Whispers of Mary: What Twelve Old Testament Women Teach Us About Mary

Throughout the history of the Bible, incredible women have played a part in the story of salvation. 

Steeped in Scripture, the Blessed Mother would have known and pondered the stories of these women. She might even have recognized pieces of her own story in theirs.

Following the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, the same one used in The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)™ podcast, Whispers of Mary: What Twelve Old Testament Women Teach Us About Mary invites Catholics to explore Marian typology through the lives of women like Eve, Esther, and Judith.

Written by Bible teacher Gayle Somers, Whispers of Mary serves as a resource for Catholics to grow in relationship with the Blessed Mother through:

Stories of biblical women from each Old Testament time period of The Bible Timeline

Reflection questions that provoke deep thought about how each Bible story applies to our lives

Space for journaling at the end of every chapter

And more!

With thought-provoking commentary and hundreds of Scripture verses, Whispers of Mary deepens readers' appreciation for the story of salvation by revealing how even in the Old Testament, the lives of heroic women pointed toward Mary, and through Mary, to God.

Those who've reread a favorite novel or watched yet again a beloved movie know what a delight it can be. Already knowing the ending, we notice the true significance of characters and events we previously thought little of. In these pages, Gayle Somers invites us to read the Old Testament in light of what God accomplished in and through the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a great resource for individuals or study groups who want to approach Scripture with fresh eyes. After all, when it comes to this story, we can never be too familiar with it—for it is the story of our salvation."

–Fr. Sebastian White, O.P.

Editor-in-Chief, Magnificat

"Years ago, I sat riveted to my folding chair in our parish hall as Gayle brought to life the women of the Bible, full of vibrancy and color—making them real and relatable and endearing. I’m overjoyed that her wisdom and deep insight is now in my hands, able to be gleaned and savored again and again. Whispers of Mary will transport readers into the sweeping story of salvation history and allow them to recognize within it not only Our Lady, not only her types in Scripture, but—marvelously!—even themselves."

—Claire Dwyer

Author of This Present Paradise: A Spiritual Journey with St Elizabeth of the Trinity and Co-founder of Write These Words.com 

"Whispers of Mary is an elegant and insightful read. Somers’ writing is utterly

engaging and reflects an infectious love of scripture and of Our Lady."

–Noelle Mering

Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and author of Awake, Not Woke

and the Theology of Home books series.

"As a young girl I loved reading the stories of women from the Old Testament,

enjoying the isolated tales of these bold and complicated foremothers in their

own right. But no one taught me to see the connecting threads between them,

threads that are woven into the fabric of salvation history itself, reaching a

culmination in the figure of Mary. This masterful study reveals those connections

by unveiling the biblical art of typology—the signs and “whispers” of the new

covenant that are hidden in the old, and which take on new life and meaning

through the light of the Incarnation. The stories of these women are each part of

God’s unfolding self-revelation, from the distant era of the patriarchs to the

descent of the Spirit at Pentecost. Whispers of Mary invites us to rediscover, in all its richness and complexity, the feminine genealogy of our faith."

–Abigail Favale

professor at the University of Notre Dame and author, The Genesis

of Gender: A Christian Theory and Into the Deep: An Unlikely Catholic Conversion