A New Book by the Best Living Catholic Novelist

©2010, Randall A. Beeler

16 But whereunto shall I esteem this generation to be like? It is like to children sitting in the market place. 17 Who crying to their companions say: We have piped to you, and you have not danced: we have lamented, and you have not mourned. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say: He has a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say: Behold a man that is a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners. And wisdom is justified by her children.

20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein were done the most of his miracles, for that they had not done penance. 21 Woe to you, Corozain, woe to you, Bethsaida: for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you. 23 And you Capharnaum, shall you be exalted up to heaven? You shall go down even unto hell. For if in Sodom had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, perhaps it had remained unto this day. 24 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.

25 At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to you, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because you have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to little ones. 26 Yea, Father: for so has it seemed good in your sight. 27 All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knows the Son but the Father: neither does any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him. 28 Come to me all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. 29 Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: And you shall find rest to your souls. 30 For my yoke is sweet and my burden light. (Matt 11, DRE)

I am thrilled to pass on word that Michael D. O'Brien's latest novel (published by Ignatius), Theophilos, is available at Amazon.com. O'Brien's website describes Theophilos in the following way:

St. Luke addressed his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles to a man named Theophilos.

Who was Theophilos? Scripture scholars do not know, making him a fit subject for Michael O’Brien’s vivid imagination. In this fictional narrative, Theophilos is the skeptical but beloved adoptive father of St. Luke. Challenged by the startling account of the “Christos” received in the chronicle from his beloved son Luke and concerned for the newly zealous young man’s fate, Theophilos, a Greek physician and an agnostic, embarks on a search for Luke to bring him home. He is gravely concerned about the deadly illusions Luke has succumbed to regarding the incredible stories surrounding Jesus of Nazareth, a man of contradictions who has caused so much controversy throughout the Roman Empire.

Thus begins a long journey that will take Theophilos deep into the war between nations and empires, truth and myth, good and evil, and into unexpected dimensions of his very self … This is a story about the mysterious interaction of faith and reason, the psychology of perception, and the power of love over death.

Having written at length elsewhere why Michael D. O'Brien is the Catholic voice of our age, I've already ordered my copy and urge you to do so.

In a recent email from O'Brien offers the following wisdom about the so-called "abuse crisis" in the Church:

Finally a few thoughts on the current media flurry over the scandals in the Vatican. As one friend expressed it, "the voyeurism of a hostile media" is once again pouncing, inflating the sins of a few churchmen into a mega crisis....the very sins that are far more prevalent among their own colleagues in media circles. For that matter, far more prevalent in just about any secular occupation one can think of. These sins are most grievous, most shameful when committed by those who on the surface appear to be servants of Christ. Yet we must keep in mind that there are thousands of employees in Vatican City, and that the sins which have come to light were committed by a very small number of people. It has been ever thus in the history of the Church, indeed since the Last Supper.

Do not be scandalized. Do not be afraid. Trust in the Lordship of Jesus Christ and in the man whom the Holy Spirit has given us as Peter, to shepherd the flock of the Lord through these times of increasing confusion and adversity. The Lord warned us that such trials would come. "Blessed is he who is not scandalized by me" (Matthew 11:6). By this he meant that we must not be scandalized by his cross, by his apparent weakness, his poverty, his lack of worldly power, his friends who betray him, his humility, and his degradation at the hands of men. More and more, we will see the Church conformed in the same way to the life of her Lord. She will be betrayed from within, humiliated, scorned, misunderstood, and always—always—she will seem weak in the eyes of the world, something to be despised and rejected.

If you have a few free moments, please prayerfully read the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11, verses 16 to 30.

Pay attention to our Father in faith, Benedict XVI. Listen to him, and keep in mind what St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2: verses 1 to 10.

Beware of mental constructs that would impose political categories upon the immense mystery of the Body of Christ and the unfolding of salvation history. Beware of those who would impose their own wills, strategizing, opinions, and ambitions upon this most sacred presence in the world. Be cautious, I suggest, about those who would do so for the "good" of the Church. Be discerning about the sheer volume of noisy rhetoric, all the supposedly objective analyzing. Do not despise, but do not succumb. Pray for those who wound the Body of our Saviour because they do not know what they are doing.

As this Lent moves toward Calvary and Easter morning, the forces of darkness are assaulting the light on every level of life in the modern age. The battle is waged within every human heart and in every human activity. For a time, the darkness will continue to spew a fog of deception across the face of the earth, but it cannot win. It has already lost the War. We who live in the midst of the final battles are asked by God to live with confidence in His victory, with His assurance that the darkness cannot overcome the light.

May grace and peace be with you in ever greater measure.
 

In our saviour Jesus,

Michael O'Brien

Read enough? Then, please, order his new book, Theophilus, which you will soon see reviewed on this blog.

2 For I judged not myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ: and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not in the persuasive words of human wisdom, but in showing of the Spirit and power: 5 That your faith might not stand on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among the perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, neither of the princes of this world that come to nought. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, a wisdom which is hidden, which God ordained before the world, unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew. For if they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written: That eye has not seen, nor ear heard: neither has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for them that love him. 10 But to us God has revealed them by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. (1Cor 2, DRE)