Book Reviews and More: September 2022

Friday 30 September 2022

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Third Quarter 2022

Top Ten Fiction and Non-Fiction Books Third Quarter 2022

It has been good year for reading so far. So many great reads. I have read just over a book and a half a day. I read 87 books this quarter and 344 so far this year. Part of it is due to my youngest two children’s reading skills really growing and they read to/with me for 20 minutes four or five days a week. In the spring of 2016, I worked through Brandon Vogt’s course Read More Books Now (now available on ClaitasU).

But back to this quarter by the numbers:

Books Read: 87

First Time Reads: 76

Fiction: 42

Non-Fiction: 45

5/5 Stars: 61

Here is my top ten fiction and non-fiction books of the third quarter of 2022.

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books:

1. Devotions books from the Catholic Truth Society

A Catholic Prayer Book - Amette Ley

A New Penance Book - Father J Webb and Robert Taylerson

A Simple Penance Book - Revised by Mgr Paul Grogan

Fatima and the Immaculate Heart of Mary - Fr Anton Nadrah OCist

Praying the Rosary with the Martyrs - Deacon Nick Donnelly

2. Vision Books for young Readers from Ignatius Press

Saint Maximilian Kolbe: A Hero of the Holocaust - Fiorella De Maria

Saint Joan: The Girl Soldier - Louis de Wohl

3. The Narrow Gate - Edward Kleinguetl

4. CTS Christion Shrines Series from the Catholic Truth Society

Apparitions of Mary: Their Meaning in History - Donal Anthony Foley

Sacred Heart: A Pilgrim's Companion to Paray-le-Monial - David Baldwin

5. Saint John Southworth - Nicholas Schofield and Gerard Skinner

6. The Bible in a Year Companion, Volume II - Mike Schmitz and Jeff Cavin

7. Maximilian Kolbe: Victims of the Nazis - Franz Jägerstätter, Karl Leisner, Rupert Mayer - CTS 20th Century Martyrs

8. Joseph the Huron - Antoinette Bosco - Portraits in Faith and Freedom

9. In His Zone: 7 Principles for Thriving in Solitude - Fr. Mark Goring

10. Always Near Volulme 1 - Susan M. Werner

Bonus Books:

Wicca And Witchcraft: Understanding The Dangers - Elizabeth Dodd - CTS Explanations

Year of Faith Stations of the Cross - Brendan Leahy - CTS Year of Faith

Searching for and Maintaining Peace - Father Jacques Philippe

Top Ten Fiction Books:

1. Death of a Scholar - Fiorella De Maria - Father Gabriel Book 4

2. Nun of My Business - Karina Fabian - DragonEye PI Book 3

3. Hotel California - Edited by Don Bruns - Anthology

4. Shambling in a Winter Wonderland - Karina Fabian - Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator Book 3

5. DCI Logan Books by J.D. Kirk

7. The Big Man Upstairs

8. A Death Most Monumental

9. A Snowball's Chance in Hell

10. Ahead of the Game

11. An Isolated Incident

6. St. Tommy NYPD Series by Declan Finn

3.5 Lupus Dei

4. City Of Shadows

6. Deus Vult

7. Coven

8. Hussar

9. Destiny

7. Markmaker - Mary Jessica Woods

8. Politics Kills - Declan Finn - White Ops Book 2

9. The History of the Earth-9 Colony - Manuel Alfonseca

10. Knock Knock - Alex Smith - DCI Kett Book 10

Bonus Books:

Ashes Visible and Invisible - Catholic Teen Books Anthology (Note not out till Lent 2023)

A Pius Man - Declan Finn - The Pius Trilogy Book 1 (Only not above because out of print at the moment.)

Deception in December - Doreen McAvoy Fern Valley Mysteries Book 2

It has been a very good year for reading. So many great reads, both fiction and non-fiction.

Note: I do not include books that have been read in previous years and were reread this year in my top ten lists, they are sometimes in the bonus section. But if you want more options check out my favorite books year by year list.

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2020
Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2020

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2020

Top Ten Fiction Books 2020

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2021

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2021

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2021

Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2021

Top Ten Non-Fiction Books 2021

Top Ten Fiction Books 2021

Top Ten Books First Quarter 2022

Top Ten Books Second Quarter 2022

Top Ten Books Third Quarter 2022

Top Ten Books Fourth Quarter 2022

...

