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Mary, Worthy of All Praise: Reflections on the Virgin Mary
In the Gospel of Luke, we hear the angel's timeless proclamation to Mary, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women" (Luke 1:28). Every generation of Christians must contemplate these angelic words, for Mary is the Theotokos and Mother of our Lord. Every culture must confront her mystery. Through its worship services, the Church gives us many opportunities to consider the place of the Mother of Jesus Christ in our lives. The Paraklesis service, sung every day during the Virgin's Lent, offers the perfect vehicle to do just that. Sung from the first to the fifteenth of August, and at other times of illness and distress, the Paraklesis is a supplicatory song, a canon of praise, a series of poems celebrating with honor the Mother of Jesus our Lord. Fr. David Smith shares with us his own personal meditations on Mary, based upon his reflections on the Paraklesis service.
120 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2004
About the author
David R. Smith
134 books9 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 13, 2021
This slim book is a series of chapters, most of which about the Holy Virgin, Mary, Mother of God. Written by a Greek Orthodox priest, I was hoping to learn more about the differences between Eastern and Western Catholic theologies (for I am Roman Catholic myself), and specifically in how they relate to our Blessed Mother.
While some of the paragraphs in this work were good, I have significant issues with the formatting, or rather, lack thereof. There are passages or verses that are set apart from the regular text but never cited, so I have no idea where they come from if I want to read the original verse etc. in full. Each chapter ends with a scripture passage to "reflect upon", but the subject matter in those passages aren't discussed in the chapters themselves, so there is a jarring disconnect between what's being quoted and what's being said by the author. Father David Smith gives one or two odd encounters he's had with people, often outside of his faith, and he comes across as judgmental because it seems he refused to try and understand or convert these persons. He states how different--and presumably wrong--they are, and then moves on without any sort of reflection or prayer. The book comes across as somewhat memoir when he mentions his own sin and conversion to Greek Orthodox from Protestantism, but there isn't any character growth through-line, so his stories just fall flat.
This just didn't seem to have gone through any sort of editing or vetting process at all. This read like an extremely informal homily, or a slightly more put together blog post, than an official published book about theological reflections. While Father Smith certainly gives his personal opinions about different meetings he's had with believers and non-believers alike, he doesn't seem to reflect much on anything here. I was expecting a higher quality than what this offers, so I'll be looking to other theologians the next time I want to reflect more on our shared Catholic faith.
I can see how some Greek Orthodox practitioners would get something out of this, but most likely only other priests with the exact same perspective would agree with this work. He just doesn't do a good job of guiding readers through scripture reflections or defending his opinions with either logic or theological passages.
While some of the paragraphs in this work were good, I have significant issues with the formatting, or rather, lack thereof. There are passages or verses that are set apart from the regular text but never cited, so I have no idea where they come from if I want to read the original verse etc. in full. Each chapter ends with a scripture passage to "reflect upon", but the subject matter in those passages aren't discussed in the chapters themselves, so there is a jarring disconnect between what's being quoted and what's being said by the author. Father David Smith gives one or two odd encounters he's had with people, often outside of his faith, and he comes across as judgmental because it seems he refused to try and understand or convert these persons. He states how different--and presumably wrong--they are, and then moves on without any sort of reflection or prayer. The book comes across as somewhat memoir when he mentions his own sin and conversion to Greek Orthodox from Protestantism, but there isn't any character growth through-line, so his stories just fall flat.
This just didn't seem to have gone through any sort of editing or vetting process at all. This read like an extremely informal homily, or a slightly more put together blog post, than an official published book about theological reflections. While Father Smith certainly gives his personal opinions about different meetings he's had with believers and non-believers alike, he doesn't seem to reflect much on anything here. I was expecting a higher quality than what this offers, so I'll be looking to other theologians the next time I want to reflect more on our shared Catholic faith.
I can see how some Greek Orthodox practitioners would get something out of this, but most likely only other priests with the exact same perspective would agree with this work. He just doesn't do a good job of guiding readers through scripture reflections or defending his opinions with either logic or theological passages.
March 4, 2026
As per recommendation: This was a nice little devotional that supplements the Paraklesis service. I found it an easy read and a nice way to unpack some of the practical theology behind the Orthodox understanding of the Virgin Mary.
This book goes through the different odes of the Orthodox Paraklesis service to describe how and why we are called to relate to Mary as we do. It is broken into 14 small chapters with Scripture reflections at the end of each one, making it an ideal daily devotional for use during the Dormition Fast.
I did like the easy, approachable way the author describes the Theotokos and her significance in our lives. He confronts the various issues that some outside of Orthodoxy may feel about her with the tone of experience, as he was once a Protestant who felt much the same way. He writes like a preacher, with analogies and anecdotes to illustrate each point, and practical ways for us reflect on ourselves and our relationship not just to Mary but to Christ and to ourselves and our sins. I did not use this as a daily devotional, but it's easily made to be one, and I appreciated that! I sing the Paraklesis nearly every week at one of my parishes, so it was nice to hear this explanation and deeper dive into what that service is calling us toward and why.
It's a bit preachy and simplistic. I think he glosses over a few issues and oversimplifies some things. The Scripture readings at the end felt weirdly placed and superfluous. I don't think they were woven in to the chapters very well, more just added on just because? I also think I would have liked a tad bit more historical background on the Paraklesis service than we got, since it's the main text of the book.
