Kimberly Hahn's reflection on Mary

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

You may have heard or read Scott Hahn’s work but have you read or heard of his wife, Kimberly’s conversion story or her struggles to understand Mary? Below is an excerpt from Kimberly’s reflection on Mary:

“…I find it helpful to draw my children’s hearts toward Mary by describing her part in the mysteries of the Rosary or her place at the various Stations of the Cross. On a recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we talked about her role in salvation history as we visited Nazareth, Cana, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. As our appreciation grows for Mary, our gratitude grows for God who gave her to us.

One day Scott called to our infant son, Jeremiah, “Come to Daddy!” We both watched as he made a gallant effort to crawl as quickly as he could on the slick wood floor. Seeing Jeremiah’s struggle, I ran to his side, scooped him up, and raced over to Scott, dropping him into Scott’s waiting arms. As we laughed together, Scott and I suddenly looked at each other and said, “Mary.” I had never before understood why Catholic friends would say that Mary was a quicker way to get to the Father through the Son; now I had just enacted physically what she does spiritually. She helps us in our struggle to reach the Father…"

You can read the full reflection at: Mary, Our Mother – St. Paul Center

 

[Seagull]

I don’t even like Scott Hahn - talk about brainy

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Seagull,

Thanks for your reply. The first time I sat in on a theology class which Scott Hahn was teaching, my husband and I were discerning whether or not he should enroll in the theology program at Franciscan University.

Sitting among the young men and women in that undergraduate course, I cannot remember much of the specific subject of the course Scott Hahn was teaching, but I was very impressed with the love he had for his students and the zeal with which he was trying to present the Truth of the Catholic Church’s teachings.

At one point he said something like this to the class:

“When you are learning these truths of the Catholic Faith, do you realize you are handling ‘jewels’?”

I believe God gave Scott that insight as a convert to Catholicism. My husband did graduate from the Masters in Theology Program, and so I had the opportunity to sit in on some of his other classes. My favorite Professor at Franciscan U. was Dr. John Crosby who taught PhIlosophy.

Dr. Crosby also conveyed a love for his students, and I learned later he was a friend of Pope St. John Paul II and worked with him in Rome. Dr. Crosby like JPII showed a great respect for the dignity of the human person, and I was amazed at the patience he had in helping his students to articulate answers – when they were stumbling around trying to answer a question.

Many saints were “brainy”, dear seagul – but when you get to know some of them they generally are very simply God’s children, with different gifts from us, but much loved by Him and still learning as we are how to build up The Body of Christ in love. I never met Kimberly Hahn, but I was blessed by the excerpt I quoted in the OP. I hope all of us Catholics will grow more and more in our love for God through Mary, Mother and Model for the Church. May we learn from her as she learned from Jesus.