Saturday, April 30, 2011

Happy Feast of Divine Mercy & Beatification of Pope John Paul II

Totus Tuus: Always Yours

It is our destiny to grow in holiness.
Ascend higher!

Have a lovely, lovely day
on the glorious Feast of Divine Mercy
and
the
Beatification of Pope John Paul II.

God is so in love with us.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

JKP Books at the Massachusetts Library Association Annual Conference


Joseph Karl Publishing's award-winning, life-changing books
are on exhibit this week
at
the Massachusetts Library Association Annual Conference.

What a joy to work for the Lord.

http://mla.memberlodge.org/

If you are looking for exceptional quality,
life-changing reading worthy of your great dignity,
you will find it here:

www.josephkarlpublishing.com


Tuesday, April 26, 2011

God Moments II: Receiving the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

It has not been possible for me to have written as much as I would have liked during the past few months, but the stories that wait to be written have not disappeared, and will present themselves in God's most perfect timing. Two months ago I was working diligently to finish the sequel to God Moments: Stories That Inspire, Moments to Remember, but work came to an abrupt halt after I contracted a very persistent case of viral bronchitis and subsequent infection down my throat and windpipe. That is a whole other story. For six weeks work on the book was suspended as God had me accomplish other things.

This week, the book will finally travel to Erin Howarth at DDM Publications for professional copy-editing, and after it travels back and forth between us two more times to make sure everything is just right, the book will head to print and will be published fall, 2011.

The following account was taken from the book's forward and tells another remarkable tale of God's constant loving presence, always knowing, guiding, exercising perfect judgment, always with precision timing.

As the stories for this second book in the God Moments series were first being compiled, I asked the good Lord to confirm that it was His will that the book be written. God’s affirmation was deliberate and provided on three separate occasions.

God’s first confirmation came as the book's cover art and theme came to fruition. At the very beginning I knew exactly what picture He wanted on the cover, a beautiful image taken during Eucharistic Adoration at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Slovak Roman Catholic Church. The picture shows Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in a beautiful monstrance, angels bowing reverently on either side, the tabernacle behind the monstrance with a Bible resting on top, and the Holy Spirit represented as a dove at the top of the picture, above the Bible. At our initial meeting to discuss the cover, graphic designer Roseann Nieman and I failed to see how the image fit into the grand scheme of the book, and so we decided to consider other images instead.

When most of the the stories were compiled, they were given to my friend and colleague, Catholic author Paul A. Ray, who did a phenomenal job with the book. Paul decided on the theme, came up with the subtitle, Receiving the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and organized the stories into distinct chapters, each of which focuses on one of nine (of the twelve) Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

One Saturday morning while having breakfast with my children, I suddenly understood in a Divinely inspired instant how the cover picture God wanted and the theme of the book fit together. The very picture that did not make sense to us in the beginning was a perfect fit. The Holy Spirit tied everything together. The stories in the book involve the action of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was in the picture God had already chosen before we even knew the theme of the book.

In another moment, God told me the theme of the third book in the series, which confirmed that this second book had to come first.

Several weeks later I brought my son Nick to our parish, Ss. Cyril & Methodius, for his Confirmation retreat. After finding an empty classroom, I set up my mobile office equipment with the intention of finishing the book. On that day, I was feeling quite ill. After sitting down, I looked up and noticed the dry erase board on the wall across the room from where I was seated. The Fruits of the Holy Spirit were listed on the board. What an absolutely delightful moment of confirmation that was, at the very parish where the picture on the cover was taken.

Despite being so close to being finished, work on the book was suspended for six weeks as the bronchitis worsened. Despite my great desire to complete the book, God had not yet provided the words to finish it, and I knew for certain that He would provide them when His timing was right. Work on the book would have to wait, and that is exactly what happened.

Just before Easter, I ran into my friends, author Nancy Carabio Belanger and artist Sandy Casali LewAllen (who wrote and illustrated the award-winning books Olivia and the Little Way and Olivia's Gift), at a café. They were meeting to discuss the exciting youth books in development at Harvey House Publishing, and Nancy brought up God Moments II. During our discussion, Sandy recognized the classroom experience as another God moment, and suggested that the story be integrated into the unwritten forward of the book. Right then and there, the Lord provided the final thoughts for the book through Sandy, all in His most perfect timing.

God Moments II: Receiving the Fruits of the Holy Spirit was completed one year after God Moments: Stories That Inspire, Moments to Remember, and both were completed during Holy Week.

Stories for the book were contributed by a wonderful group of devout Catholics including Catholic authors, Catholic pro-life advocates, Catholic bloggers, Catholic speakers, Catholic publishers, a Marian Catechist, and a Catholic radio show host. My thanks to Nancy Carabio Belanger, Belinda Bondi, Andre J. Bottesi, Rejeanne Buckley, Chris Capolino, Sharon Cecil, Maribeth Criscenti, Ellen Gable Hrkach, Gene X. Kortsha, Janet MacKinnon, Tom Mulcahy, Sean McVeigh, Paul A. Ray, Susan Schoenstein, and Jerry Weber for sharing your personal and very meaningful stories with us in this book.

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit are supernatural works that, according to St. Paul, manifest the presence of the Holy Spirit. The one who performs them recognizes God’s presence by the happiness he experiences, and others the divine presence by witnessing these good works (Galatians 5:22-23). They are, in other words, identifiable effects of the Holy Spirit. 1

May the stories in God Moments II encourage and inspire others to recognize the God moments in their own lives and consider their vital purpose for themselves and for others.