All Top Ten Lists on Book Reviews and More

Statistics Books Read By Year:
344 - January-September 2022

365 - 2021

317 - 2020
392 - 2019
359 - 2018
380 - 2017
272 - 2016
177 - 2015
130 - 2014
88 - 2013
176 - 2012
163 - 2011
302 - 2010
142 - 2009
98 - 2008
83 - 2007
191 - 2006
151 - 2005
60 - 2004
52 - 2003
97 - 2002
50 - 2001
41 - 2000
71 - 1999
73 - 1998
131 - 1997
101 - 1996

Thursday 29 September 2022

Wicca And Witchcraft Understanding The Dangers - Elizabeth Dodd - CTS Explanations

Wicca And Witchcraft:

Understanding The Dangers

CTS Explanations

Martin Cyril D'Arcy SJ

John Haldane (Forward)

Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860827136

CTS Booklet EX35

I have now read fifteen booklets in the CTS Explanations series from the Catholic Truth Society. The series spanned decades. And has had books come in and out of print. This one is a fitting partner to Witchcraft, Sorcery & Magic by J.B. Midgley. This one was published in 2011 and is currently out of print, but was well worth tracking down and reading. And to be honest 11 years on from first publication it is even more relevant today. I wish it was still in print or that there was an eBook edition available.

The description of this volume is:

“Understanding such phenomena and hot to evangelize them.

To marginalized and spiritually hungry generations the growing spiritual phenomena of Wicca and witchcraft have proved attractive, with much to offer; power, supernatural abilities and socially acceptable agendas such as ecoactivism and feminism. This booklet examines their origins, history, beliefs and practices, and then explains Catholic teaching’s cogent assessment of them. Further it explores why young people are attracted to Wicca, and describes ways in which it is possible to bring witches and wiccans back to Christ and his Church.”

The chapters and sections in this volume are:

Introduction

The position of the Catholic Church

The difference between Wicca and Witchcraft

A History of Wicca

I 900-I 950s: Wicca·s Roots in the Occult

I 960s-I 990s: Wicca Flourishes in America

1990s to the Present

What Witches Believe

Thealogy

The Afterlife

Magic and Spells

The Five Elements

Sacred Spaces

Morality

How Wiccans Practice

Ritual

Wiccan Holy Day - The Wheel of the Year

Rites of Passage

Wicca and the Church

The Church and Wiccan Thealogy

The Church and White Magic

The Church and Divination

The Church and Occultism

Wicca and Young People

How to Evangelise a Witch

Trust

Ecology

The Dignity of Women

Conclusion

I highlighted many passages my first time through this volume. Some of them are:

“Wicca is a strand of modern witchcraft; a new religious movement that grew out of the New Age and Occult movements and was influenced by political trends within feminism and ecology. It is one of a number of ‘neo-pagan’ spiritualties, a term used to describe contemporary pagan religions that revive or are inspired by indigenous and ethnic folklore, mythology and spirituality. In 2001 there were over 3 1,000 nee-pagans living in the UK, of which 7, 000 self-identified as Wiccans (Census, 2001. Office for National Statistics). Wiccans are predominantly women - 67 percent of the

Wiccans in the 200 I census were female - and often young.”

“The Church, however, is very clear in her condemnation of Wicca and other New Age or Neo-Pagan spiritualties. As a pagan, pantheistic movement Wicca involves. By definition, rejection of and opposition 10 1he revealed truth of Chris1ianity.”

“According to 1he Catechism the practice of magic - one of the key elements of Wicca - is inherently sinful, whether or no l 1he intentions behind the spell are malicious. It is for God alone, not man, to have dominion over spirits. Of particular concern to Catholics is the appeal that Wicca holds for the young and vulnerable: attracted by the promise of magical powers and authority over spirits, they can be exposed to grave psychological and spiritual dangers. More will be said about this below, in the chapter on the Church and Wicca, and at the end of the book.”

“Wiccans optimistically understand their religion as stretching from prehis1oric totemic and animist ethno-religion through the witch-trials and burnings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and find anthropological parallels in the contemporary indigenous religions of Africa and Asia.”

“Wicca, then, has little to do either with genuinely prehistoric religion, with the witch hunts of Tudor and Stewart England or with the indigenous religions of Africa and Asia. Witchcraft of that sort has nothing in common with the religion as practiced by Wiccans today. Modern Wiccans do refer to themselves as witches, but it is important to understand that they do so in a purely modern sense, with no historical or anthropological justification. There is no evidence that modern witchcraft originates any earlier than the nineteenth century.”

