An Excerpt of BOUND in Sword & Spade

It is always gratifying when someone you admire appreciates your work. So when Jason Craig, editor of Sword & Spade and author of Leaving Boyhood Behind: Reclaiming Catholic Brotherhood asked if he could publish an excerpt from BOUND, I was delighted to say yes. S&S is focused on issues that men and families face with ideas and solutions from a Catholic perspective. This issue of S&S was devoted to the historic decision of the US Supreme Court to reverse Roe v Wade--to give thanks to God and to remember that we still have to fight at the state level for the most vulnerable in our society. The date of this reversal was profound for Catholics because it was the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Font of Love) and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, who leaped with joy in his mother's womb at the sound of Mary's greeting. Such a beautiful sign from God to bring us hope. Life is winning!

But the story that touched my heart the most was from Jason himself, "Thank you for not killing me," words spoken by his 13-year-old niece at her mother's (his sister's) wedding. Not every child is born in ideal circumstances, but they treasure their life. I've seen my share of bedraggled children in India and not one of them wanted to die. Ever. They begged for food or money. They wanted to live. Yet we would think them better off dead. Jason's essay recounts his shock at learning that his pro-life mother made an appointment at a Planned Parenthood clinic to discuss what their "choices" might be.  

The excerpt he chose to publish was the chapter when Rebecca takes Joy to an abortion clinic. If you read closely, you will see how language is used to hide the truth of what is actually happening. I am so proud to be in the pages of Sword & Spade. 

Dobbs v Jackson: Overturning Roe v Wade

On this Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I cannot help but thank Him for giving SCOTUS the courage to overturn the very unjust Roe v Wade ruling that opened the door to abortion on demand. I listened to a priest speak about free will and what it means. True freedom means we have freedom to do the right thing. If you do the wrong thing, it's an abuse of free will. I needed to hear that second sentence.

Abortion is the greatest evil. It is why I wrote BOUND, to make a defense of life using natural law as a guide. But I didn't realize the spiritual dimension until I came across a very interesting testimony about what happens spiritually in an abortion and it is downright horrifying: What Happens Spiritually in an Abortion | Padre Peregrino:

"Abortion is the worst of all the sins because to kill the children still in the womb of the mother, to kill a little innocent and defenseless creature, is to give power to Satan. The devil commands from the depths of the abyss, because we are scattering innocent blood! A baby is like an innocent lamb and without stain… And Who is the Lamb without stain? It is Jesus! In that moment, the baby is the image and likeness of Jesus! The fact that it might be the mother herself to kill her own child, determines a profound bond with the darkness, permitting that more devils from hell might come out to destroy and strangle humanity. It is as if one might open the seals… Seals that God has put to impede evil to come out, but that, for every abortion, it opens… And so horrible larvae come out, so that there are more and more devils…

They come out to chase and persecute humanity, and then make us slaves of the flesh, of sin, of all the bad things that we see, and we will see always more. It is as if we might give the key of hell to the devils, to let them escape. And so escape more devils, of prostitution, of sexual aberrations, of Satanism, of atheism, of suicide, of indifference… Of all the evils that we see around us. And the world is getting worse every day… Think how many babies are killed every day: it is all a triumph of the evil one! That you might know that for the price of this innocent blood, the number of devils outside of hell grows; they circulate freely in our midst! Let us take shelter!"

Let us take shelter in the Heart of Jesus, opened for us to save us. May the triumphant Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved, blessed and glorified forever! My hope is that just like we are healing from the sins of slavery by abolishing it, that we can now begin to heal as a nation from the sin of abortion. My heart sings non nobis Domine!

Build an oratory within yourself; and there have Jesus on the altar of your heart. ~ St. Paul of the Cross

It is also the Feast of St. John the Baptist, who was sanctified in the womb of his mother Elizabeth at the Feast of the Visitation.

BOUND Price Drop

I con't usually check stats on Amazon but I was getting a link for BOUND and noticed it's on sale. Woohoo! The timing couldn't be more perfect as many of us are called to give a defense of life in light of imminent reversal of Roe v Wade. This is an excellent time to pick up copies of Bound for your young friends to help them examine the question of life from various angles, for book club or classroom discussion. Suitable for ages 12+

May Flowers

May, the month of Mary, has flown with so many celebrations. My sweet baby girl turned 21, the pup 14. Her two best friends graduated and are getting married. She's been maximizing her time with them because they're settling in Montana, one of my favorite states, but much too far. It's gratifying to see the children growing up so beautifully. Deo gratias!  

The kid is making good use of her new book, Drinking with the Saints by Michael Foley, and making refreshing cocktails every afternoon. She's also happy picking up work as a bartender, trying to earn as much as she can before she goes off to Alaska to fish. I expect we'll be eating a lot of wild salmon when she returns. What an adventure it's going to be! 

We stick closer to home; went on a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Greenwood, SC to venerate the relics of St. Bernadette that are touring the US. We took the back roads and it was lovely to see the farms with their happy animals grazing or resting, the earth bringing forth nourishing food. But our thoughts were directed heavenward there and back with fervent prayers for healing (and writing). I remember how Flannery, when she went to Lourdes did not pray for her bones but the novel she was working on at the time. One thing is true, even if one does not receive physical healing, we are strengthened spiritually, given the courage and fortitude to bear all things. I believe in miracles and always pray with utter abandonment and confidence for even the impossible dreams because nothing is impossible for God!

