The Mystery of Marriage: Meditations on the Miracle (Paperback)

by Mike Mason (Author) "The week of our honeymoon, my wife and I stopped one afternoon at a Trappist monastery It was a hot summer day, the air bright..." (more)
Key Phrases: God Himself, Jesus Christ, God's Own (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In his now-classic volume, offered for the first time in trade paperback, Mike Mason makes a poetic search for understanding of the wondrous dynamics of committed love. In highly readable, first-person style, Mason muses on everyday miracles within marriage, and frankly addresses the demands to self which true oneness requires. "A marriage is not a joining of two worlds," says the author, "but an abandoning of two worlds in order that one new one might be formed." Rich chapters on "Otherness," "Vows," "Intimacy," "Sex," and "Submission," lift readers above the mundane in coupledom to view the eternal, spiritual nature of setting out on this faith-filled, "impossible," wild -- yet wonderful -- frontier.

About the Author
Mike Mason lives in Langley, British Columbia, with his wife, Karen. He is the author of several books, including The Gospel According to Job and The Mystery of Children. The couple has one daughter, Karen.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (August 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576737799
• ISBN-13: 978-1576737798
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #178,240 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Perspective on an Ancient Institution!, July 30, 2002

By	David R. Bess (Charleston, WV) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There are thousands of books available on how to prepare for marriage, how to improve upon a marriage, or how to affair-proof a marriage. Mason here departs from the crowd and exults in the institution of marriage itself. His perspective is one of reverent awe rather than analytical examination.

Mason ponders the mystery of marriage from several different angles: otherness, love, intimacy, vows, sex, submission and death. His words are readable, yet profound. His book considers the greatest delights of marriage as well as the greatest demands.

I recommend this volume to anyone wanting to get a better understanding of how God has created marriage, and how He manifests His glory and His grand design through it. I have read many other books on marriage, but none with this unique, awe-inspiring approach. This work is a true classic!

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Single Best Book on the Meaning Of Marriage Ever Written, March 20, 1998

By	Mike Chambers (Stafford, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mystery of Marriage (Hardcover)

Mike Mason's "The Mystery of Marriage" is an inspired and inspiring work, a breathtaking work of prose which reveals the transcendency of marriage, from the physical to the spiritual. Without preaching, Mason tells the story of his stepping away at the last moment from life in a monastery to embrace a life-consuming love in marriage. In a work which is profoundly honest and intimate, we glimpse the spiritual nature of marriage so easily lost in our chaotic world. Mason's openness, honesty and vulnerability, give us a work of incredible love which is beyond human ability to share. I am moved to tears by the love of Christ poured out on these pages.

This is a life-changing book, and I gladly give copies to friends considering marriage.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, poetic book on the true MYSTERY of marriage, May 11, 2000

By	Kitty Law - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mystery of Marriage (Hardcover)

Well, I guess it's about time to write a review for Mystery of Marriage after reading it over and over many times since my husband and I were first dating (8 years ago) and after giving it as a wedding gift to every single bride and groom we know. This book is a masterpiece. It stands alone as the most richly woven piece of literature about the state of being married that I have ever read. Mike Mason puts eloquent, authentic words to the feelings every husband and wife experience in a manner that makes you SO glad that you're married (or about to be) EVEN IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING REAL STRUGGLE. You cannot help but be moved by his riveting description of the marriage union...both the utter agony and the sheer bliss. The book builds as the true MYSTERY of marriage unfolds before you...the very thing we all long to understand and to grasp. Once you're into this book for very long, what will really send deep shivers through your soul is the realization that this unbelievabley 'impossible' union we are trying to have with our mate is only hinting at the extraordinary marriage between our God and us. Yes, this beautiful analogy has been written of numerous times before, but trust me...not like this. I would recommend ordering at least TWO copies of this book... one to give away and one to read simultaneously with your partner.(I suggest alone, because these words are powerful and seering, and to be most effective, perhaps need to be contemplated deeply in solitude.) You will not be sorry to have invested in this book...and don't let the 'gift book' appearance turn you off...I believe it was packaged this way to encourage giving it to couples. Give it to YOURSELF first. And to God be the Glory!