“Mary, Teach Me to Be Your Daughter”- Book Review

Hello Dear Friends,

There is a book I would like to share with you all today that I had on my list of “must-read’s” for some time and recently finished. I first came across this book through an advertisement on social media from Ascension Presents and knew the moment I swiped, and my eyes met the title that I needed this book. It struck me for a moment as I gazed at the beautiful sapphire cover and pondered its title and meaning, “Mary, Teach Me to Be Your Daughter”. I remember repeating it over and over again in my mind and thinking, “How could a title so simple hold so much reverence?” The notion of prayerfully asking the Mother of God to instruct me as a woman brought an intense sense of both consecration and confusion to my life. Let me explain.

Growing up Protestant, I didn’t have the Heavenly support system that the Catholics have in the form of the saints and especially in the form of Mary. The Blessed Virgin Mary has always been such a mystery to me, someone I wanted so desperately to grasp and understand, but never could quite reach. The Catholic faith, along with this book, has been an incredible bridge connecting me to the ultimate Mother.

Megan Madden paints a vivid story with her words about the life of Jesus through the eyes of Mary. I was able to embark on a journey with her via the pages of this book as she walked me through virtues Our Lady possesses and how to apply them to my life. Megan communicated the need for a relationship with Our Lady in a relatable way that could reach anyone in their attempts to better understand the role the Blessed Mother wants to have in our lives.

Megan rightfully states in her opening chapter that, “a woman is meant to be a mother (be it physically or spiritually)”, and poses the lucid questions, “How might I be a true mother, and how might I live out this motherhood in the fullness of my femininity?” She prompts us to genuinely connect ourselves to our intrinsic desires as women and discover that the need to mother lies at the core of all that we are. Megan also expresses the significance of “becoming a ‘little mother’ in light of Our Lady’s perfect example of motherhood, with this littleness rooted in the dignity and beauty of St, Thérése of Lisieux’s Little Way.”

I can look back on my life and now see the presence the Queen of Heaven has always had in my life. A subtle, yet devoted longing to teach me, guide me, and place my hand in her Son’s. If seeking the pathways to the fullness of womanhood, motherhood, and femininity the ideal example is the Mother of God. For she knows humility, faith, obedience, purity, patience, kindness, wisdom, and love like no other woman who has ever lived. If seeking a place to begin this journey as a daughter of Mary, this book is an excellent place to start.