Gratitude

As a follow-up to my earlier post on Fear and Despair, I was grateful to be part of the St. Vincent de Paul food bank in Crystal Beach this December. Through the generosity of countless goodwill donations we were able to bring Christmas joy to almost 200 families-in-need by sharing with them Christmas Baskets chock full of turkey/ham, potatoes, carrots, canned fruit and vegetables, stuffing, candies/chocolates, toiletteries, and yes, TOYS... everything needed for sharing a home-cooked meal with friends and loved ones.

We had a joy-filled day meeting up with old and new clients, everyone coming together to help and share God's bounty.

Once again I witnessed our multi-faith community united in the sharing and distribution of this amazing multiplication of gifts!

St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Baskets

Merry Chistmas, and a blessed, happy New Year!

~ JT ~

Review: Thomas Merton: Faithful Visionary

Thomas Merton: Faithful Visionary by Michael W. Higgins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This was a well-written, seemingly well-researched book on Thomas Merton.

Although this short biography presents a sympathetic view of the famous monk's life, work and influences, surprisingly, I came away with a very bad taste in my mouth.

From the first instance of Merton's hearing God's call to enter the Our Lady of Gethsemany Trappist Monastery soon after being conscripted for service in 1941, to his constant bickering with the Abbott in charge of the monestary, to his willfulness in continuing to be a celebrity writer while supposedly being a sequestered monk, to his secretely falling in love with a young nurse, I felt Merton's responses to all of these events and situations quite insincere.

What Higgins ultimately presents the reader with is a picture of Merton as a brilliant literary man yearning to be many things, to be the voice of anti-nuclear/pacifism for his generation, to experience a monk's solitary life of devotion to the Church, etc., but only on his own terms. Ultimately he wanted, and always remained, a writer, from his days as a student at Columbia to the questionable circumstances of his death as suicide/accidental death/assination in Japan, Merton wrote.

It seems that everything else in his life only served as material for his writings.



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Inspiration strikes! New Release of St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas by JT Therrien

Yes, inspiration struck some time around December 6, the Feast Day of St. Nicholas in the Catholic Church. When I read up on his incredible achievements, inspiration directed me to share some of my new-found knowledge.

So, between stints at the local food bank, I researched and wrote a short story on Bishop Nicholas of Myra. There was so much material to write about, but I chose to limit the scope of my interest to his preserving the virtues of three young girls on the cusp of womanhood. This also seemed like a natural way to further explore St. Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body.

In retelling this sweet story, I also alluded to some of the bishop's other (miraculous) works and I added some historical tidbits as well. I found him to be an endearing, sharp-witted fellow with a big heart filled with compassion, grace, conviction and faith.

Obviously, the most significant aspects of Nicholas' life were the actions that have come down through history which have shaped our modern-day version of Santa Claus.

You can find St. Nicholas at all the usual e-book retailers, including Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks, and Kobo.

God bless you. Merry Christmas.

~JT~

Advent is Here!

Finally, the Christmas season is underway: Sunday November 30 is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent consists of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. Then we (Catholics) celebrate the Octave of Christmas, which consists of the eight days following December 25.

Advent wreath

I love the season of Advent for the simple reason that it prepares us spiritually for Christmas and the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. For the first two Sundays we witness the lighting of royalty-purple candles at Mass (and at home). The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent. The last Sunday before Christmas the last purple candle is lit.

Why a Wreath?

From Catholic.org:

The wreath's symbolism of the advent (coming) of Light into the world is clear. The gradual lighting of the four candles, one on each Sunday of the Advent season, combined with the liturgical colors of the candles (purple is the penitential color used during Advent and Lent; rose is a liturgical color used only on Gaudete Sunday in Advent and Laetare Sunday in Lent) help to symbolize not only our expectation and hope in Our Savior's first coming into the world, but also in his Second Coming as Judge at the end of the world.

The wreath itself is also symbolic. The circle of evergreen in which the candles are placed represents everlasting life. The seedpods, nuts and cones used to decorate the wreath are symbolic of resurrection, and fruits represent the nourishing fruitfulness of the Christian life.

Purple, Pink. What's in A Color?

