“Your Yes Can Change Everything.”
Mary Aloe has produced more than 56 films. Over the course of her career, many have stayed with her spirit long after their release, though they eventually loosen their grip.
One film has proven different: “Mary, Mother of Jesus.”
“What started as a business transaction in 2007 became a 17-year journey of spiritual formation and ultimately a calling,” Aloe says of the film.
Over that stretch of time creating “Mary, Mother of Jesus,” Aloe experienced what she calls “extreme spiritual warfare.” She started over three times. People told her to give up on the project. She couldn’t. Mary’s journey captivated her, so much so that telling her story became “more of a calling.”
Eventually, the film got made. Aloe brought it to Netflix, where it was released in 2024 and became a global hit, surpassing 100 million views, with audiences still discovering it today. But that was only the beginning for Aloe. The lessons she learned from Mary all those years were too meaningful to keep to herself. She took pen to paper and wrote Let It Be Me: Sacred Lessons from Mary, Mother of Jesus for Your Daily Life.
The latest title from The Open Field, Let It Be Me is a quilt of inspiration and guidance. Aloe weaves together her reflections on how Mary's courage, compassion, forgiveness, perseverance, and unwavering faith have become a compass in her life, one that’s given her strength and hope.
As Aloe reflects more on the book below and her practice of what she calls “Marynating,” she shares how she hopes Mary’s wisdom will give readers the guidance to say “yes” that it’s brought her.
“I didn't just learn about Mary. I learned from her,” she says. “And that's what inspired me to write Let It Be Me.”
A CONVERSATION WITH MARY ALOE
You coined the term “Marynating.” What does that mean, and how can readers practice it?
Think about the concept of marinating, allowing something to absorb wonderful flavors until they become part of it; I began wondering what would happen if we immersed ourselves in Mary's extraordinary qualities: her courage, compassion, patience, forgiveness, perseverance, grace, and unwavering faith.
That's what I call Marynating. It's about taking Mary's lessons and applying them to everyday life. When we're facing grief, confusion, uncertainty, or difficult decisions, how can we respond with greater courage, compassion, and trust? The book offers 100 daily devotionals that help readers practice these qualities in their own lives. Marynating isn't about becoming perfect. It's about allowing Mary's example to inspire how we live, love, forgive, and face life's challenges.
And sometimes it begins with one simple word: yes.
What surprised you most about Mary during those seventeen years?
For years, I thought I knew Mary—or at least, I thought I knew about her. The young woman in blue. The serene figure in nativity scenes. The silent presence in paintings, head bowed, hands folded, perpetually still. I'd grown up with that Mary, and like many people, I'd never thought to question whether stillness was the whole story.
It wasn't.
The deeper I went—through Scripture, through the world of first-century Judea, through conversations with biblical scholars, priests, rabbis, and religious leaders who generously shared their wisdom—the more I found a woman I didn't recognize but desperately wanted to know.
A girl who said yes to the impossible before having any idea what it would cost her. A mother who fled across borders with a price on her child's head. A woman who watched her community turn on her son and still refused to look away. A person of profound faith who also asked hard questions, felt real fear, and sometimes didn't understand what God was doing.
That Mary—the human one, the brave one, the one who kept showing up—is the Mary I found myself drawn to, and the one I hope you'll encounter in these pages.
Your book speaks about making faith relatable and accessible. Why is that important to you?
Yes, I call it “relatable faith” because I believe faith is for everyone; anything but divisive faith must be inclusive. I'm not a theologian or a minister. I'm a film producer who has experienced tremendous professional and personal highs, heartbreaking disappointments, and some very dark days and nights throughout this journey.
While I practice as a non-Catholic, I have tremendous love and respect for the Catholic tradition and its beautiful devotion to Mary. Catholics often bring Mary into their spiritual lives throughout the year, while many non-Catholics think about her predominantly during the Christmas and Easter holidays.
I wanted to inspire people to discover that Mary's lessons aren't just ancient history. Her courage, compassion, forgiveness, perseverance, and unwavering faith are just as relevant today and can help guide and nourish our souls, especially during these uncertain times.
That's why throughout the making of the film and the writing of this book, I spoke with scholars and religious leaders of all faiths. I wanted these lessons to reach not only people of strong faith, but also those with little faith, those who have lost it along the way, and those still searching for it. Like a beautiful cathedral whose doors are open wide to each person who passes by, this book offers comfort to all who enter. Faith is truly for everyone—and this book is a gift of love for people from all walks of life who find themselves seeking deeper meaning, connection, and spiritual intimacy.
That's the spirit in which I wrote Let It Be Me.
What did this journey teach you about your own life?
It taught me that sometimes our greatest struggles become our greatest teachers. Mary's example taught me patience when I wanted answers, perseverance when giving up seemed easier, forgiveness when it was hard to let go, and surrender when I couldn't control the outcome. I learned that saying yes doesn't mean we understand the road ahead. It means having the courage and faith to take the next step, even when we don't know where it will lead. What began as a film became an extraordinary journey of spiritual formation and self-discovery. And the greatest gift is that these lessons didn't end with the film. They continue to guide me in my everyday life.
What do you hope readers take away from Let It Be Me?
While the book is 368 pages and contains 100 devotionals, I never intended it to be a book you simply read from beginning to end and put away. My hope is that it becomes a meaningful part of your life, something you return to whenever you need inspiration, guidance, or strength.
You can read one devotional a day, follow a seven-day or twelve-day plan, or simply turn to a chapter that speaks to whatever you're experiencing at that moment. Whether you're grieving the loss of a loved one, experiencing heartbreak in a relationship, facing the loss of a job, struggling with the rising cost of living, or simply trying to find your footing in a world filled with uncertainty, I hope that you'll discover something in Mary's journey that speaks directly to your own life.
Mary's courage, compassion, perseverance, forgiveness, and unwavering faith offer timeless lessons that are just as meaningful and practical today as they were two thousand years ago. I believe her extraordinary example can help us navigate the very real challenges we're facing today, offering strength, hope, and a sense of grounding when life feels uncertain.
More than anything, I hope it becomes a trusted companion that people return to again, and a book they feel inspired to share with others.
Mary’s yes changed the world. Your yes can change everything.
Mary Aloe is a film producer, author, speaker, and founder of the Marynating™ devotional movement. Learn more at maryaloe.com.
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