“Modern Wicca’s origins lie in Victorian occultism and the work of anthropologist Dr Margaret Murray. Occultism provided a spiritual and theological springboard for the neo-pagan and Wiccan movements. and many of the religion 's founding members were involved in occult societies such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn - a nineteenth-century occult group roughly structured around Freemasonry - and the Fellowship of the Rosicrucians.”

“Gardner was inspired by the work of Dr Murray, whose work. In particular the book Witch Cult in Western Europe (1921) - now largely discredited - sought to prove that witchcraft as a consistent religious movement had existed continually from the Neolithic period, only being exposed during the witch trials of the fifteenth century. Murray theorised that witchcraft had existed in opposition to Christianity and was part of a larger underground pagan resistance movement.”

“Gerald Gardner and his friend Aleister Crowley, the infamous occultist, endeavored to recreate the pre-Christian witch cult Murray claimed to identify, incorporating into it elements of the Victorian occultism both were familiar with: freemasonry. Crowley's own esoteric Ordo Templi Orientis and religio-philosophy Thelema.”

“Fuelled by the emerging New Age culture of the 60s, Wicca was exported with great success to the United States, where it began to emerge across the country in a series of home-grown traditions and covens. These included an Americanised version of Gardner's own tradition, exported by Raymond Buckland, an American friend of Gardner's and the self-appointed leader of America's Wiccan movement, and variations on the theme, such as Zsuzsanna Budapest's Dianic Wicca.”

“A raft of literature emerged in the 1980s and 90s to capitalise on Wicca' growing popularity. As the term became a recognisable signpost within popular culture it began to appear in popular television series: Joss Whedon's sci-horror series Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured a Wiccan main character studying the craft, while popular 90s horror film The Craft combined Wiccan thealogy with contemporary ‘Goth’ elements of the anti-establishment subculture. Coinciding with this, books explicitly marketed to young people - for example Silver Ravenwolf's Teen Witch - provided a way into Wicca for young people attracted by its portrayal in the media.”

“Wiccan thealogy and polytheism is opposed to Christian monotheism, which teaches One immutable, indivisible God in three Persons, with whom we are called to have a personal relationship, growing in the love and knowledge of our Creator. Wicca's duotheism is incompatible with this teaching.”

“Old Testament exegesis, then, suggests that witchcraft involving any of these practice - even if it is performed with the intention of helping another - is contrary to the Judaeo-Christian faith. The Church has never permitted the ends to justify the means: whatever the outcome of divination or necromancy, the performance of magic itself arrogantly attempt to raise man to the level of God. misleading him into believing that he has the right to understand the future or communicate with the dead.”

“While Wicca as espoused by feminist authors and New Age spiritualists may seem, superficially, harmless, it almost invariably leads the practitioner deeper into ceremonial magick and occultism - both of which depend on the practitioner's attempts to summon and work with spirits.”

“A witch performs divination to ensure that they are acting in accord with the Wiccan ethic ‘an it harm none’: the Church insists that divination is, itself, harmful. It harms one’s relations hip with God and it can inflict lasting psychological and spiritual damage on the Wiccan themselves.”

“It is no surprise that Wicca and witchcraft have become the spiritual phenomena that they have in the twenty-first century: that the writings of a group of Victorian occultists should have been appropriated to suit the needs of a spiritually hungry generation. Wicca, by its very nature, appeals to those who feel marginalized by mainstream religion: it promises power and supernatural ability, and it encompasses these promises within a wider, socially acceptable agenda of eco-activism and feminism.”

“A recognition that Wiccans are on a genuine spiritual quest can provide the starting point for a dialogue with witches that may lead to conversion.”

I hope those examples will show you some of the depth and thought that went into this volume. It is very well written, and easily accessible. It is a volume that I believe we could use back in print. Especially in what we face in the world today. It is another excellent volume in an important series from the Catholic Truth Society!

