord.

Being a catholic convert of a few years, I wanted to see what the Marian Option might be.Weak is what it might be. A call to prayer is vital. A call to repent is vital. But let's not forget Jesus spent his first 30 years in a community--being taught -growing in wisdom and grace.Working and playing hard in a community is vital to being human. As the human community shatters and pathology becomes the norm, the community dies.There must be a balance between Martha and Mary. We must pray, but we must also work together.I found this book to be lacking in that balance.

Helpful book that touches upon much of the right historical and analytical stuff about why the Virgin Mary is a hidden power worthy of our honor and devotion. The point about Mary's oneness with the Holy Spirit in conceiving the Lord Jesus Christ was significant and memorable. Holy Mary, Mother of God, was announced by the angel, Gabriel, to be Plenia Gratia (full of grace) and that the LORD was with her.There is a next step to this message. Author Carrie Gress Phd afterwards published a book on Marian Consecration for Children.

A fascinating insight and overview into Marian devotion and a call for its renewal and strengthening as the antidote to the ills of the current age.

This was an excellent read that had a different twist to the idea of the "Benedict Option" (where the idea is floated that we need to either physically retreat from the world [ie. go live in a remote/rural area] or cut ourselves off from the secular world as much as possible so that we can hunker down and protect the Faith while the world hurtles down the crazy train tracks).Where is everyone from Sunday Mass? Why aren't they showing up to Adoration or Catechism or Bible studies? Why aren't Confession lines longer? Why are so few Catholics on fire and living the Faith in a real and concrete way? Carrie Gress suggests that we can turn not only the Church around, but also the world if we would just surrender ourselves into the loving hands of our Blessed Mother. She suggests that the key is to inflame our hearts by praying the Rosary, the Angelus and other Church approved devotions.Carrie reminds us of what happens when mere man is truly devoted to the Blessed Virgin--she tidies us up and brings us closer to her son, Our Lord Jesus. We build massive, awe inspiring Cathedrals. We win impossible battles and wars. Our minds are clear thinking and our hearts are drawn to purity so our Churches are full and we naturally tune out heresies.Retreat from the world to protect the Faith? No, plug into Mary and allow her to transform us one person at a time...and the world will in the end voluntarily turn to her too. And when that happens, the world (art, music, literature, education, architecture, society in general) is a thing of beauty and at its best.Note: Too many Marian books nowadays include quackery and non-approved "messages" and "apparition's"...these do much harm because they turn people off or misdirect their devotions. Have no fear with this book, Carrie keeps it on the straight, Church approved path.

Brilliant book! It was just as inspiring as I hoped it would be.Highly recommended to all Catholics, but especially to those who love Mary like me, and wish to learn more about her and deepen their relationship with her.

The author brought a perspective that had never considered before. Impressed!

The best book that I have ever read on the Blessed Mother's appearances and influence in the history of the Church and in the world!!! Wonderfully written and a very enjoyable and easy read! Fr. Daren