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Book
The Passion of Mary-Margaret

Author
Lisa Samson

The Review
The Passion of Mary-Margaret is one of the most captivating and intriguing “story of a life” novels I’ve read in a long time. Orphaned as an infant and raised by her grandmother and a loving but slightly crazy aunt until they both died and she was left in the care of the sisters at the St. Mary’s Convent School for Girls on Locust Island in Maryland, Mary-Margaret Fischer feels called to fulfill the destiny her mother didn’t live to complete. Her mind, heart, and soul are totally focused on becoming a religious sister, devoting her life to the service of God and loving Jesus as her one and only bridegroom. In fact, it’s all she’s ever dreamed of—even from a very young age.

Mary-Margaret harbors a secret relationship with her Lord that not everyone will understand—a special relationship that, if told, could mark her crazier than her beloved aunt—and occasionally has her questioning her own sanity. But that relationship is also the most special, intimate, and beloved of her life. It sustains her through difficulties, guides her every step, encourages her during trials, and enables her to endure suffering for her Lord with a grace and commitment most people lack. This novel is first and foremost a love story between Mary-Margaret and her savior, Jesus Christ.

But The Passion of Mary-Margaret is also more. It is also the story of her love for Jude Keller, the boy she watched fly kites from the decks of the lighthouse across the bay since she was a very small child. The two actually met for the first time when Mary-Margaret was nine years old and Jude was eleven, but already wise far beyond his years in the ways of the world, in stark contrast to Mary-Margaret’s sheltered life. He was the best looking boy she had ever seen and he held her interest like no one else ever had, despite the fact that she couldn’t figure out what he saw in her. But attracted to her he was—and he made that quite obvious over the years as the two grew into their teen years and he made tantalizing, forward, and suggestive comments to her. For reasons she couldn’t quite fathom, Jude and Mary-Margaret grew to be close friends and Jude confided in Mary-Margaret secrets he never shared with anyone else. Popular and experienced with the girls, Jude seemed preoccupied with Mary-Margaret, the one girl he couldn’t have. Because, despite the flutter of attraction between them, Mary-Margaret was steadfast in her conviction to live a religious life with Jesus as her only husband, and she told Jude so. Still, she couldn’t deny the sensations that set her body tingling when Jude stole a kiss now and then (and she let him!), and she did sometimes wonder what might happen if she hadn’t been so devoted to her calling. She also liked to dream occasionally of what it would be like to have a child of her own—family being something she valued a great deal since she really had none of her own—and she knew that could never be if she followed her most heartfelt dream.

Fast forward about ten years or so and Mary-Margaret is getting ready to take her final vows, having completed years of devotion to her God, teaching at Christian schools, living a life of prayer, and taking an appropriate period of contemplation. Jude Keller has virtually disappeared from Mary-Margaret’s life, but for an occasional short visit that gives her a glimpse into what a sordid life his world has become—a life of drugs, sex, and all things illicit in the bad part of Baltimore he disappeared into when he fled their small island town for reasons no one knows. Mary-Margaret’s heart breaks for him, especially because she knows how much he truly loves her and that she does not feel the same way about him. She wonders if she could save him from himself if only she wasn’t already so devoted to her God and her plan for the religious life.

But then Mary-Margaret receives a sign from God—a clear and direct sign telling her what she must do—and she can hardly believe what her Jesus is asking of her!

I don’t want to spoil any of the revelations that made this book such an intriguing read and a page-turner for me, so I won’t elaborate too much on this point. Let me suffice it to say God’s plans are not always our plans, but He does use all things for the good of those who love Him and He can work some miraculous changes in people—and Lisa Samson’s novel illustrates just a few examples of God’s grace and love in action.

Written as Mary-Margaret’s memoir, author Lisa Samson does an exceptional job of weaving the past and the present together and doing so in a way that keeps readers wanting more, yet satisfies their need to know what is going on now with what happened in the past, and all in such a way that it isn’t simply dished up for them like a second helping of supper. Her peeks at the past whet the reader’s appetite for more, help them to really know Mary-Margaret on an intimate level—complete with some of her funny little quirks and idiosyncrasies—and gives readers real sustenance.

As a born-and-raised Roman Catholic who found myself drifting from the foundations of my own faith for various reasons as a young adult—and who has recently returned to my Roman Catholic roots—I was particularly enthralled with this tale of the life of Mary-Margaret Fischer, a religious sister whose life has been anything but ordinary. I was impressed with her commitment to following God’s will for her life in spite of the fact that she had other plans—which seemed like wonderful God-serving plans in their own right—and that she was able to set her desires aside to fulfill what really was her greatest desire: to please Jesus by doing what He asked her to do. That’s something I think all of God’s faithful people struggle with. We want to do God’s will, but we also want to do what we want to do when we want to do it! This novel was a beautiful testimony to what God can do through us to fulfill our deepest desires when we give ourselves willingly to do His will. The two purposes seem to contradict each other and yet God makes everything mesh perfectly at the perfect time!

The Passion of Mary-Margaret is truly a story of the power of love, faithfulness, and putting your trust in God’s plan for your life despite whatever you may be going through in the present moment. Whether you are Roman Catholic or practice another faith, this novel has much to offer readers of all denominations!

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Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of the book to review.