We're beginning to enjoy the bounty from our own garden too. It's been so beautiful and fragrant to sit out on the porch to read and write. I'm not on the computer much, which explains my neglect of this blog, but I still enjoy keeping it and grateful for this avenue to share my thoughts. 

I've been praying and playing a lot more. When the world seems to be going mad with a lust for war and injecting even children with these covid shots, there is nothing I can do but pray to end the insanity, the corruption. When the draft of Dobbs was leaked from the Supreme Court, it's as if demons are out demanding that child sacrifice must continue. I pray the Justices will be protected and will reverse Roe. Our future depends on it. Abraham Lincoln said that the Civil War was punishment for the sin of slavery. I cannot even imagine what the punishment will be for the nearly 60 years of legalized abortion in our country--we've lost not just 60 million babies but their entire branches of the family tree. And I sorrow for the women and men who've had to make this decision because it seemed like the only choice. Parce Domine!

Author Series and Marches

Suzanne Detar of the Daniel Island News (and herself an author of Don't Lose the Ball in the Lights and Other Life Lessons from Sports) invited me to kick off the Daniel Island Author Series along with Pamela Brownstein, another children's writer, who is promoting her first book, Low-ku: Haikus of the Lowcountry and illustrated by Tessa Liesecka. What a privilege it is to be able to share my writing journey and encourage others to devote time to the dreams God has placed upon their hearts. I loved this ad that the editor made, especially it's placement right below Snuggles. You can read more about it here in the paper: The Daniel Island News launches monthly author series | The Daniel Island News I love living here--it truly is a community and the local newspaper Sue started is a big part of it. Local friends, please come if you can. This is the first in-person authorly event I'm doing in two years. 

I also loved the timing of this event. My thoughts naturally turn to building a culture of life, with BOUND my small contribution, on the anniversary of Roe v Wade that brought in a culture of death in our country. My kids have been going up to DC to March for Life with their friends and I love that the future is pro-life.  

This year, there was another important march to end all the Covid-related mandates. Many people don't realize this, but the vaccines are either produced or tested in cell lines derived from aborted babies, that the new drugs they're making, including monoclonal antibodies, are made in humanized mice, which require freshly aborted baby parts to be grafted into mice. It's unconscionable that we would sacrifice children to save our own lives. Never mind that the past two years have shown that masks, vaccines, and lockdowns did not work as they were purported to work and can possibly do more harm. Here's an overview. What's required is common sense and compassion. Please also note that studies from India and Africa back in 2020 showed that ivermectin works well both in prophylaxis and treatment of Covid. The reason FDA/CDC did not approve its use was so that they could push the vaccines (emergency authorization). And as this video shows: From 100% to 20%: Video Shows Radically Shifting Narrative Of Vaccine Effectiveness | Citizens Journal, we've been lied to. But the truth is coming out and it will set us free. Pray, pray, pray.   

Independence Day--Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” ~Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776).

"—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." ~Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, Nov. 19, 1863

After all the prophecies of chastisement we've been reading from Amos, now comes a promise of restoration (Amos 9:14-15): 

I will restore my people Israel,

they shall rebuild and inhabit their ruined cities,

Plant vineyards and drink the wine,

set out gardens and eat the fruits.

I will plant them upon their own ground;

never again shall they be plucked

From the land I have given them—

the LORD, your God, has spoken.

As always I can count on Mgsr. Pope to write beautifully on these topics. I pray for our country, to return to her Judeo-Christian roots so that we may again thrive. Abraham Lincoln, in his second inaugural address said that the civil war was a punishment for the sin of slavery. How much worse is abortion? How can God bless America when we persist in our wicked ways? We are hell-bent on being independent of God's laws and the result is chaos. How long will the hand of God stay? Oh, America, America, God mend thine every flaw. Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law! ~ Katharine Lee Bates, America the Beautiful, 1893

A safe and happy Independence Day to all. Posting an old photo of fireworks since the public display has been canceled this year. And it just so happens that today's Gospel Reflection on old and new wineskins is up on CatholicMom.

March for Life Pictures

My kids sent me some pictures from their trip to WA DC to March for Life. It just keeps growing. As our pastor says, "simple truths prevail." I know our laws will change when our hearts change, when we recognize that every life is worth living. This was Max's third year so he knew a lot of people at the March. And I was pleased to hear he ran into Dagny and her friends too.   

 

I love that the kids sent me pictures of the beautiful churches where they heard Mass. They were packed. Max has spent two summers interning in DC and he said it's not the case on a regular basis. He told us about a very interesting observation from one of the priests at Mass, that before every great miracle, there's been a terrible killing of innocents, especially children to prevent it from happening. Think of Moses, how he was saved, because Pharoah was killing Jewish children. When Jesus was born and the Wise Men came looking, Herod decided to murder the Holy Innocents. Until Our Lady of Tepeyac made an appearance in Mexico, child sacrifice was common. But nowhere in history have we seen the massacre of children until our recent times--1 billion worldwide and counting (that's more than 1/10). And it's been the bloodiest century as well. Is there a great miracle about to happen? What's the devil afraid of? I should ask, Whose presence does he fear? Come, Lord Jesus. 
     

A Day of Prayer and Penance

Today, the anniversary of Roe v Wade, is a day of prayer and penance to end abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia.   

I am so grateful to all who are fighting the lie that children are a barrier to women, who are braving the cold and the crowds to march for life. 

O Mary, Virgin and Mother, pray for us. 

I loved this verse from today's psalm: Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.