When Mary Calls: Surprising Encounters with the Mother of God - Margarita Mooney Clayton
A young Protestant man from the Bible Belt experiences miraculous healing at a Marian shrine in Ireland. A Methodist woman sees Mary through "a tear in the world" and receives a life-saving warning. A world-renowned composer discovers that every musical composition "is a little incarnation." In an age of spiritual hunger and cultural confusion, people from Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox backgrounds are turning to Mary as their spiritual mother. Part spiritual memoir, part theological exploration, When Mary Calls is an emotionally resonant narrative tapestry of deeply personal, testimonial-style stories of Marian encounters today, reflecting Margarita Mooney Clayton's unique voice as both scholar and spiritual witness. Through seven compelling personal stories—including Clayton's own dangerous missions to help dissidents in her mother's homeland of Cuba—this book reveals Mary's maternal protection at work and explores how she binds believers to authentic faith communities. Through these contemporary encounters with Mary, Clayton shows how the Mother of God offers what our disenchanted age desperately seeks: an alternative to sterile rationalism and a path to authentic spiritual renewal. Each chapter shares a "Pentecost moment" that leads not just to personal transformation but to binding with the living community of faith. Mary emerges as a model of true creativity rooted in humility rather than self-assertion. The diverse expressions of love for Mary offer embodied devotional practices that bridge time-tested traditions and our mysterious longings for personal encounter with the divine. When Mary Calls demonstrates how the Mother of God continues to draw seekers into deeper relationships with Christ, transforming extraordinary encounters into sustained spiritual practices which offer meaning and to a world searching for hope.240 pages, hardcover Reviews: “Margarita Mooney Clayton reminds us of something the modern world has almost forgotten: that Mary is not a sectarian figure but the mother of ALL who follow Christ—Pentecostal, Orthodox, and Catholic. This remarkable book rekindles our sense of wonder at the mysterious partnership between the human and the divine. It invites readers to rediscover a faith in which heaven touches earth, and miracles lead us deeper into truth. When Mary Calls is essential reading.” —Eric Metaxas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and host of Socrates in the City and The Eric Metaxas Show ***** “An encounter with Mary is unexpected in our time—because she’s almost universally misunderstood. Dr. Margarita Mooney Clayton traces the many ways over that wall of misunderstanding. First among them is Scripture, of course, and the beauty of biblical typology. I love this book.” —Dr. Scott Hahn, the Father Michael Scanlan TOR Professor of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at Franciscan University of Steubenville and author of Hail Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God