Overall, I think this would be a great Orthodox devotional, especially for Dormition. It would make a good book club read, and also a good way for catechumens new to Orthodoxy to get introduced to what most likely seems to be a controversial and confusing topic: praying to the Theotokos aka the Mother of God. It is simple to read and yet full of thought-provoking insights to help anyone draw closer to this most important of saints. Most Holy Theotokos, pray to God for us!
This book goes through the different odes of the Orthodox Paraklesis service to describe how and why we are called to relate to Mary as we do. It is broken into 14 small chapters with Scripture reflections at the end of each one, making it an ideal daily devotional for use during the Dormition Fast.
I did like the easy, approachable way the author describes the Theotokos and her significance in our lives. He confronts the various issues that some outside of Orthodoxy may feel about her with the tone of experience, as he was once a Protestant who felt much the same way. He writes like a preacher, with analogies and anecdotes to illustrate each point, and practical ways for us reflect on ourselves and our relationship not just to Mary but to Christ and to ourselves and our sins. I did not use this as a daily devotional, but it's easily made to be one, and I appreciated that! I sing the Paraklesis nearly every week at one of my parishes, so it was nice to hear this explanation and deeper dive into what that service is calling us toward and why.
It's a bit preachy and simplistic. I think he glosses over a few issues and oversimplifies some things. The Scripture readings at the end felt weirdly placed and superfluous. I don't think they were woven in to the chapters very well, more just added on just because? I also think I would have liked a tad bit more historical background on the Paraklesis service than we got, since it's the main text of the book.
Overall, I think this would be a great Orthodox devotional, especially for Dormition. It would make a good book club read, and also a good way for catechumens new to Orthodoxy to get introduced to what most likely seems to be a controversial and confusing topic: praying to the Theotokos aka the Mother of God. It is simple to read and yet full of thought-provoking insights to help anyone draw closer to this most important of saints. Most Holy Theotokos, pray to God for us!
January 21, 2024
This is an easy book to read and I did like there the author wrote from perspective about their journey with connecting to Mary. However, there was a story very early on where the author was talking about an experience of going into church in a neighborhood and there was a woman screaming and yelling profanities in an argument with another neighbor. The purpose of this I think was the contrasting of the woman outside and the Akathist to the Theotokos happening inside the church but the author referred to the woman as "the local welfare mom" and that was just so upsetting to read that is completely distracted me from the authors point and quite frankly ruined the rest of the book for me. There was no need for the author to refer to her as a "welfare mom" as he certainly had no knowledge and it wasn't his business if she was. It was such a demeaning way to talk about the woman. There were a few other moments when the author talked about others and the way the author talked about those people he encountered just never sat right with me. The author can make the points without demeaning other people. It honestly made the book so difficult to read as I just didn't want to. The author's good points are lost in how just off-putting his way of talking about other people was.
January 30, 2022
In the Orthodox Church we sing the Paraklesis (a hymn or chant) to the Theotokos (Mary, the Mother of God) most notably during the Dormition Fast in August, but also at times of distress or sorrow. You can hear it chanted here: https://www.goarch.org/-/small-parakl.... It’s truly beautiful.
This delightful little book breaks down each of the odes of the Paraklesis with particular emphasis from Father Smith about how the hymn has affected him. He is then able to apply the power and beauty of the prayer to our daily lives. I really enjoyed understanding the meaning behind some of the lines that had been lost on me until reading this. The Orthodox Church is so rich in history and tradition that it’s easy to miss stuff! More importantly, it’s always possible to learn more. I was grateful for how much I learned from Father Smith’s contemplations.
This delightful little book breaks down each of the odes of the Paraklesis with particular emphasis from Father Smith about how the hymn has affected him. He is then able to apply the power and beauty of the prayer to our daily lives. I really enjoyed understanding the meaning behind some of the lines that had been lost on me until reading this. The Orthodox Church is so rich in history and tradition that it’s easy to miss stuff! More importantly, it’s always possible to learn more. I was grateful for how much I learned from Father Smith’s contemplations.
August 14, 2025
Great and simple book! Short enough to read one chapter a day during the Dormition Fast. Fr. David explains that loving the Theotokos draws us ever closer to Christ!
“The salvation that Christ our Lord offers us ends the torrents of our weeping, because God has promised us a place where no tears can be found, only forgiveness, acceptance, and love. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’ (Matthew 5:4).” — p. 106
“The salvation that Christ our Lord offers us ends the torrents of our weeping, because God has promised us a place where no tears can be found, only forgiveness, acceptance, and love. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’ (Matthew 5:4).” — p. 106
August 28, 2025
Fr. David goes through the paraklesis / moleben to out Most Beloved and Allholy Mother of God and offers reflections on the verses in a very enjoyable manner. This is the perfect book to read during the Dormition Fast. Highly recommend!
June 21, 2022
I just couldn’t finish this book. I’m sure someone out there appreciates it but I’m not one of those people. It was just too painful and disjointed.
July 9, 2014
This was a wonderful little book that, abstaining from sticky spiderweb arguments, simply conveys the Church's attitude (and subsequently explicated why it is important) toward Mary, the birth giver of God. Most holy Theotokos save us.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews