Catching up on Book Reviews

It seems that ever since I started keeping a physical log of the books I read, I've been remiss posting reviews so it's high time I mended my ways. What triggered this confession is seeing Carol Baldwin's wonderful article on children's books that appeal to adults in Writer's Digest. Her debut historical novel, Half Truths, is one that definitely would appeal to adults, given it's set in 1950s and many people who were coming of age in that time are still alive and have memories of what it was like in North Carolina. But it's the timeless quality of the story itself. A young country girl coming of age, having impossible dreams, discovering family secrets long buried. It's a story about friendship, racial tensions, and societal mores. Although I guessed the secret early on, it did not deter from the pleasure of reading the story. I appreciated seeing how the real Horace Carter mentors the fictional Kate Dinsmore in journalism. Truth really does set you free. Carol Baldwin grounds us in the time and place deftly by having quotes from the Tabor City newspaper. Meticulously researched, beautifully written, and so very encouraging--this is a book 20 years in the making! You can learn more about Carol and Half Truths on her blog: Carol Baldwin's Blog: HALF-TRUTHS. Many thanks to Carol and Monarch Publishing for the ARC I read last year. 

I was so eager to read Joy McCullough's memoir, Suffer a Witch, because it deals with a very sensitive topic, being groomed and assaulted by a youth pastor, and how the author overcomes this breach of trust. Her prose poems are brutally honest and she pairs them with letters to women of the past (the vast majority of them burned as witches). What makes me doubly sad is that the author's own father was the senior pastor and although girls brought it to his attention, nothing was done. Although I can understand the author's rage, the book offers none of healing balm that I would've expected for others. I cannot recommend this book at all because it is full of hatred. I found myself praying for the author, that God will grant her the grace to forgive her youth pastor. And I pray that justice is served. That youth pastor should be brought to trial, punished, and not ever be placed in a position to groom and assault young women. Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy. 

Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God's Promises, and the Exhilarating Future that Awaits You by John Burke was a great gift to me. I needed to read this after my father's passing and truly I am praying that he chose to be with Jesus. As the subtitle says, John Burke weaves near-death accounts with Scripture and it makes you long for heaven even more. What is clear is that there's a review of life that occurs--how our actions, good and bad, affected others, how even our failure to act affected others, and how much everybody wants to be with Jesus because of the unconditional love they experience. He had examples of NDEs from other faith backgrounds who converted to Christianity because they saw the truth--that Jesus is God. Burke also writes about NDEs where the people are given a vision of hell. It is truly horrifying. Many saints have had visions of hell, including the three little visionaries from Fatima, and so they spent hours praying for conversion so that poor sinners wouldn't go to hell. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in life after life... 

Ascension of our Lord

Happy Feast of the Ascension!!! Where our Lord is, there we hope to be too! It is the second Glorious Mystery and we pray for the virtue of Hope. What's been lost in the new liturgy are the three Rogation days prior to Ascension Thursday. It's when we pray for blessings upon our crops, for a bountiful fruit. With the industrial food system, we don't think about these things, but when you consider how unnatural it is, how detrimental it is to have pesticides and hormones contaminating our food (no wonder an increasing number of people have chronic health problems), think about supporting your local farmers. Since the Covid crap began, we began buying our meat, eggs, raw milk, and whatever vegetables we didn't grow ourselves from local farmers. Our health is so much better and it feels good to know where our food is coming from. 

We'll also begin the world's oldest and original novena in preparation for Pentecost! That's one of the reasons I don't like that Ascension has been shifted to Sunday. It's Ascension Thursday for a reason: 40 days after Easter. Plus novena = nine days of prayer. Yeah, the numbers matter to me. Le sigh. 

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy Love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

It's hard to believe that it was only last year Dagny graduated from Ave Maria.

An Anniversary, an Exhibition, and a Feast Day!

We just celebrated 29 years of marriage--that's half my life! I'm often amazed at how much more we are in love now and I must admit that it is supernatural. We've been together for a long time and the first decade before marriage was unholy. Yet, where sin abounded, grace did more abound (Rom 5:20). It is truly the grace of God that has brought us where we are, in love with Him and each other. Sunday Mass was offered for our intentions--the most precious gift we can give to each other. But we enjoy the many gifts the world offers as well and enjoyed our fish tacos at Taco Boy, beer for Michael and a hibiscus margarita for me.