Books in the CTS Explanations Series:

Marriage Annulment in the Catholic Church
Jehovah’s Witnesses
Does the Church oppress Women?
Organ Transplant – and the definition of Death
Abortion

Be Yourself An Explanation of Humility - William Lawson SJ
Gene Therapy – and Human Genetic Engineering
Prenatal tests
Gift of life and Love
Islam
Euthanasia
Infertility
Homosexuality
Cloning and Stem Cell Research
Contraception and Chastity
Freemasonry and the Christian Faith
Intelligent Life in the Universe
Spirits, Mediums & The Afterlife

The History of the Mass Explained - Father Charles Dilke

Whatever Happened To Marriage
Witchcraft, Sorcery & Magic
Understanding the Ordinariate

Guide to Religious Freedom and the Law

Science and Religion The Myth of Conflict

Contraception and Chastity

Exorcism: Understanding Exorcism in Scripture and Practice

The Problem of Evil

20 Answers End of Life Issues

A Question of Death & Life

Wicca And Witchcraft Understanding The Dangers

What is Truth?

Artificial Intelligence

...

Wednesday 28 September 2022

Knock Knock - Alex Smith - DCI Kett Crime Thrillers Book 10.0

Knock Knock
DCI Kett Crime Thrillers Book 10.0

Alex Smith

Relentless Media

ISBN 9781913877095

ASIN B0B5LZX5BY

I had pre-ordered the eBook for this, so it dropped to my devices on release day. But when it released I was busy at work and in some other series of books, and it sort of fell off the radar until my manager at work, whom I introduced Kett to, mentioned his physical copy had arrived. I went and bumped the eBook back to the top of my reading list. It is by far the longest book in the series to date. Listed as 478 pages. Each book in the series had gotten longer and I can only wonder if the next volume will surpass 500 pages. I devoured this volume over 3 days. It was hard to put down. Now it was not as fast paced as some of the other Kett novels. And really not as violent or gruesome. But the last section man what a set up for book 11, Rat King. The description of this instalment in the Kett saga is:

“Whatever you do, don’t open the door…

When a severed foot is delivered to the unsuspecting residents of a student house in Norwich, DCI Kett’s Extreme Crime Task Force begins one of the most gruesome investigations of its career.

And it’s not just a foot. More packages begin to appear at random on people’s doorsteps, all of them containing body parts that have been surgically removed and meticulously wrapped.

Kett, Porter, Savage and PC Duke find themselves in a race against the clock to identify the victims and their killer, who shows no sign of stopping.

And it soon becomes clear that this monster isn’t just delivering corpses.

He's sending a message.”

I started this book the day it released, and even though it was a very busy week at work I ripped through it in a few days. I could not put it down. All of the Kett books are dark, and somewhat disturbing British Crime Thrillers, but this one takes it to a completely different level. Kett and his new team the Norfolk Constabulary’s Extreme Crime Task Force, have gone on holiday for some team building time. But the few days away do not end up relaxing in any way shape or form. It is another great story an intense series. There are a few twists in this tale and somethings very much unexpected.

If you have been fallowing the saga of DCI Kett this book is a must read. If you happen to be a fan of rough and tough action you will almost certainly enjoy this novel. And the other books in the series. This is the eleventh of the DCI Kett stories that I have read, the tenth novel, Kett has also made a brief appearance in The Harder They Fall, the first of the Softley Series of books. But back to this volume.

This one is much more of a procedural crime thriller. Kett and the team are working a case where couriers are delivering body parts. They soon find out it has ties to a much larger problem. And that there are different forces at work her. When you include a rowdy football team, and it’s star player. Said star being the son of a former MP and mouthpiece for the Alt Right. But when a second appendage shows up it at first seems completely unrelated. And then … but that is getting aHEAD of the story. The return of Norman Balls sheds some light in dark places the police were unaware of. And using skill, cunning and just a bit of luck Kett and the team have a chance to stop a madman. But Can they put it all together in time? To Find out you will need to read this story. With over 2600 reviews on amazon and 1350 on Goodreads this story average s 4.5 stars.

This is another dark and gritty crime thriller from the pen of Alex Smith. About the author we are informed that:

“Alex Smith wrote his first book when he was six. It wasn’t particularly good, but it did have some supernatural monsters in it. His latest books, the DCI Robert Kett thrillers, have monsters in it too, although these monsters are very human, and all the more terrifying for it. In between these two books he has published thirteen other novels for children and teenagers under his full name, Alexander Gordon Smith—including the number one bestselling series Escape From Furnace, which is loved by millions of readers worldwide and which is soon to become a motion picture. He lives in Norwich with his wife and three young daughters.”

My introduction to Smith’s works were The Furnace novels many years ago. I have not read everything he has published but much of it. And they are always edge of your seat thrillers. I still hope that someday he will finally release book 2 is the Softley Softley Series, but until then I am thankful for another read in this dark and disturbing series. For some the Kett stories will be the things of nightmares, for others a look at the underside of society. But no matter how you read them they are crime thrillers with a lot of action, great characters and often a lot of violence!

