Catholic Fiction at its Best

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For a while I saw the name of Ellen Gable Hrkach just about everywhere on the social networking sites. She is a Catholic fiction writer who also blogs at Plot, Line and Sinker. As a lover of entertaining fiction, that fact not only caught my attention but I couldn't resist reading her books. Since that time, I have read three of Mrs. Hrkach's books and loved each and every one of them.

The first one I read was Stealing Jenny. The book was so intriguing that I think I read it in about a day or so. I was happy to read a good suspense story with a strong pro-life message.

The second book I read was a sweet coming of age book entitled Emily's Hope. This book was very different than Stealing Jenny but was just as interesting. I must admit the book reminded me of one of my favorite nieces so I was endeared to it. The story of main character Emily's maturity is very well written. Again, I enjoyed the Catholic pro-life message throughout the novel.

The third book I had the pleasure of reading was a period piece entitled In Name Only. What a story! It had an interesting little twist that I had not expected! What a love story!

For a more detailed description of these beautiful novels click Picture Source above.

All three books are available on Amazon in both book form and Kindle.

I can now add Ellen Gable Hrkach to my list of favorite fiction writers, right there next to Mary Higgins Clark.

Saintly Quote on the Greatest Miracle

Novena to Blesseds Louis & Zelie Martin

Thanks Mary Jane!

Ask the parents of St. Therese, the Little Flower to intercede !

 

 

Difficult marriage?  Family needs?

 

Suffering due to infertility?  Child who is ill?

 

Looking for a good and holy spouse in marriage?

 

Any problems or challenges relating to your home?

 

Pray the Novena to Blesseds Louis & Zelie Martin 

Parents of St, Therese, The Little Flower

      feast is July 12 - start today!

 

Prayer for the Canonization of Louis and Zélie Martin and to obtain favors through their intercession: 

 

God Our Father, I thank You for having given us Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Therese. United and faithful in marriage, they have left us an example of Christian living and evangelical virtue. In raising a large family through trials, suffering and bereavement, they put their trust in You and always sought Your will.

Deign, Lord, to make known their will in their regard and grant the favor I ask, in the hope that the father and mother of St. Therese of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face, may soon be canonized and thereby held up to the Universal Church as a model for the families of our time. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen

(Here  mention your request)

 

http://www.sttherese.com/Louis%20and%20Zelie.html

Happy Independence Day America!

The following was shared by Brother John Samaha, S.A.

THE FOURTH OF JULY AND
THE SIGNERS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

    Have you ever wondered what happened to the fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence?  They were not wild-eyed radicals.  They were dedicated mean of means and education.

    Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.

    Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

    Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

    They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they?

    Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

    Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

   
    Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding.  His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

    Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

    At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters.  Nelson quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

    Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

    John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste.  For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

    Strangely, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic signer and cousin of Bishop John Carroll, was among the very wealthiest in the colonies.  He was active in the political struggles of the day and later held Maryland and U.S. public offices.  Though he lost his fortune in those disturbing times, he lived to recover it and became one of the founders of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.  Carroll outlived all the other signers, and died in 1832.

    The signers of the Declaration of Independence valued freedom and God’s will more than their properties and more than they valued their own lives.  Standing tall and unwavering, they pledged for the support of this declaration, a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence of Almighty God.  These are the persons who laid the foundations of our nation.

    Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't.  So, take a few minutes while enjoying your Fourth of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

    Remember: freedom is never free!  It's time we get the word out that patriotism is not a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

    God bless America!

Good News...Bad News

By the time you read this you will know how the Supreme Court voted on the HHS Mandate.
Catholic Vote

 ...that is the bad news...

 The good news is that the Vatican has declared our beloved Archbishop Fulton Sheen VENERABLE! READ IT HERE

via Father Shane Johnson on Facebook

Pray and continue to pray during this Fortnight for Freedom! And, for the canonization of Venerable Archbishop Sheen.

St. Thomas More

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A MODEL FOR OUR SEASON

St. Thomas More, God’s Servant First

Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

    St. Thomas More, patron of statesmen and politicians, serves as a model of charity, courage, and fidelity for all seasons.  Like Americans today, he was challenged in 16th century England to rise to the defense of his faith and the liberty of the Church.  


    In the superb play and film, A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt, Thomas More is deftly portrayed as a martyr of conscience.  He is unyielding in his stance against King Henry VIII’s move to divorce Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn.  Ours is a season in which Christians face the challenge of remaining true to the faith despite political pressure, the threat of sanctions, and the stigma of social ostracism.  The HHS mandate is but one example.


Henry VIII weakens


    The reign of King Henry VII began with much hope for England. In fact More had called Henry “the everlasting glory of our time.”  But gradually the situation deteriorated, and after 17 years on the throne and 17 years of marriage to Catherine, Henry began an affair with Anne.  Nor was it his first affair.  Determined to put Catherine aside and marry Anne, he asked the pope to declare his marriage invalid.


    The 16th century was a tumultuous time for the Catholic Church in Europe.  England had experienced occasional conflicts between the Church and the crown, but now the Reformation was in full swing.  Martin Luther had already separated much of Germany from Rome.  A faction in England with a political and religious agenda saw an opportunity to sabotage the Church’s authority and encouraged Henry  in that direction.  But Henry needed little encouragement and was already moving to assert royal control over the Church and bypass Rome in his plan to marry Anne.  Gradually a strategy unfolded to undermine the authority of the hierarchy by advocating parliamentary “reform” of clerical “abuses.”


    The king tried to enlist the keen legal mind and impeccable reputation of Thomas More to support his divorce effort.  But More declined and carefully presented his reasons.  The unsatisfied Henry ordered More to re-examine the king’s position with advisors who sided with the king.  More did so, and pointed out that the key question was not in the details of the marriage law, but in the king’s desire to dictate  Church teaching and discipline, to define what it meant to be Catholic in England.  That authority belonged to the bishops in union with the pope.


Lord Chancellor


    The disappointed Henry still believed he could sway More to his side by appointing him lord chancellor.  More did not want the position, but saw it as an opportunity to defend the Church’s liberty and possibly steer Henry away from a break with Rome.  Besides, refusal was hardly an option. 


    Without ever speaking ill of Henry, More worked diligently to defend the Church’s liberty, and lobbied members of Parliament to reject unjust bills.   He was loyal to the monarch, but God’s servant first.


    As the situation deteriorated Henry pressured the English bishops and levied enormous fines on them.  In the name of correcting clerical “abuses” he asked the bishops to grant him authority to make rules concerning the Church.  The bishops refused and issued a stern statement of refusal.  Henry responded with open threats of imprisonment and veiled threats of death unless he be given full power of Church governance.  When the bishops met again to formulate their reply, he gave them an ultimatum to capitulate to him that very day or suffer the consequence.  In a close vote, the bishops succumbed.


    Thomas More resigned the next day.  Though he never criticized the king, all of England and other countries understood why he removed himself as chancellor.  And the king’s ire was obvious.


    Thomas More insisted that the spiritual authority and rightful liberty of the Church were given by God to be exercised by the bishops in union with the pope.   No secular power, no king, no parliament, nor any civil law has jurisdiction over one’s soul or the Church’s beliefs.  No ruler has the right to determine Church teaching or to direct the bishops in governing Church life. 


    More’s resignation stung.  It would have been easier for him to give in to the king, as many did, even priests and bishops.  But his well formed conscience dictated otherwise.  He obeyed every lawful directive of the king, but he was God’s servant first.  He knew only too well that no human law contrary to God’s law was binding.


    Parliament passed that Act of Supremacy, which declared Henry VIII the supreme head of the Church in England.  To deny that title became a capital crime.  Each subject was required to swear an oath affirming it, or face imprisonment.


Silence speaks louder


    Henry very much wanted the agreement and support of Thomas More, so stellar was his reputation as a statesman.  But More, an astute lawyer, knew he could not be executed for a simple refusal to swear an oath.  He sought strength in silence and in prayer.  


    Soon Sir Thomas More was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London.  His property was confiscated, and that impoverished his family.  Repeatedly he was asked if he denied the King Henry VIII’s new title.  To reply honestly meant death, so More remained silent.  After a year of imprisonment the crown charged him with treason for allegedly denying the king’s new title in a conversation with one of the king’s agents.  More unequivocally denied the charge.


Judgment


    The trial of Thomas More is one of the most celebrated in English history.  His masterful defense practically upset the carefully laid plot to condemn him.  One account reports More arguing that just as the city of London lacked authority to annul an act of Parliament for the whole of England, so Parliament lacked authority to transfer governance of the Church to the monarch because the Church was entrusted by God to the bishops and the pope.  He explained that this was embodied in the Magna Carta two centuries earlier and was recognized by all Christendom.  The chief judge was stymied and hesitated, “loath to have the burden of that judgment wholly to depend on him.”  After consulting with his colleagues he finally condemned More without ruling on his objection.


Hero, model, martyr


    St. Thomas More’s defense of the faith and his exceptional fidelity and courage were not the only lessons he leaves us.  During his last days he radiated the transforming power of God’s grace, the divine gifts of faith and charity.  He was never bitter.  Daily he prayed for Henry and gave thanks for the spiritual gain he obtained from his imprisonment – “the very greatest” of “all the great benefits” the king “has heaped so thickly upon me.”  


    He wrote to his daughter that God would bring good from his death: “no matter how bad it seems, it will be the best.”


    The king’s messenger wept when he brought the news to More that he would die that day, but the martyr-to-be encouraged him with these words: “Be not discomforted, for I trust that we shall, once in heaven, see each other full merrily, where we shall be sure to live and love together in joyful bliss eternally.”


His final words


    When Thomas More mounted a scaffold on Tower Hill and his masked executioner stood at the ready with axe in hand, a crowd waited to hear his final statement.  Contrary to custom, Henry ordered that he “not use many words,” because More was a formidable advocate, and Henry’s assumption of supremacy over the Church was politically unpopular.  The king had strongly pressured Parliament with unprecedented bribes and threats.  He would take no chances now.  


    More’s case was already widely known.  Only three years earlier Sir Thomas was lord chancellor, second only to the king himself in the entire realm.  His integrity was impeccable. He had an international reputation as a humanist, scholar, writer, and jurist.  He had been among Henry’s most loyal advisors.  Now he stood alone at the executioner’s block.


    Actually the king had nothing to fear from More’s last words from the scaffold, for an eyewitness account records that, “He spoke little before his execution.  He asked only that those looking on would pray to God for him on this side, and he would pray for them on the other side.  Then he begged them earnestly to pray to God for the king, that God would give him good counsel, protesting that he died the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”

    For all seasons and for all peoples St. Thomas More is a model of patriotism, citizenship, and faith in action; God’s servant first.





                PRAYER FOR A HOLY HEART


                St. Thomas More  (1478-1535)



Lord, grant me a holy heart
that sees always what is pure
and is not frightened at the sight of sin.
but creates order wherever it goes.

Grant me a heart that knows nothing
of boredom, weeping, and sighing.
Let me not be too concerned
with the bothersome thing I call “myself.”

Lord, give me a sense of humor,
and I will find happiness in life
and profit for others.

Immaculate Heart of Mary

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To the Blessed Virgin Mary

My Queen,
my Mother!
I give myself entirely to thee;
and to show my devotion to thee
I consecrate to thee this day
my eyes,
my ears,
my mouth,
my heart,
my whole being,
without reserve.
Wherefore, good Mother,
as I am thine own,
keep me,
guard me,
as thy property and possession.

Source:  General Catholic Devotions by Bonaventure Hammer

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

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Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I consecrate myself to Your Most Sacred Heart.
Take possession of my whole being;
transform me into Yourself.
Make my hands Your hands,
my feet Your feet,
my heart Your heart.
Let me see with Your eyes,
listen with Your ears,
speak with Your lips,
love with Your heart,
understand with Your mind,
serve with Your will,
and be dedicated with my whole being.
Make me Your other Self.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
send me Your Holy Spirit to each me to love You
and to live through You,
with You, in You and for You.

Come, Holy Spirit,
make my body Your temple.
Come, and abide with me forever.
Give me the deepest love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
in order to serve Him with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength.
Take possession of all my faculties of body and soul.
Regulate all my passions:  feelings and emotions.
Take possession of my intellect,
understanding, and will, my memory and imagination.
O Holy Spirit of Love,
give me an abundance of Your efficacious graces.
Give me the fullness of all the virtues;
enrich my faith,
strength my hope,
increase my trust,
and inflame my love.
Give me the fullness of Your sevenfold gifts, fruits and beatitudes.
Most Holy Trinity,
make my soul Your sanctuary.

"This devotion (to the Sacred Heart of Jesus)...is the highest act of Religion.

It demands the full and absolute determination of surrendering and consecrating oneself to the love of the Divine Redeemer.  The wounded Heart of the Savior is the living sign and symbol of that love...

Devotion tot he Most Sacred heart is so important that it may be considered, as far as practice is concerned, the perfect profession of the Christian Religion." - Pius XII May 15, 1956

Encyclical: Haurietis Aquas

St. Anthony of Padua

This morning we had the privilege of venerating the relic of St. Anthony as it placed on the altar during Mass.  Father R. gave a lively homily on his favorite saint.  He talked to us about curious ways Catholics have of asking for St. Anthony's intercession.  It seems that some Catholics, (and I won't mention what country) looking for a spouse turn to St. Anthony.  Specifically, they turn the statue of St. Anthony upside down until he answers their prayers.  Another way St. Anthony, the finder of lost things is used is for finding a parking space.  I am sure just about all of us have asked St. Anthony to intercede for us when we lose something.  I often ask him to intercede for family members and friends to find their way back home to the Catholic Church.  He is also one of the patron saints on the  Prayers for Our Pets blog. Father R.enjoined us this morning to ask St. Anthony to help us find peace in our hearts when we are troubled.

Devotion to St. Anthony has always been big in our family.  My grandmother, who would have been 99 today was born on his feast day.  She had a huge affection for this dear saint.  She learned it from her mother, my great-grandmother.

Happy Feast of St. Anthony!

Feast of Corpus Christi

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 "O my beloved Jesus, since Thou wilt feed me this morning with Thine own blood in the Holy Communion, it is but reasonable that I should willingly renounce all the delights and pleasures which the world might give me.Yes, I give them all up; I protest that I choose rather to suffer all evils united to Thee, than to enjoy all the goods of the world away from Thee.  It is sufficient happiness enough for me, to please Thee, who art worthy of all we can do to please Thee.  I will say then with St. Ignatius of Loyola, ' give me I pray Thee , but Thy love and Thy grace; that is sufficient for me and I am contented....'"

St. Alphonsus de Liguori - The Holy Eucharist