When reading the Old Testament, it is easy to become absorbed in the drama or the geographical, historical, or cultural context of the stories, and overlook the value and contribution of the women in the stories. Maybe some of us are familiar with the women mentioned in the Old Testament. We know them so well that we could confidently breeze through a round of Jeopardy. Perhaps some of us wouldn’t have such luck as we haven’t had an opportunity to get to know these women.
In her book Whispers of Mary, Gayle Somers guides the reader to see how Eve, Sarah, Miriam, Rahab, Hannah, Bathsheba, the Unnamed Widow (see 2 Kings 4:1), Esther, Judith, the Mother of Martyrs (see 2 Maccabees 7:20-23) are types of Mary, our Blessed Mother, and how each woman's story ultimately leads us to Mary.
Women of the Old Testament
The stories of these twelve women are filled with turmoil, division, resentment, jealousy, betrayal, doubt, desperation, and confusion. Somers teaches us that they take all of this on, and then, in return, demonstrate hope, courage, perseverance, fortitude, humility, love, mercy, forgiveness, peace, and confidence out of their unwavering faith and love of God. They don’t wallow in the evil that springs forth from human error. They sing songs of praise and worship to God, such as when they are delivered from a battle or a close encounter of being lost to an enemy. Their prayers of gratitude show how they trust God beyond human understanding. Somers brilliantly leads the reader to new ways of seeing how these women point towards Mary.
What They Teach Us
The fascinating thing about the stories of these women is that they are relevant beyond the ancient times in which they lived. They are part of our own history as Catholic women who currently walk this earthly pilgrimage in the twenty-first century. All of the issues we grapple with are not new. They may be under the guise of modern living, but when we zoom in, we can clearly see the same patterns of human dysfunction. These Old Testament women, together with Mary, show us that their love of God and trust in His plan for them is what allowed them to receive His grace, which transformed the tragedy that marked their lives. We can draw inspiration from them in our own difficulties. Somers describes how these women remembered the stories of the women who came before them and how they responded with their own heroic moments. Without faith, the stories of these women seem dire and hopeless, as if they have been forsaken, but through the scope of faith, we can see God’s saving hand in how these stories begin and end.
Women of the Old Testament Foreshadow Mary
Our fast-paced lives may not compare to the time these women walked the earth, but their receptivity and interior disposition is the path for us to realize that our Blessed Mother is and has always been the way to Jesus. Their faithfulness, humility, and feminine instinct to protect, lead, defend, and praise God reveals to us what our Queen mother would be like. In Whispers of Mary, Gayle Sommers assists the reader in seeing the deeper connection between these twelve women of the Old Testament and the Mother of God. They say yes to God in small and hidden ways without knowing how their individual yeses would culminate or affect Salvation History. This connection between these women and what they teach us about Mary offers the reader a new opportunity to pray with familiar words from Scripture while discovering how Mary is woven into it all.
Who is This Book for?
This book belongs next to your Bible. What is unique to this book is that it goes along with the The Bible Timeline Learning System by Jeff Cavins from Ascension. It can be read individually or with a group and will change your knowledge of the Old Testament, regardless of how many times you have read it.
This book is for:
- Anyone who has ever wondered how God had a plan for the Virgin Mother.
- Anyone who wants to know how God wove Mary’s story into that of countless other women before she was born (just like God laid the foundation for Jesus, He did the same for Mary).
- Anyone who has ever been at odds with Mary as a mother and has wondered if she is relatable or understandable on a human level.
- Anyone who desires to know Salvation History and the impact women had on the outcome of how these stories unfolded.
As a cradle Catholic, I have been largely more exposed to the lives of female Saints than the lives of women of the Old Testament. This book has offered me space in my spiritual journey to welcome these women into my own life and remember that their stories aren’t detached from my own. Their stories all pointed towards our Blessed Mother, and as we travel this earthly pilgrimage we can trust that Mary is etched in our story too.
For more information about Whispers of Mary, click here.
Mytae Carrasco Wallace is Las Vegas born and raised and holds a Masters in Public Administration. She and her husband have the privilege of leading Pre-Cana retreats for their home parish. On the daily you can find her raising her three kiddos, choreographing dance moves to entertain her children, and doing her own version of carpool karaoke. She was a contributing author to All She Had. Find out more about her here. Mytae es creada y nacida en Las Vegas, NV. Tiene su Maestría en Administración Pública. Ella y su esposo tienen el privilegio de dirigir los retiros de Pre-Cana para su parroquia. Diariamente puedes encontrarla criando a sus tres hijos, coreografiando movimientos de baile para entretener a sus hijos y cantando su propia versión de karaoke en el carro. Fue autora contribuyente de All She Had. Conozca la mejor aquí..
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