PRAYING—WITH THE SAINTS—TO GOD OUR MOTHER

      Copyright © 2012 Daniel F. Stramara Jr. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

      Cascade Books

      An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

      199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

      Eugene, OR 97401

      www.wipfandstock.com

      isbn 13: 978-1-61097-491-2

      Cataloging-in-Publication data:

      Stramara, Daniel F., Jr.

      Praying—with the saints—to God our mother / Daniel F. Stramara Jr.

      xii + 448 p. ; 23 cm. Includes bibliographical references.

      isbn 13: 978-1-61097-491-2

      1. Saints—Prayers and devotions—English. 2. God—Motherhood. I. Title.

      bv245 s79 2012

      Manufactured in the U.S.A.

      Dedicated to the women in my life

       who have enabled me to see the feminine face of God,

       especially my wonderful wife, Clare,

       who has been loving, patient, and supportive;

       to our beautiful daughter, Julianna,

       who inspires the delight and joy of love;

       to my loving mother, Audrey, who formed me and embodies grace;

       to my sister, Andrea, who exhibits creativity and playfulness;

       to my maternal grandmother, Violet, who nurtured me;

       to my paternal grandmother, Verna, who saw me as precious;

       and to my maternal great grandmother, Mary (Gram),

       who displayed gentleness and care.

      Every scribe who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven

       is like a steward of the house who draws out from the storeroom

       things both new and old.

      —Matthew 13:52

      Illustrations

      1 Holy Spirit

      2 Holy Trinity

      3 God the Generatrix

      4 Pelican with Her Young

      Illustrations by Daniel F. Stramara Jr.

      Acknowledgments

      I would like first of all to thank my wife, Clare, and daughter, Julianna, for all of their patience and loving support as I spent months upon months working on this book. You have my deepest gratitude.

      Likewise, the work of previous translators was a boon to me when wrestling with passages. I am indebted to your hard work. And thanks to all of my teachers throughout the years who taught me ancient and modern languages. These have become invaluable tools in my regular research, but especially with regard to this book.

      Also the help of librarians must not be overlooked. Without the aid of Verna Rutz and Ellie Kohler, our former and current librarian in charge of interlibrary loans at Rockhurst University’s Greenlease Library, as well as the help of Ron Crown at Saint Louis University’s Pius XII Memorial Library, accessing some of the critical texts would have been impossible. Librarians are an invaluable asset to researchers; thanks to all!

      The encouragement as well as critical eye of my colleague Bill Stancil, who read the manuscript, is very much appreciated. And thanks to Rockhurst University for granting me a semester sabbatical to work on this project, and to the Thomas More Center for a subsequent summer grant. Likewise a big thank you to Chris Spinks and Nathan Rhoads and the team at Cascade Books for making this book a reality.

      Finally, without the help of the Holy Spirit directing me to texts, helping me translate them and then weave this Office of Readings together, I never could have done it. A deep heartfelt thank you!

      June 12, 2011

      The Solemnity of Pentecost and of the Holy Trinity

       (concurrence of East & West)

      Introduction

      Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly,

      as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom,

      singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,

      with gratitude in your hearts to God.

      —Colossians 3:16

      About the Topic

      God is a wondrous life-giving mystery to be experienced personally. The rich bounty of God’s love overwhelms us and defies scrutiny. No matter how much we try to comprehend God, totally understand God, we can’t; we can only partially know God. The Scriptures, as well as Christians throughout the centuries, have warned against putting God in a box, making images of God and turning them into idols. No one image can capture the infinite graciousness of God’s total presence; no one metaphor can exhaust the immeasurable liberality of God’s complete loving presence (known as “immanence”). That is why the Scriptures abound with various analogies and metaphors, struggling to paint a comprehensive picture of God’s loving relationship with us. Genesis tells us that God created us in the image of God, male and female God created us. Appropriately, Moses and the prophets after him were not afraid to compare God’s love for us to that of a mother for her child, or to utilize other feminine analogies and metaphors. The Scriptures, as well as Christian tradition, emphasize that God is neither male nor female, that the infinite Divine Nature cannot be circumscribed by such categories pertaining to finite nature. God’s very Being transcends these attributes and surpasses their richness while at the same time encompasses them.

      Masculine metaphors of God afford us deep and beautiful insights into God’s inexhaustible love for humanity. The majority of us are quite familiar with these. Unfortunately, the Christian populace is not as aware of the feminine imagery employed by the Scriptures as well as Christians throughout history, providing yet another window into the vastness and enduring strength of God’s relationship with us. God is neither male nor female, but possesses qualities we deem as masculine and feminine, while at the same time surpassing such life-giving qualities. Regrettably, for us humans, we usually come into consciousness about something only when we really concentrate on it, and thus end up possibly excluding other vital realities. This book runs that risk. I have purposely focused on feminine analogies and metaphors of God and not masculine ones. However, as will be evident, the two are not exclusive. Many writers, both biblical and Christian, felt quite at ease moving back and forth between masculine and feminine imagery.

      About the Purpose

      The purpose of this book is to enable one to experience and to appreciate in a prayerful and meditative manner various feminine aspects of God. While this book is primarily a book of prayer, it can also be used by the serious scholar as an anthology of scriptural and Christian texts depicting God in feminine imagery; Appendix B lists the critical sources used in the translations.

      It is my express hope that Praying—with the Saints—to God Our Mother can enrich your personal life and encounter with God, as well as bear fruit