"Mary seems to be a bridge to Islam," writes James Heft, SM. "The Qur'an mentioned Mary by name 34 times, presenting her as a model affirming her virginal conception of Jesus. Still another striking example: only 7 per cent of wartorn Sri Lamka is Christian, but during the (2009) feast of the Assumption 500,000 people, including tens of thousands of Buddhists and Hindus -- who fought against each other in civil war -- together thronged the roads to Madhu to honor the Mother of Madhu, represented by a 500 year-old statue of Mary.
Who would have guessed a century ago tha the Mother of Jesus would be such a magnet and force in ecumenical and interreligious dialogues."
Have we other examples of Mary as a force in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue?
 In The Marian Blog, NCR books editor Arthur Jones invites a discussion on envisioning Mary, the mother of Jesus, in 21st-century terms.
Jones has been a Catholic journalist since before the Second Vatican Council. This month, Paulist Press releases his latest book, Mary, a Mother Waiting, Raising the Messiah. Jones describes his book as an exploration of the mother-son relationship of Mary and Jesus during the “hidden years,” until she eases him front and center into his ministry at Cana. You follow The Marian Blog and news about Mary, a Mother Waiting, Raising the Messiah on Facebook (tinyurl.com/Mary-A-Mother-Waiting) and Twitter (twitter.com/amotherwaiting). |
