Sunday, August 7, 2016

Who Does He Say Who You Are: Women Transformed by Christ in the Gospels by Colleen C. Mitchell


How do we define ourselves or more importantly who defines us? We might say we define ourselves but shouldn’t we be looking to God about who we should be.  The author states in the prologue, “ I began to remember God’s vision for who I am, to hear him remind me of who it was he made me to be, by drawing near to him in prayer and reading scriptures, which had always been my favorite way to encounter Jesus and build my relationship with him”. The title “Who Does He Say You Are” is of course a play on words from the Gospel of Mark 8:29. “Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah”. The author, Colleen Mitchell shares with us her personal story of loss and grief as the backdrop of her book.  She brings us along on her spiritual journey.  She includes, “And somehow we found our way through the grief and I found my way back to intimate friendship with Christ, back to who he says that I really am”. 
I liked that the bible verses were provided not simply their bible reference pages at the beginning of each chapter. Description of the women in the New Testament like the Virgin Mary, the Samaritan woman at the well, Mary Magdalene, and Mary and Martha to name a few, are the topics of the chapters.  A feminine spirituality is explored by the author and is also consistent with Catholic teachings. The best part is her confrontational style of addressing us her readers. You can see yourself in the characteristics of each woman’s story in the bible. The author draws us out with questions and reflections. I loved the prayers at the end of each chapter. The author concludes with, “I hope you are encouraged to see the Gospels as an invitation to consider who we are in light of who Christ is and to accept the grace he offers us to be transformed by our encounters with him”.
I would recommend this book to you because it accomplished its purpose in drawing me closer to God. In times of grief we can feel lost and this book makes you feel found again.