We went to Sistine Chapel Exhibit downtown. It is really well done--if you get the VIP ticket, you will receive a book with all the paintings in the exhibit + commentary and it is high quality. Pope Sixtus originally wanted the life of the Apostles in the chapel but Michelangelo had a grander vision and aren't we lucky that the Pope gave him artistic freedom? He painted the ancestors of Christ (in triangles), not when they were grown ups with power, but as little children, all pointing to how Christ comes to us, as a Baby in a Holy Family. He also painted the prophets (Isaiah; loved all the details, down to his toes) and sibyls (women prophets from the East who foretold the coming of Christ--below, my favorite--the Delphic sibyl who is startled by the Word of God. She prophesized that the coming Messiah would be mocked with a crown of thorns). In all these paintings, there is movement. So beautiful. 

I loved these two panels below: The bronze serpent that the Israelites looked upon to be healed from snakebites foreshadows Christ on the Cross redeeming all mankind. And Judith slays the Babylonian king. In the readings for the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven (celebrated Aug 15) we remember Judith--she is a type of Mary, who crushes the head of the serpent. It's a beautiful feast day, full of hope, because where she is, we hope to go as well.

Sandwiched between the Creation of Man (I do so love that we are all conceived in the mind of God before we're ever born! It even looks like the brain!) and the Last Judgment is the creation, fall, and the deluge account. Creation of Eve is the central panel (because it is the fall that brings to us so great a Redeemer). Michelangelo placed the first act of creation: Separation of Light from Dark next to the Last Judgment. Oh, yes, there is a heaven and a hell and it is for all eternity. Sobering.

We've been to the Sistine Chapel back in 90s when we were living in Belgium. I had gone for a conference in Southern Italy so Michael and I planned to meet in Rome after. Goodness, how did we manage without cell phones? The Italians were having a train strike so I was stuck and no way to let Michael know. Though I assumed he'd figure it out when he went to the train station to pick me up. I ended up taking a bus, which broke down, and had to wait for another, but I made it to Rome and what a relief to be reunited with Michael again. We had a wonderful time sightseeing for the next three days. How I wish we were Catholic back then because the more you know Scripture, the greater your appreciation for the tremendous art. What a treasure! Deo gratias!  

A Birthday and a Death Day

Today I celebrate my brother's birthday, a brother whom I never met. He died before I was born. I knew him only through stories my mother told me. Oh, the power of story to linger in our memories! I long to meet him and I know I will when I get to heaven. My mother, when she was dying, told us she could see her father and her son, who had both preceded her in death. The veil between heaven and earth had parted. She must've had a very holy death.

Today I happened upon the sad news of a dear friend dying (yesterday, the Feast of the Transfiguration). She is the most courageous woman I know. She fought cancer for the five years I knew her. And with a smile. She prayed a lot, offering up her suffering to God for her husband, her two beautiful girls, her many relatives and friends. I was one of the blessed recipients. I'm afraid I wasn't a very good friend though. Forgive me.

Liberty dear, in the short time I knew you, you taught me to suffer well, to accept everything, and to love well. May you enjoy the company of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and all in heaven. Pray for me even as I pray for thee. And I promise to pick up the phone more often. Requiem aeternam!


Doesn't this picture made by her daughter light up the screen?

Pets in Heaven?



 

 

 

I've been thinking about this a lot. I've often thought that I could never be happy without a cat, so I assume that our dearly beloved pets will be in heaven to greet us when we finally get there. I think of the passage about the lion lying down with the lamb and surely I think that in the new Jerusalem, we shall all be as we were meant to be. Perfect. With our perfect pets.

But, but, but ... perhaps I will not be ready for heaven if I have this great attachment to my cats. One thing I've been learning because of the chronic migraines (which are greatly reduced in number thanks to the Botox treatment) is letting go of attachments, even my attachment to this earthly life, all its pleasures. And if I cannot let go, I'm thinking I'll be spending a very long time in purgatory.  

What I keep coming back to is: Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt 6:33).

What are your thoughts on this?

Also, although we cannot judge the state of any soul, we can certainly judge their actions and if they seem like they're on the road to hell, do you wonder whether you could be happy in heaven if a loved one isn't there? Does that mean you are not ready for heaven? I'm thinking again about attachments, how much letting go I need to do. I know there are no tears in heaven. Besides, a person who hates God wouldn't want to be in heaven. What I need to do is trust in God's perfect mercy and justice. 

ETA this quote from the Little Flower because I don't want to forget it.

Missing You

I can imagine you singing all our favorite music and more in heaven. I pray for you still, but need your prayers ever more.