Michele Bondi Bottesi

Holy Week, 2011

_____________
1. John A. Hardon, S.J., Modern Catholic Dictionary (Bardstown, KY: Eternal Life, 2008), pp. 222-223.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

What Do You See When You Look In God's Eyes?


May this Easter Season
be the most spiritually rich and loving one
you have ever experienced.

Pictures following Easter Sunday Mass:



God is so in love with us!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

God Is So In Love With You

Friday, April 22, 2011

Shine His Light

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper

Remembering that incredible, eternally loving moment for mankind on Holy Thursday.


When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from not on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

~Luke 22 14-20


What a lovely description given to us by Pope John Paul II when he stated, “The Blood of Christ, while It reveals the grandeur of the Father’s love, shows how precious man is in God’s eyes and how priceless the value of his life.”1 Love can cost us much. His great love for us cost Jesus everything. May we “spend” in His service all the gifts given to us by God, loving others the way Jesus loves us. We thank Jesus and honor Him as we should when we participate in this beautiful love story, receiving Him gratefully and worthily, as often as we are able to.


In his first encyclical God is Love, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that “to become a source of love, we must constantly drink anew from Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, the original source of love, for it is from His pierced heart that the love of God flows…” 2.


You are so precious in God’s eyes,
and th
e value of your eternal soul is priceless.

God is at work in you.
_______________________
1. Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life (New York: Random House, 1995), 45.

2. Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est, (Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2005), # 7.

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright, 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

JOSEPH KARL PUBLISHING CELEBRATES SECOND ANNIVERSARY WITH NINE BOOK AWARDS, ADDS NEW MISSION

Catholic publishing company continues to produce exceptional material that leads souls to Christ.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE






Media Advisory

ROCHESTER, MI (April 21, 2011) – Joseph Karl Publishing marked its second anniversary as the recipient of nine Royal Dragonfly Book Awards recognizing excellence in literature for its three newest titles, One Man’s Journey to Freedom: Escape From Behind the Iron Curtain, Our Treasure, and God Moments: Stories That Inspire, Moments to Remember. The most recent recognition gives the Catholic company a total of sixteen awards since being founded in 2009 to encourage, inspire, and continue the faith formation of the more than one billion Catholics worldwide and to lead souls to Christ.

Publisher Michele Bondi Bottesi is delighted that the company’s work has been honored in both the Catholic and secular publishing worlds. “All of our material emphasizes that God loves and values each person beyond measure, and reinforces the fact that every life has great dignity and purpose. The recognition helps lead precious souls to our work, which encourages individuals to grow in union with God while seeking to accomplish His will in their everyday lives.”

In addition to publishing exceptional quality, award-winning books, Joseph Karl Publishing produces short inspirational videos containing majestic Catholic images that are available on its website for viewing and sharing http://www.josephkarlpublishing.com. Two new additions to its website are the picture galleries God Is So In Love With Us and a pro-life picture gallery containing beautiful images that can be copied and shared (but not sold).

Recognizing the necessity of Catholics to cooperate on corporate and individual levels to facilitate the spreading of the Gospel message, Joseph Karl Publishing joined forces with Catholic company Harvey House Publishing http://www.littleflowerbook.com, whose most recent release, Olivia’s Gift, was just honored with three Royal Dragonfly Book Awards. Publisher and award-winning author Nancy Carabio Belanger was already a vital member of the team, and the collaboration between the two companies has already accomplished much for God’s glory.

Catholic author, speaker, and newest team member Paul A. Ray concurs. “Just as the Living Body of Christ works as one with Christ Jesus as our Cornerstone, it is absolutely vital that we, in union with the Church, work as one in our universal call to be stewards of the mysteries of Christ in order to faithfully spread the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Joseph Karl Publishing continues its mission by spearheading the new pro-life movement True Love Leads to Life, an unprecedented, global, and peaceful mission of love led by Jesus Christ, whose purpose is to sanctify each person on an individual level while combining our efforts to end abortion and euthanasia, and to promote post-abortion healing for those in need http://www.trueloveleadstolife.blogspot.com. People of all faiths are invited and encouraged to join the cause.

The Catholic publishing company continues to advance its work into its third year by publishing and producing exceptional material that serves as a beacon of hope in the lives of those whom our Lord leads its way.

Contact: Michele Bondi Bottesi – Publisher
Joseph Karl Publishing
P.O. Box 80371 Rochester, Michigan, 48308 U.S.A.
248-321-9865 or Godisatworkinyou@gmail.com
http://www.josephkarlpublishing.com

Keywords: Award-Winning Books, Catholic Books, Catholic Images, Catholic Videos, Gene Kortsha, Harvey House Publishing, Joseph Karl Publishing, Kristina Marie Pope, Life-Changing Reading, Paul A. Ray, Pro-Life Movement, Michele Bondi Bottesi, Nancy Carabio Belanger

###

Holy Thursday






He was wounded for our transgressions,
bruised for our iniquities,
the chastisement of our peace was was on Him,
and with His stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Eucharistic Adoration ~ Holy Week




God is so in love with us.

Be sure to love Him in return,
and share His love with everyone you meet.

God is at work in you!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Holy Week

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Palm Sunday


Want what God wants.

Live in imitation of Christ.

God is so in love with you!