From Catholicculture.org 
The rose or pink candle is lit for the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday. The name is taken from the entrance antiphon or Introit "Rejoice (gaudete) in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice." It is reminding us that the end of Advent is almost here, and we can hardly contain our joy.

Blessings for this Season of Advent. I hope that you will find it to be a time of deep contemplation and renewal of faith.

~JT~ 

5 Authors Blog Hop - Day One!

5 Authors Blog Hop

Welcome to the first stop on the 5 AUTHORS BLOG HOP! We are five authors of children/young adult fiction banding together to spread the word about our work. 

In our group you'll discover an array of children's/young adult stories for the whole family to enjoy.

I hope you'll follow this week-long blog hop and that you'll enter daily for a chance to win an e-copy of each day's featured author. 

The authors' links will be listed at the bottom of each post.

* * * * * *

My entry for the 5 Authors Blog hop features my latest release written for 6-12 year-olds:

SHADOW THE GHOST DOG

Blurb:

Matt's mother is working late again. With supper over, the boy takes a bath while his father scrubs the burned food off the pans. To pass the time Matt asks his dad to tell him a scary story. Although he doesn't know any scary stories, he tells Matt the true tale of Shadow the ghost dog, and of the beloved pet's heroic exploits.

* * *

Who is Shadow?

Shadow is a loveable black Labrador Retriever who, like children's imaginations, takes on many forms. She's always loveable, always a scamp, and she's tireless in her efforts to please her master, young Matt - who desperately loves his pet and best friend in the whole world. Unfortunately, Shadow's unbounded desire to please often lands Matt into trouble, as readers will see in the next installment: SHADOW THE CYBER DOG.

I hope that readers, parents and grandparents will enjoy reading these sweet Shadow stories to young children, and that the stories will give young ones an incentive to read them for themselves again and again.

Shadow the Ghost Dog is available from Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, iBooks, B&N and all e-book retailers. As one reviewer graciously shared: "This is a great story for the old and young alike."

For a chance to win an e-book copy of SHADOW THE GHOST DOG, please leave a comment (and contact information) in the comments section below.

Make sure to check out the rest of our blog hop's authors for more chances to win a daily giveaway!

The blog hop continues tomorrow, Tuesday December 2, with a stop at

Molly Harrison's Facebook page! Stop by and say hi!

Blog Hop Schedule

Monday December 1, JT Therrien 

Tuesday December 2, Molly Harrison 

Wednesday December 3, Ben Woodard

Thursday December 4, Charity Kountz

Friday December 5, David Walker

Thank you for participating in the 5 AUTHORS BLOG HOP. Good luck winning a copy! 

~JT~

Fear. Despair.

News from the food bank:

We're approaching the end of November and I'm beginning to see something new in some of our clients' eyes. Fear. Despair. Christmas is coming and there's not a thing they can do about it. They could push it to the back of their minds back in the summer, those hot July and August months, but now - especially with that November storm to remind us - there's no denying it any longer - Christmas is fast approaching.

What is for many of us a time of joy becomes tantamount to torture for someone raising a family with little else but food from the food bank and hopes for better times to come.

These parents are scared.

Some can barely pay their utility bills and winter hasn't started yet. They have no "extra" money for presents and they're reminded of this "failure" every time a toy commercial comes on television; every time one of their children asks if they can get whatever new toy their friends are asking for; every time they see a happy family sit down for a turkey dinner on a television show, or any time they walk into a store displaying Christmas decorations.

Real life is not television.

The majority of our clients are struggling physically, emotionally. And even if they're lucky enough to have a job, they will probably have to work on or around the Christmas holidays. Many won't have a chance to spend the day with their family. All the pressures that we all feel about getting that perfect gift, those feelings don't go away with poverty. In fact, they're worse, because for them, there's no chance the situation will get better anytime soon. Meanwhile, the days and weeks keep ticking away...

Please remember to help the less fortunate this time of year. For some, all they will have for Christmas will be whatever food/supplies they receive from food banks. Others will rely on us to get their children a few modest toys, most will be grateful for new mittens and hats.

You can help!

As for our food bank, a record number of people have already signed up to receive our annual Christmas baskets. For many, this will be the one of the rare occasions during the year that they will get something to pamper themselves with, some cologne, brand soap. Knowing the need, it's also a scary time for us. We need donations (food and cash). With a lot of luck, the school food drives will bring in much needed supplies just in time for Christmas.

