I wish I'd grown up with
this kid's Bible. It is easily the finest one I've seen in print and I've seen quite a few.
Definitely not just for young Catholics!
The only problem is the subtitle which is "A Story Bible for Young Catholics".
Ok, I get the 'marketing to Catholics' thing, but this publication is
certainly NOT just for Young Catholics. What a terribly limiting thing to say!
No.
Emily's story telling prowess shines here!
This work of art is for everyone (the young and the young at heart) who wants to
know more about the Christian faith in its entire sweep. It wonderfully connects
the dots between key elements over the entire arc of salvation history.
Diana Renzina's art work is stunningly beautiful!
It is for kids of all ages. My inner 10 year old has delighted in every
page.
And my inner 4 year old LOVED listening to Jonathan Roumie read it to me. I
binged the entire 76 short (average 5 minute) chapters in a matter of a few
days!
Read by the actor who plays Jesus in 'The Chosen'
So Christian or not, Protestant or Catholic or Orthodox or whatever, this one is for you if you want to catch a vision of what Christians have treasured
over the past twenty centuries.
Emily Stimpson Chapman's excellent story telling abilities alone make this a winner. Combined with Diana
Renzina's stunning artwork it knocks it out of the park! Diana's more accurate depiction of the variety of Middle Eastern skin tones alone is so refreshing and only the tiniest part of her true talent as an illustrator.
I am deeply impressed and binging the audio now for the second time because my inner 4 year old keeps clamoring for it again.
Remember, all produce on the farm is freely given
and never for sale. All donations to the farm
are tax deductible as we are a registered 501(c)(3).
As I started going to Mass more in the greater Grand Rapids area I couldn't
help noticing the presence of Vietnamese Nuns quite often. I learned that
there was a convent for them on the southwest side of town.
Digging a little deeper I found out
a little more history
on how people from Vietnam began arriving here in greater numbers with the
fall of Saigon in 1975. Many of them were and still are Catholic.
In 2024 we moved towards the southwest side where the closest Parish was
Our Lady of La Vang.
Having gone there a few times over the last year, the beauty and kindness of
the people there have touched my heart deeply. It shines out profoundly in
their worship and devotion during the mass because to me at least, their way
of chanting the entire liturgy is piercingly exquisite.
The lovely aesthetic of the chanted Vietnamese language lends a hand in this
regard. If I had to compare it to a musical instrument it would be the chimes, the vertical hammered tubular percussion instrument you find in most bands and orchestras.
Hear it for yourself in this example:
At Our Lady of La Vang everything is in Vietnamese most of the time. With my
love of languages this suits me just fine. Add to that, they often have the
words of songs and the liturgy projected so I can follow along and sound out
the words. Sometimes they have the English alongside the Vietnamese, so I can
figure out pretty quickly the often repeated words like God (Thân) or Lord
(Chua) or Jesus Christ (Giêsu Kitô).
The point is this, I find it easy to sing and worship with my Vietnamese
brothers and sisters and I find their deep reverence extremely attractive. I
hope to make this my Sunday Church home now since we live so close and I like
to support my neighborhood Parish when I can.
This past Monday was the memorial of St. Andrew Dũng-Lạc and I was so very
fortunate to have attended mass at the Cathedral downtown with Fr. Kenneth
Boyack presiding that morning. His homily was so beautiful I asked if I could
have it and share it with others. He handed it to me right away and then sent
it to me later in electronic form.
It is very inspiring and informative. I hope it blesses you today!
__________
Homily for the Memorial of St. Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and
Companions, Martyrs Father Kenneth Boyack, CSP Cathedral of Saint
Andrew, Grand Rapids, MI
Today the Church invites us to remember a
remarkable chapter in the history of the Catholic faith—the witness of St.
Andrew Dũng-Lạc and the Vietnamese Martyrs. Their story stretches across three
centuries and includes more than 100,000 believers—bishops and priests,
religious and laypeople, parents and children—most of whose names are known
only to God. Yet their courage continues to speak to the whole Church.
When
Christianity first entered Vietnam in the late 1500s, it was seen as a foreign
threat. Waves of persecution followed, marked by some of the most brutal
tortures in recorded history. Believers were burned, dismembered, or
suffocated; churches were destroyed; and Christians were ordered to renounce
their faith by trampling on a crucifix. And yet, against all human logic, the
Gospel did not disappear. It took deeper root. The blood of these martyrs
became the seed of a thriving Church.
Among them stands Andrew
Dũng-Lạc, a humble parish priest born near Hanoi. As a young man, he
encountered a catechist, was baptized, and soon became a catechist himself.
His zeal and holiness led to his ordination in 1823. In 1832, when
Christianity was outlawed under Emperor Minh-Mang, Andrew was arrested
repeatedly. He could have saved his life by denying Christ, but he chose
instead to remain faithful. He was beheaded on December 21, 1839.
How
do we make sense of such courage? One of his fellow martyrs, St. Paul
Le-Bao-Tinh, wrote from prison: “I am full of joy and gladness, because I am
not alone—Christ is with me. Our Master bears the whole weight of the cross,
leaving me only the tiniest bit.” Their strength was not human stubbornness;
it was confidence in the presence of Christ.
This memorial
challenges us not necessarily to die for Christ, but to live for Him. Most of
our trials are quieter: choosing forgiveness over resentment, fidelity over
convenience, truth over comfort, faith over fear. The martyrs remind us that
holiness is built on daily decisions to trust Jesus, even when it costs us
something.
Their witness also proclaims that the Church is truly
universal. The Gospel is not Western or Eastern—it belongs to every people and
culture. Today, the Church in Vietnam is vibrant and growing, a living
testament that suffering never has the last word. God does.
So we
pray in this Mass: Lord, give us the courage of these martyrs. Help us to
stand firm in faith, to love without fear, and to follow you with joyful
hearts. May their witness inspire us to proclaim Christ—not only with our
words, but with our lives. Amen.
Trusting in God who strengthened
the martyrs of Vietnam, let us confidently bring our prayers before the Lord.
For the Church throughout the world, that, inspired by the courage of
St. Andrew Dũng-Lac and his companions, Christians may remain steadfast
in faith and joyful in witness, even in times of trial. R: Lord hear our
prayer.
For all who suffer persecution for their faith today, that God will
protect them, give them hope, and bring peace to nations where religious
freedom is threatened. R: Lord hear our prayer.
For the people and Church of Vietnam, that the seed planted by the
martyrs may continue to bear fruit in holiness, vocations and vibrant
missionary discipleship. R: Lord hear our prayer.
For priests, catechists, missionaries, and all who proclaim the Gospel,
that, like St. Andrew Dũng-Lac, they may serve with humility, courage
and unwavering trust in Christ. R: Lord hear our prayer.
For our Cathedral community, that we may learn to live our faith boldly
-- choosing love over fear, forgiveness over resentment and truth over
convenience -- so that our lives become a witness to Christ. R: Lord
hear our prayer.
For those who carry hidden crosses -- illness, loneliness, grief, or
discouragement, that they may know the comforting presence of Christ,
who walks with His people in every trial. R: Lord hear our prayer.
For peace among nations and respect among cultures, that the example of
the universal Church may help all peoples see one another as brothers
and sisters created in God's image. R: Lord hear our prayer.
For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. R: Lord hear our
prayer.
God of strength and mercy, you sustained the martyrs of Vietnam in their
hour of trial. Hear our prayers, grant us steadfast hearts and make us
faithful witnesses to your love. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Remember, all produce on the farm is freely given
and never for sale. All donations to the farm
are tax deductible as we are a registered 501(c)(3).
"Orders" by Bruce Cockburn
takes it a step father with somber determination. It entered my campfire
lexicon after I heard it a couple years ago. Give it a listen:
The just, the merciful, the cruel The stumbling well-intentioned fool The
deft, the oaf, the witless pawn The golden one life smiles upon The
squalling infant in mid-squall The neighbors fighting down the hall The
list is long - as I recall Our orders said to love them all
The
cynic and the crooked priest The woman wise, the sullen beast The
enemy outside the gate The friend who leaves it all to fate The
drunk who tags the bathroom stall The proud boy headed to his fall, The
list is long - as I recall Our orders said to love them all
The
pastor preaching shades of hate The self-inflating head of state The
black and blue, the starved for bread The dread, the red, the better
dead The sweet, the vile, the small, the tall The one who rises to
the call The list is long - as I recall Our orders said to love them
all
The one who lets his demons win The one we think we’re
better than A challenge great - as I recall Our orders said to love
them all
What Jeffrey Martin did with comic wit, Cockburn amps up with grim resolve.