Mystery Books as Alex Smith:

Six Days, Six Hours, Six Minutes
...

Softley Softley Series:

1.0 The Harder They Fall

2.0 Hard Luck House
...

DCI Kett Series:

0.5 Cry Baby

1.0 Paper Girls

2.0 Bad Dog

3.0 Three Little Pigs

4.0 Whip Crack

5.0 Run Rabbit Run

6.0 Stone Cold Dead

7.0 Every Mother's Son

8.0 Sweet Briar Rose

9.0 Jaw Breaker

10.0 Knock Knock

11.0 Rat King

12.0 Knuckle Bone

13.0 Lucky Number 7

14.0 Unholy Saints

15.0 Truly Madly Deadly

16.0 ???

...

Books By Alexander Gordon Smith:
Escape from Furnace:
Lockdown
Solitary
Death Sentence
Fugitives
Execution
Execution Epilogue - Short Story
The Night Children - Short Story

Fury Series:
The Fury

The Storm

The Inventors:
The Inventors
The Inventors And The City of Stolen Souls

Non-Fiction:
1001 Questions and Answers
Inspired Creative Writing: 52 Brilliant Ideas from the Master Wordsmiths
The Solar System
Family QuizWriting Bestselling Children's Books: 52 Brilliant Ideas for Inspiring Young Readers

...

The Art Of Furnace
Author Profile Interview With Alexander Gordon Smith

Tuesday 27 September 2022

Sacred Heart A Pilgrim's Companion to Paray-le-Monial - David Baldwin - CTS Christian Shrines Series

Sacred Heart: A Pilgrim's Companion to Paray-le-Monial
CTS Christian Shrines Series
David Baldwin
Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781860826283

CTS Booklet D718

Over the last few years, I have read over 300 books and booklets from the Catholic Truth Society. I have greatly enjoyed many of the books in the Christian Shrines Series. This is the twenty second volume in the CTS Christian Shrines series, or 22nd time that I have read a volume in the series, for I have read many of them more than once. Many of them by David Baldwin. I approached this volume with completely new eyes. I have personally had an interest in Pilgrimage, for as long as I can remember. I have written about personal pilgrimage, and previously written about my desire for pilgrimage. I have a university degree in Religious Studies with a specialization in Roman Catholic Thought I would have loved to have had books from this series, and many from the CTS collections to use as a resource during my schooling. I knew about the Sacred Heart Devotion but was unaware of the specifics and the history.

The description of this volume is:

“Set in the French shrine of Paray-le-Monial, this is the story of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, and of St Margaret Mary Alacoque and Saint Claude de la Colombiere in particular. It takes you to the principal pilgrim places of the modern genesis of this devotion, providing coherent commentary and narrative description, as well as suggesting appropriate prayers and meditations along the way.”

And about the author we are informed:

“David Baldwin, a retired Royal Marines office, lives in the south west of England and has written several CTS pilgrim’s companions.”

The books in this series are intended for two different types of readers. The first those going to these places in person, and as such it is an excellent spiritual travel guide. The second category that, which I find myself in currently, is the ‘armchair pilgrim’. I love that concept; it is for those who are going on pilgrimage spiritually. Or even virtually. But I would state that the book is great for a third category, those with a devotion or interest to the Sacred Heart, it will help you explore those places central to the beginning of this devotion. As such this is an excellent volume in a wonderful series and I highly recommend it. The chapters in the booklet are:

People, Places and History

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

Saint Claude de la Colombiere

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Chapel of the Visitation

Adoration Chapel of Saint John

Chapelle la Colombiere

Final Thoughts

I highlighted several passages my first time through this volume. Some of them are:

“Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Catholic Church runs long and deep. In many Catholic churches - maybe all - you will invariably see the familiar image of the Sacred Heart, maybe by picture, but usually by statue, or sometimes at a side chapel or altar, of Jesus, with His Heart exposed at His chest, usually aflame and surrounded by the crown of thorns, sometimes held in His hand. Many households, in many countries, may display a picture or small statue; when abroad, you may also come across a street niche sheltering the statue.”

“The French priest, St John Eudes (1601-1680), started formulating and propagating a specific devotion through his Office of the Sacred Heart, winning recognition from Pope St Pius X as the Father of Worship to the Sacred Heart (and Immaculate Heart of Mary), and declaring him the Apostle and Doctor of these devotions.”

“However, it was only when, through the revelations and specific instructions of Our Lord to Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), a nun in her convent in the depths of rural France at Paray-le-Monial, and assisted by the convent chaplain, St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682), that the devotion spread and took hold universally.”

“It was only when seeking out the shrines of France that my travels took me to the small town of Paray-le-Monial, in southern Burgundy - recognised as the physical wellspring of the 'modern' devotion to the Sacred Heart - that renewed in me a recognition of the significance of this devotion, and a desire to fan again the flames surrounding that 'Precious Heart'.”

“Paray-le-Monial is a small, relaxed, picturesque rural town of some 10,000 souls in the depths of southern Burgundy, about lOOkm northwest of Lyon. It is off the mainstream tourist trail, thus retaining its individual charm - as yet unblighted and unbranded by the 21st century's corporate outlets.”

“Despite its seeming anonymity, Paray is a significant place of pilgrimage, with devotees of the Sacred Heart coming from all corners of the earth. Up to 500,000 pilgrims come here over the year, so at times it may be busy in that sense - particularly on relevant feast days - but the spaces and places to cope with these numbers are there, whilst there are also many quiet spots for the pilgrim to seek out.”

“The town's more distant history is vested mainly in the arrival of the Benedictines, and the building and development of their first monastery church and community from 973 onwards. More recent history has made the town into a pilgrim venue. The Visitation nun, Margaret Mary Alacoque, whose mystic experiences and visions of Our Lord from 1673 to 1675 and subsequent promotion of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which brought her the crown of sainthood, also brought to her adopted town the responsibility of being the foremost shrine in the world, and the host for this devotion. The other principal person associated with St Margaret Mary and the Sacred Heart, was St Claude de la Colombiere, a Jesuit priest and latterly chaplain to the Visitation sisters' community.”

“The principal pilgrim places in Paray associated with the Sacred Heart and these two saints are the striking and harmonious 11th century Romanesque Basilica of the Sacred Heart; the small, prayerful convent Chapel of the Visitation; and the arresting 20th century chapel commemorating St Claude de la Colombiere.”

“Paray is not overwhelmed with the plethora of devotional shops that encircle the sanctuary at Lourdes - it is all very low key and discreet.”

“One of the other aspects of Margaret Mary's early life that shines through very clearly and consistently, was her strong, determined devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. During the difficult years, when her family was oppressed by relatives, she was denied every opportunity to slip away to the local church to pray before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. She learned to overcome this by mentally prostrating herself before Jesus, maintaining her adoration through prayer 'at a distance'.”

“In the eighteen months starting on 27th December 1673, Margaret Mary began experiencing the amazing encounters with Christ that would clarify and specify her mission to the world - that of spreading the devotion to His Sacred Heart.”

“Prayer of St Margaret Mary Alacoque

Lord Jesus,

let my heart never rest until it finds You,

who are its centre, its love, and its happiness.

By the wound in Your Heart

pardon the sins that I have committed

whether out of malice or out of evil desires.

Place my weak heart in Your own divine Heart,

continually under Your protection and guidance,

so that I may persevere in doing good

and in fleeing evil until my last breath. Amen.”

“One of its notable and unusual devotional adornments is the Stations of the Cross, grouped closely together at the right rear of the church - each carved wooden Station depicting just the expression of Jesus' face.”

“The lovely thing about reading about or - better still - going to Paray-le-Monial, is that because of its very 'ordinariness' there are no major distractions if you are there on pilgrimage - or even just visiting - but in some, maybe even undefined way, seeking out the Sacred Heart. The holy buildings and places are perfectly keyed to help facilitate your search, again without undue distraction. The other striking thing, is that by virtue of the very humble and low profile that St Margaret Mary adopted, there are no strong personality cult distractions. The way - on all fronts - is completely clear to focus totally on Jesus, and His Sacred Heart.”

This was one of the hardest books in this series to track down. I am very thankful for a friend in Ireland who found a copy and made it available for me. I only have two volumes remaining in this series, at least from the ones listed in the backs of the ones I have read. Both of those are significantly longer they are on Rome, and France. This is the last of the booklet styles.

It is an excellent read. It will bless all who pick it up. And it is a small volume that can be returned to time and time again. You can pick it up and read it through, or revisit specific places. It is a great resource and one I will return to again soon. I encourage you to pick it up and give it a read or two.