Marvelously Made:  Gratefulness and the Body

Each chapter in Marvelously Made focuses on a vital part of the body (the heart, the lungs, the brain, the joints); relates an anecdote from the author’s experience; provides reader-friendly (i.e., not overly technical) information about the wonders of the organ or body part, and offers a prayer and a set of gratitude practices physical and spiritual meditation exercises to deepen the reader s appreciation of the body.

Mary Earle helps us see that our bodies are marvelously made, a “sacred space,” where God’s wondrous and mysterious ways can be appreciated contemplatively, with gratitude. But she also takes gratitude to its next step, in suggesting ways of serving others’ bodily needs with compassion and conviction. — Brian C. Taylor, Becoming Christ: Transformation Through Contemplation

A deceptively short book to be read slowly and savored. Reminding us of the wonder of the Incarnation, it invites the reader to reflect on the holiness of our bodies. Her guidelines for prayers of gratitude for our physical selves are gentle and doable. – Margaret Guenther, Holy Listening, The Practice of Prayer, and Walking Home.

A thoughtful exploration of self in the most literal sense—a tactile exploration of our bodies, the substance of our lives and habitation of our living. Nor does the author leave us to ourselves alone, but invites us into relationship with the earth of which our bodies are made and to which we will each one day return. — Sam Portaro, Crossing the Jordan and Transforming Vocation.

A beautiful resource for those of us who want to enter more deeply into a prayerful experience of the body. Through a series of thoughtful contemplative practices that bring us to a deepened sense of our own grace, Earle leads the reader gently to a renewed sense of wonder, amazement, and profound gratitude for the gift of being in a body. Highly recommended. — Christine Valters Paintner, The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom