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I was so thrilled to receive this photo recently, via text message, from my niece.  She's a 5th grade teacher at a Catholic school out in the Midwest, and she's having her students read Erin's Ring -- my second YA novel, published by Bezalel Books in November of 2014. I'd love to see Erin's Ring , a story about "the legacy of love and the power of faith," get into the hands of more kids like the ones pictured here (and their parents, too--it's a book for all ages).  Therefore, I'm hosting a giveaway on my blog.  In honor of National Library Week, which is April 12-18, I'm giving away one copy of Erin's Ring , along with one copy of my first Bezalel novel, Finding Grace .  Head on over to String of Pearls to find out how you can enter to win.

"To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. " G.K. Chesterton This is the Divine Mercy of God.   For though we are unlovable,  we are loved.   For though we are unpardonable, we are pardoned.   Therefore, we are entrusted to love  all and  forgive all.   This is  Divine Mercy.   Read more at:  His Unending Love

After three months of work, Trusting God with St. Therese is now available as an audiobook on Audible.com. My narrator, Betty Arnold, is a Catholic homeschool mom in California. Her family runs Pro Multis Media. Betty was great to work with and I think she did an excellent job with my book. Pronouncing all those French names was not easy! If you sign up to be a member of Audible and make my book your first purchase, Betty and I both receive a small bonus that will help us continue to stay home with our kids. The audiobook is over seven hours long. If you have a long commute or like to listen to something during your workout, you can now grow closer to God at the same time! Listen to a five-minute sample on my blog.

I wanted to live in the Hope of the Resurrection, not in the reality of the trials that follow. I sat in the big comfy chair in my living room ready to enjoy the predawn quiet, a cup of freshly brewed coffee with plenty of extra cream on the small table by my side and my Bible, journal, and sharpened pencil in my lap. I was ready to begin my "Coffee with Jesus," time as the boys and I call it. This morning I was to begin 1 Timothy, but I just couldn't bring myself to open The Book. I'd never had this problem before. Oh sure, there have been more days than I care to admit to that I just skipped my Bible reading because I had other things I just had to do or because I had woken up later than I'd intended. Reality is, as much as I don't want to admit it, I know there will be more of those days where I'm just, "too busy," ahead. But for me to have the time and just not want to start, to have woken up early enough, to have all the boys

A woman attending my Bible study commented that she never knew the meaning of the veil of the sanctuary being torn at the crucifixion. The next Sunday, our pastor began his homily speaking of this veil. In the Jewish temple there was a veil separating the rest of the space from the Holy of Holies, the room where God dwelt. No one could enter the Holy of Holies except the high priest once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The rest of God’s people were restricted to different spaces: the Court of the Women, the Court of Priests, and the Court of Gentiles. They had no direct access to God. The veil being torn in two has profound symbolism. By his death, Jesus made it possible for all of us, not only the high priest, to stand in the presence of God. Click to continue

Imagine a place you’ve never seen before, a place you might not have believed was real.  A place covered in a mist so thick that you cannot see your hands or your feet, yet, it’s solid and real.  Imagine a place of great suffering, filled with the cries of longing, moaning, and groaning, but a place of incredible joy!  Imagine a place where, before you entered,  you had seen the Face of God, and now, your longing for God causes such great pain, you fear your heart will break.  Imagine a place where the pain is so great, you know that if the skin was burned off your body, leaving only raw nerves exposed to the air, you would feel less pain.  Imagine a place where a fire burns so coldly that the pain caused to your body by a hot flame would be a welcome respite. The time for merit is over when we die.  We know that God is a God of great Mercy.  What we often forget is that God is a God of Justice, too.  Justice must be met by each of us in our judgment.  One of the gifts o

Here he is. "Karol Wojtyla-splyw" by Unknown  [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons Yes. That's my beloved JP2. It's OK, you can love him too. On April 2, the world marked the tenth anniversary of his death. Pope Francis  encouraged us  to keep up our conversation with the Polish pope, asking him to "intercede for us, for families, for the church so that the light of the Resurrection shines through all of the darkness in our life and fills us with joy and peace.” It makes sense to continue to talk to Pope John Paul II--to pray--just like we did while he was still living among us. Sunday's brilliant celebration of Easter reminds us that Jesus has conquered death. Death is no stumbling block for us; when our friends pass away, we know they live in Jesus Christ. Read about three other popes and the love of Jesus Christ at Praying with Grace !

The joy of Easter is passed. Life is back to normal. We have to go to work. We have to make sure the kids get to school on time. The dishes still need to be washed. The laundry needs to be finished. The towels still need to be folded. We watch the news. Isis is still wreaking havoc in the middle east. The militants are declaring war on all Christians. The "Nation of the Cross" is attacked again and again. Men, women and children are beheaded for love of Jesus. Inflation has increased. The price of gas is going up again. The price of food is going up again. We still have to pay the rent. Read more at:  His Unending Love

Virgin with Jesus giving Holy Rosary to St. Dominic The most treacherous path you will ever take is the Warrior's Path You do not choose to be a Warrior,  God  chooses you , and His choice is quite terrifying.    When God chooses the Warrior, there is no false humility.  When God says to you,  "You ARE a Warrior,"  you don't say, "Oh no God...not me."  On the contrary, you say,  "Yes sir!"  and then you tremble  at what being a Warrior for God could truly mean.    The fear at being called as a Warrior, is to shake so violently before the Lord that you think every bone in your body will break.    The fear comes on the realization that a warrior will be given souls to fight for, and  will be asked to account  for them. When you are called to the path of the Warrior, it is a responsibility to be pure, obey,  and seek only the good of the other ,  never  thinking that you are doing anything for God. TO READ MORE...CLICK HERE!

The LIES about Easter READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE

(From Piero della Francesca, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) ('Dead? I was, but now I'm better.' No, our Lord didn't say that: not in so many words.( John 20:26 - 27 )) I haven't died, not yet: and I'm still working on the 'dying to myself' that doesn't mean pretending that I'm garbage — and that's another topic. Topics. ( November 27, 2011 ; March 3, 2009 ) Our Lord: That's another matter. About two millennia back, Jesus was tortured, executed, and buried: but I'm getting ahead of the story.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

We have anticipated this night for forty days. It is the most important celebration of the entire year, the Easter Vigil. The Church has taken us through the entire story of salvation in the Old Testament, and we have just heard the prophets who yearned to see what we celebrate on this Holy Saturday night. Now as the gospel is read, the exciting scene unfolds. The angel speaks matter-of-factly as he tells them not to be amazed because Jesus told them exactly what was going to happen. Again and again Christ reminded them that He would be crucified, die, and rise again, but neither His disciples nor these women really understood, really grasped that Jesus was not speaking metaphorically. continue reading

'Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb.  They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first.  He bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground and also the cloth that had been over His head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in.  He saw and he believed.'  (John 20:3-8) from The Cloistered Heart

“A soul united to Jesus is a living smile that radiates Him and gives  Him. ”  ~ St. Elizabeth of the Trinity continue

He grew up like a sapling… like a shoot from the parched earth; there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him... Behold the Way, the Truth, the Life!  BELIEVE . >> Click Here to Read More at: The Way to Nourish for Life >>

These three words, uttered by the Lord as he hung in agony on the cross, present one of the most challenging aspects of being a Christian. It is difficult for us to forgive - it is not natural and our whole selves bristle at the thought.  When hurts run deep, the idea of forgiveness seems to be an insurmountable obstacle. Our bodies tense up, anxiety and anger rise within us -...they hurt us.....they don't deserve our forgiveness....these are the thoughts that race through our minds. Read more here....

"On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ." The article is a pdf which can be downloaded to your computer to be read at a later date, if need be.   This article was written by:: William D. Edwards MD, Wesley J. Gabel, Floyd E. Hosmer, MS. AMI and published in JAMA, March 21, 1986, Vol 255, #11 The article is very long, but it is well worth the read.  If you have a tender stomach, I warn you, it is very graphic.  However, this article reminds us how painful the death of Jesus was.     Read More at:: His Unending Love

Just recently, I read  Ali Baba and the Forty thieves  for my children .  In this story, the wife of Ali Baba’s (unfortunate) brother and her servant girls lament and cry by his corpse, retrieved by Ali Baba from the thieves’ cave. Their lament announces to everyone the death of Ali Baba’s brother. This is just one of many examples of weeping done not only because of a spontaneous desire but with a specific and sometimes direct ritual meaning. And whenever there is a ritual, behind it lies the desire to express a deeper human reality. The ritual, the task, vocation or place, is there to encompass the entire human being when she (the soul) comes in contact with a reality beyond ordinary expression. Or in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Gandalf, “not all tears are an evil…” The task of lamenting is one forgotten in the Western world, along with most meaningful rituals. .... In sharp contrast to this “liberated human” stands the Mother, weeping beneath the Cross... [Read more

Yawunik kootenayi, that four-eyed critter in the video, was a big predator: during the Cambrian. A half-billion years later, a two-inch animal isn't all that large. More recently, a tiny insect and her brood became fossils: giving scientists a rare glimpse of parental care during the Cretaceous.... Like I've said before, humans are animals: but we're not just animals. We have "dominion" over this world: but we don't own it. Our position is more like shop foreman or steward. One of our jobs is taking care of this world's resources: for our reasoned use, and for all future generations.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .