May 22, 2018
There is an easy, short, perfect and sure way to save our failing Western civilization that is often overlooked in the endless slew of books and articles penned by Catholic intellectuals: Turn to Mary. Carrie Gress’s book The Marian Option: God’s Solution to a Civilization in Crisis reminds us that in crisis after overwhelming civilizational crisis, Mary has saved the day when her children had the humility and simplicity to beg her for help. Our age is no different.
In this episode, Carrie and I discuss The Marian Option, as well as her latest book, Marian Consecration for Children, the importance of women in the church, and the pernicious attempts by “Catholic feminists” to remake Mary in the image of Beyonce.
Come, Holy Spirit! Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us!
Links:
The Marian Option https://amzn.to/2IIYvSd
Marian Consecration for Children https://amzn.to/2KHydju
Carrie’s blog, My Favorite Catholic Things https://myfavoritecatholicthings.com/
Helena Daily https://www.helenadaily.com/
Books on Marian consecration for adults:
St. Louis de Montfort: True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin https://amzn.to/2IEn4zB
Preparation for Total Consecration According to St. Louis de Montfort, Fr. Hugh Gillespie, S.M.M. https://amzn.to/2Lgqom1
33 Days to Morning Glory, Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, M.I.C. https://amzn.to/2KKnZ1Q
Other books mentioned:
The World’s First Love, Ven. Fulton J. Sheen https://amzn.to/2IDocU9
Jesus and His Mother, Fr. Andre Feuillet (out of print) https://amzn.to/2s17cQA
Ultimate Makeover: The Transforming Power of Motherhood, Carrie Gress https://amzn.to/2KJ7LGh
Timestamps:
Carrie Gress interview
2:55 Carrie’s book panned by wacky individual
4:15 Origin of The Marian Option—nothing wrong with Benedict, but Mary is more powerful, central and directly relevant to contemporary challenges
9:17 The big picture of Mary’s influence on world history; Mary’s influence on the Battle of New Orleans
10:12 Little-known intercontinental links between Marian events; example: Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Reconquista, the conversation of Mexico and the Battle of Lepanto
15:26 Why the Marian Option is not just an option
17:15 How cultures flourish under Mary
18:41 Why Catholic intellectuals look to their own pet projects to save the West and not to Mary; hang-ups about private revelation; the limits of argumentation
26:01 Carrie’s new book, Marian Consecration for Children; giving children a sense of their mission here and now
37:01 The influence of women on culture
40:15 The importance of women, feminine spirituality and the Church as feminine vs. modern “feminization” of the Church
47:10 The attempts by “Catholic feminists” to make their own Mary
53:54 “Equal” is not a useful word
55:09 Women are demonstrably unhappier under today’s model of womanhood
57:30 Sts. John Paul II and Edith Stein on feminism
1:00:59 The dangers of trying to create Catholic versions of ideologies
1:02:48 Carrie’s new content aggregate site for Catholic women, Helena Daily
1:07:00 Books on Marian consecration for adults
1:10:24 This week’s excerpt: Ven. Fulton J. Sheen
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