 

food bank empty shelf

food bank empty shelf

The above are actual (not staged) pictures from our food bank - taken last week. And we are still a month away from Christmas!

So, as you plan your Christmas list, please set aside some food, toys, or money for the needy. No amount of money or new toy/gift is too small. Speaking from personal experience, all of our clients are extremely grateful for everything they get.

Also, please consider donating the precious gift of your time, if you have a day here or there or even a few hours to spare.

On behalf of food bank clients everywhere, I thank you for your generosity.

Thank you!

~JT~

Review of To the Heights: A Novel Based on the Life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

To the Heights: A Novel Based on the Life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati by Brian Kennelly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I've often wondered what my life would've been like by now had I followed, as a young boy, the call of God's voice. Erroneously believing that a life of pain and hardship lay in that direction, I hardened my heart and adopted a more "realistic" attitude toward my future.

To the Heights, Mr. Brian Kennelly's novelization of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frasseti's life, showed me what such a life devoted to caring and loving, begun at a very early age, would have looked like. Pier Giorgio simply and humbly believed that no one is ever too young to love and to care for others, especially for the marginalized, the poor and the disenfranchised.

I found the life of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frasseti incredibly inspiring. I admit that before reading To the Heights I had not heard of this popular third order Franciscan. I'm not offering this observation as either a criticism or a complement, but having read Kennelly's masterful writing I still do not know where facts end and fiction begins. It simply doesn't matter.

Mr. Kennelly does a great job fleshing out Pier Giorgio Frasseti's love for his family along with his passion for the Catholic Church; his pious devotions to praying the Rosary, attending daily Mass and spending time in adoration of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. It is important to show, especially to young Catholics, the rewards of a strong lived faith. This book does just that. To the question: given the current state of the world, how can I believe in a God? Mr. Kennelly replies, through Pier Giorgio Frasseti's humble actions and words: take account of all the graces in your life. How can you not believe in God?

As a Vincentian, I was heartened to read of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frasseti's work in the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The spirit of caring and charity rings true on every page. In a moving passage Pier Giorgio explains to someone seemingly indifferent to serving the poor, “There is a special light behind the poor and unfortunate, one we do not have, one that has nothing to do with riches and health. I urge you to see that light tonight, not with your eyes, but with your heart.”

There are many echoes of past saints and sanctifying grace in the young man's life: his fondness for hiking reminded me of Pope St. John Paul II's passion for the outdoors; Pier Giorgio's love of the poor and the sick, and the selfless acts of kindness with which he filled his days, brought to mind St. Vincent de Paul and St. Thérèse of Lisieux (especially in his love of flowers), and his limitless charity towards the poor is exemplary of St. Francis' concerns.

But Mr. Kennelly also shows us that the tenderhearted and pious young man was no stranger to physical confrontations. Pier Giorgio (1901-1925) lived through WWI and the chaotic political aftermath in Italy which gave rise to Mussolini's infamous fascist (and anti-Catholic) Black Shirts. Pier Giorgio did not back down from unjust confrontations, although he would only fight when all peaceful avenues had been exhausted. In reaction to the Black Shirts, he remarked, "It's a sad day when Catholics cower to evil and treat the teachings of their Church as if they are merely suggestions, abandoning them without the slightest sign of a troubled conscience.” How prophetic and timely this warning, as our Church continues to face relentless assaults from the secular world.

I truly enjoyed To the Heights and I will be recommending it to everyone for years to come. Mr. Kennelly not only understood what was in Bl. Pier Giorgio Frasseti's mind, he showed us the care, love and charity alive in the blessed's heart. We are grateful to such a talented author for revealing these graces. I also enjoyed the book's short chapters, and I liked that Mr. Kennelly includes some actual prayers in the text, introducing some of the Church's treasures, such as the Tedeum, to readers.

If you know someone, especially a young person concerned about the plight of the poor or injustice in the world, you must inspire them to action with a copy of To the Heights.

Note: This review was originally published at AmazingCatechists.com

To the Heights buy links:

From Tan Books 

https://tanbooks.benedictpress.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/1369

At Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/To-Heights-Blessed-Giorgio-Frassati/dp/1618906321

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