Let's admit it, sometimes we need a good dose of earnest commitment and power
from above to love others as we'd be loved... which are our orders.
Cockburn's 38th album is perhaps his sweetest. Pure light and joy
burst from this release.
But don't let the soberness of this song scare you away from the
his latest album where it resides. "O Sun O Moon"
contains songs of pure joy and light as well. That sacramental joy permeates
Cockburn's impressive collection of 38 releases since the early 70's. And that
is why over a dozen of his songs are in my campfire lexicon.
Remember, all produce on the farm is freely given
and never for sale. All donations to the farm
are tax deductible as we are a registered 501(c)(3).
We were at the
Nowhere Else Festival
with some friends when we first heard Jeffrey Martin belt these lyrics out
from the stage. Here, have a listen yourself:
Joseph Stalin came from somebody's vagina Just like Babe Ruth and Mao
Zedong and Mark Twain and Paul Simon played catch, with his Daddy on the
weekend Just like you, Just like you, Just like me
And Adolph
Hitler played with dolls in his bedroom Quiet so his mother wouldn't
hear And he grew up to be a monster, but for a while he was a child Let's
be clear, Let's be clear, Let's be clear
And Jesus represented love
in the flesh But they said he was a man in every way And so the
evidence would suggest, that he had a thing for breasts Just like you,
Just like you, Just like me
My coquette neighbor is a banker in the
city He falls off the wagon and gets drunk on Listerine He is shiny
on the outside and broken on the inside Just like you, Just like you,
Just like me
Yeah, he is shiny on the outside and broken on the
inside Just like you, Just like you, Just like me
The song got some laughs for sure. More importantly, I feel like it stimulated
some thoughts on the
dignity owed to each and every human. Check this out from Google AI:
Yes, you can be said to owe someone dignity, because dignity is an
inherent worth that every person possesses and that you are morally
obligated to respect, even if they don't "earn" it. While some argue
that respect should be earned, the idea of inherent dignity means that
you are owed a baseline of decency simply by virtue of being human. This
includes treating them with respect, kindness, and consideration,
regardless of their actions or circumstances.
Not bad. Pretty much aligns with what I'm learning of the dignity of the
human person in my
Theology of the Body courses.
I've seen this type of respect on full display by a couple of women that one
would think would have little of it for one another. One had an abortion under
terrible circumstances. The other survived an abortion attempt in similar
circumstances.
Rape and Abortion Survivors Unite! The story of the most unlikely
friendship
This stands in glaring contrast to Charlie Kirk being murdered for what he was
saying and doing. All of the offense taken into the public consciousness from
Charlie evidently tanked up and burst out sideways through a deranged
individual.
That is sad.
Perhaps he was a monster in some ways, I don't know, I never really followed
his particular brand of activism or watched any of his college campus debates.
But maybe we could add another verse to Jeffrey's song for Charlie:
Charlie Kirk spoke out for things that he believed in He made famously
infuriating pleas But he loved his wife and kids, even with the things he
did Just like you, Just like you, Just like me.
As I listen to some of my friends speak about Charlie, I become sad about the
way it comes across almost as a celebration of somebody finally getting what
they deserved. "That $#%@ had it coming!!" is what I hear more often than not.
And this darkness is why Miriam and Buzz' friendship shines so brightly. Maybe
we could learn something from them. They've become almost unoffendable toward
each other. In fact they talk about this extensively in
their tenth published phone chat. They speak of the Bible study they went through in a
book by Brant Hansen.
The Bible Study that Buzz and Miriam Have both read and pondered as
they've sought Reconciliation and recovery together
As I've shared these concepts with friends, it has been strange to observe how
becoming unoffendable is deeply offensive to so many of us. (Yes I have taken
offense at the suggestion as well.)
I listened to this book, read by the author
at the suggestion of Miriam and Buzz... turns out that the author is also an
established radio personality and listening to him is extremely engaging. He
is both witty and humorous.
But back to Jeffrey Martin and his song. I think I'm a fan of this guy now. I
plan to follow him some more. This song at least is now in my campfire song
rotation. That might not seem like a big deal until you consider the others in
that list like T-bone Burnett, Over the Rhine, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Alison
Kraus and Bruce Cockburn.
Keep writing songs Mr. Martin.
Remember, all produce on the farm is freely given
and never for sale. All donations to the farm
are tax deductible as we are a registered 501(c)(3).
