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Mary in the Redemption
Mystical insights on Our Lady's Role in the Redemption. Adrienne Von Speyr was a convert to Catholicism, a medical doctor, wife, mystic and author of some 70 books on spirituality. In this profound work on Our Lady, Von Speyr explores Mary's participation with Christ in our redemption, and the unique relationship that each of us should have with our spiritual mother.
130 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2003
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About the author
Adrienne von Speyr
139 books42 followersAdrienne von Speyr was a Swiss medical doctor and the author of over 60 books on spirituality and theology.
Von Speyr was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Her father, Theodor von Speyr, was an ophthalmologist. Her mother, Laure Girard, was the descendant of a family of noted watchmakers and jewelers from Geneva and Neuenburg. Speyr was her parents' second child.
Speyr's mother scolded her daily and this led her to form a strong trust and devotion to God, as well as a recognition of the meaning of sacrifice and renunciation. She formed a deep relationship with her grandmother, a holy and pious woman. She also had a devotion to her father, who treated her with mutual respect and understanding, often taking her with him to the hospital to visit sick children. In her primary school years she began working with the poor and even formed a society with her friends for those living in poverty.
Speyr became a Roman Catholic on 1 November 1940, the Feast of All Saints, when she was 38, under the spiritual direction of the prominent priest and theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar.
She is considered by many to have been a mystic and is reputed to have had mystical experiences of the Trinity and the saints.
While in a state of contemplative, mystical prayer, she dictated to Balthasar over 60 books, including commentaries on the Bible and various theological topics. With Balthasar she co-founded a secular institute, the Johannesgemeinschaft (Community of St. John). Her reputed mystical experiences grew in frequency until her death in Basel, Switzerland, on 17 September 1967.
Von Speyr was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Her father, Theodor von Speyr, was an ophthalmologist. Her mother, Laure Girard, was the descendant of a family of noted watchmakers and jewelers from Geneva and Neuenburg. Speyr was her parents' second child.
Speyr's mother scolded her daily and this led her to form a strong trust and devotion to God, as well as a recognition of the meaning of sacrifice and renunciation. She formed a deep relationship with her grandmother, a holy and pious woman. She also had a devotion to her father, who treated her with mutual respect and understanding, often taking her with him to the hospital to visit sick children. In her primary school years she began working with the poor and even formed a society with her friends for those living in poverty.
Speyr became a Roman Catholic on 1 November 1940, the Feast of All Saints, when she was 38, under the spiritual direction of the prominent priest and theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar.
She is considered by many to have been a mystic and is reputed to have had mystical experiences of the Trinity and the saints.
While in a state of contemplative, mystical prayer, she dictated to Balthasar over 60 books, including commentaries on the Bible and various theological topics. With Balthasar she co-founded a secular institute, the Johannesgemeinschaft (Community of St. John). Her reputed mystical experiences grew in frequency until her death in Basel, Switzerland, on 17 September 1967.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 9, 2014
It is a theological work on Mariology which is very short, dense and repetitive.
Repetitive because it is a collection of writings that deals with Mary and her role in Redemption. And so, inevitably the concepts reappear.
It is dense because it deals with many of the mysteries and dogmatic teachings of the Catholic Church. And everything is explained in short chapters. For instance, the explanation for the dogma of Mary being Co-Redemptrix is so dense that one has to read the sentences over and over again to understand the logic of Adrienne von Speyr. The other dogmatic teachings on Mary, such as, The Immaculate Conception (pre-redemption of Mary); Mary, as the Mother of God and Church; Coronation of Mary in Heaven; Mary, the Virgin-Mother; Incarnation and Mary's Role (the Fiat); etc all of them get explained in short chapters. In other words each chapter is very dense.
As Hans Urs von Balthasar says in the intrduction, may be I should have started with Adrienne Von Speyr's masterpiece, Handmaid of the Lord. I will have to try reading more of her writings.
Note: Some of her observations are very similar to Caryll Houselander opinions in The Reed of God. Only that Caryll spoke in simple terms and Adrienne speaks in theological terms.
Repetitive because it is a collection of writings that deals with Mary and her role in Redemption. And so, inevitably the concepts reappear.
It is dense because it deals with many of the mysteries and dogmatic teachings of the Catholic Church. And everything is explained in short chapters. For instance, the explanation for the dogma of Mary being Co-Redemptrix is so dense that one has to read the sentences over and over again to understand the logic of Adrienne von Speyr. The other dogmatic teachings on Mary, such as, The Immaculate Conception (pre-redemption of Mary); Mary, as the Mother of God and Church; Coronation of Mary in Heaven; Mary, the Virgin-Mother; Incarnation and Mary's Role (the Fiat); etc all of them get explained in short chapters. In other words each chapter is very dense.
As Hans Urs von Balthasar says in the intrduction, may be I should have started with Adrienne Von Speyr's masterpiece, Handmaid of the Lord. I will have to try reading more of her writings.
Note: Some of her observations are very similar to Caryll Houselander opinions in The Reed of God. Only that Caryll spoke in simple terms and Adrienne speaks in theological terms.
April 18, 2016
Very dense but at times fascinating work in which the mystic Von Speyr grapples with Mary's role in Christ's work of Redemption.
Plan on studying this text. This shouldn't be something you whip through.
Plan on studying this text. This shouldn't be something you whip through.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews