The Alabaster Orphan A Mystic Girl Journey with Jesus eBook Mary Maaga
Download As PDF : The Alabaster Orphan A Mystic Girl Journey with Jesus eBook Mary Maaga 
"I think I am hearing the voice of the Messiah in my dreams." The moment Esther speaks these words to her beloved John, she begins her journey from orphan to disciple of Jesus Christ. As the woman with the alabaster jar who washes Jesus's feet with her tears, Esther becomes one of Jesus's best friends and is by his side for his teachings, healings, and miracles. Seamlessly weaving fictional characters and Biblical figures together, The Alabaster Orphan is a complex and moving story set in a world fraught with spiritual longing and danger, especially so for a young woman with no male protectors and a soul open to God.
Judas, Peter, Mary Magdalene, and Jesus's mother, as well as many other figures familiar to readers of the Gospels, are presented with a vibrancy and immediacy rarely seen in Biblical fiction. Esther's intimacy with Jesus's inner circle gives the reader "fly on the wall" access to the conversations and conflicts that took place before and after the famous healings, miracles, and teachings of the New Testament.
This is a story bound to stir controversy in its portrayal of Jesus's mother as a significant spiritual guide for her son, Mary Magdalene as his wife and confidante, and Judas as his best friend.
The Alabaster Orphan A Mystic Girl Journey with Jesus eBook Mary Maaga
Many have heard the story of the "sinful" woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. Mary Maaga has given this woman a name and created a back story for her. With a background in anthropology and degrees in divinity and religion and society, she has researched the role of women in first century Hebrew society and posits that Esther, the protagonist, would have experienced much of the horror of being a single woman with no male relative (father, husband, brother) to shield her from being taken advantage of in many brutal ways. But Esther is also a visionary. Her spirit saves her from physical and emotional destruction through all her harrowing experiences and brings her into discipleship with Jesus and the Apostles. She follows Jesus to the cross--and there the story abruptly ends. I thoroughly enjoyed and was moved by this novel, and the only reason I did not give it five stars is that it seems unfinished to me. I have heard that Mary is working on a sequel to this novel. I can hardly wait!Product details
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The Alabaster Orphan A Mystic Girl Journey with Jesus eBook Mary Maaga Reviews
From the first page, even the first paragraph, you'll get the sense that this book is different. The Alabaster Orphan A Mystic Girl's Journey with Jesus Mary will descriptively and creatively bring each character to life. You will learn more about your beliefs through the history brought to life of the stories in the Bible and some will blindside you. I did not expect to be challenged through a fiction novel. It's personal and it's gritty. I have been awe of Mary's ability to hit each person who reads this novel differently and each time I share this book with friends conversations follow. And then gratitude for having shared it.
Get it on or in soft cover. I guarantee you'll be glad you did.
I'm rating Dr. Maaga's book 4 instead of 5 stars because I think she can and will do even better. I personally felt The Alabaster Orphan got off to a slow start that belabored the anthropological veracity of her story. As the story unfolded, the author seemed more confident of her footing as a storyteller and let go of her need to prove her academic credentials. The story itself was riveting and a beautiful look into what it might have been like to walk with Jesus. And it is destined to stir up controversy. The ending was a bit shocking (no spoiler), and I wondered if Dr. Maaga couldn't have brought the reader in for a softer landing. But, whatever the case, I'm now a loyal fan and look forward to much more to come from Mary Maaga.
I kept having to remind myself it was fiction. Great insights and a window into feelings and struggles of the core group.
I haven't finished the book yet. So far, it has been wonderful.
If you have a hard time visualizing what it would be like to live in Jesus' time, this is the book for you.
If you have a hard time visualizing what kind of man Jesus was, this is the book for you.
Every wonder what caused Judas to betray Jesus? Here is one plausible explanation.
Only caution to this interesting book - it is long. Don't expect to read it in one sitting. But do read it, it will give you much to think about.
Mary Maaga is an amazing woman, a minister with a very special ministry to the homeless. As a part of her spiritual journey she has written this book about Jesus, his followers, life and times, difficulties and challenges. The story begins with a young mystic girl in the Jewish faith, and takes one on her journey to discipleship. Maaga truly challenges the reader's church-based concepts about the life and times of Jesus and the disciples. Fabulous and deeply disturbing. Too disturbing for me to say I love it.
Okay, full disclosure the author of this book is a very dear friend of mine. And I could definitely "hear" her in it--in the prose, in the dialogue, in the personal lives of some of the characters. But quite apart from that sort of familiarity, I found the story and the characters compelling, very moving, at turns devastatingly and shatteringly true. If you are a Christian and lean left, you are likely to find it just as difficult to set down as I did. Be prepared for heartache--but be prepared also to meet Jesus in a new way, through the eyes and soul of a mystic girl as well as through the more familiar, but freshly reimagined, biblical cast of characters.
Of particular note, I think, are the way Mary has re-visioned Judas (I will say no more, not wanting to spoil it for you) and the way she has drawn both Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary. I am a liberal Catholic who finds great comfort and inspiration in Mother Mary...and the way my *friend* Mary has written my *Mother* Mary only strengthens my devotion to the latter and my admiration of the former. I am feeling my daily Rosary more deeply these days, experiencing the Rosary's Mysteries with a renewed perspective and appreciation.
This is definitely NOT a book for children, and parents of teens may want to read it first. This is NOT a whitewashed Bible story. There are episodes of sexual violence, and the hardness and fragility of life for those on the margins of society in biblical times is portrayed with unflinching, sometimes brutal honesty. I think these facts make it a better book than it would have been without them.
My one and only complaint is the occurrence of several who/whom errors--which leap out at my English major's eyeballs no matter what I am reading. But it is a mark of the tremendous power of this story that I have given the book five stars, breaking my own rule against giving the highest rating to any book that contains editing errors. In this case they are merely a minor distraction from an incredibly moving reading experience. Bravo, Mary Maaga. Bravo!
Many have heard the story of the "sinful" woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. Mary Maaga has given this woman a name and created a back story for her. With a background in anthropology and degrees in divinity and religion and society, she has researched the role of women in first century Hebrew society and posits that Esther, the protagonist, would have experienced much of the horror of being a single woman with no male relative (father, husband, brother) to shield her from being taken advantage of in many brutal ways. But Esther is also a visionary. Her spirit saves her from physical and emotional destruction through all her harrowing experiences and brings her into discipleship with Jesus and the Apostles. She follows Jesus to the cross--and there the story abruptly ends. I thoroughly enjoyed and was moved by this novel, and the only reason I did not give it five stars is that it seems unfinished to me. I have heard that Mary is working on a sequel to this novel. I can hardly wait!
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