The letter - New novel Thephilos from Michela O'Brien

March 13, 2010

Dear friends,
This month, may I draw your attention to my new novel, Theophilos, which is published by Ignatius Press. It is presently at the printer and I'm assuming that copies are now rolling of the press. Those interested in reading more about the book can visit the home page of the Studio website and find a short article about it, with an image of the cover. It is available as a pre-order through ignatius.com, or amazon.com, and amazon.ca, and soon will be available through numerous other outlets.

The Polish edition of this novel is currently being translated for publication later this year.
Zdravo! to Croatian readers. Hvaljen Isus i Marija!
The novel Theophilos has just been published in a Croatian language edition under the title Teofil, available through the Catholic publisher in Zagreb, Treci Dan. Please visit their website at:
www.trecidan.hr/ponuda.aspx
My book Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture is being prepared for the printer next week, and should be out in April. I will write more about this as soon as it becomes available. It is published in English by Fides et Traditio, a Catholic publisher in Poland, and will be available worldwide with free shipping. Though it is not yet posted on the publisher's website, it will be shortly. A Polish language edition of this book is also in progress.
Please visit their English language website at: www.fidestraditio.com
Polish readers: www.fidestraditio.pl

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