Bill Kassel's Blog

Occasional reflections on things that come into my mind — plus links to episodes of my radio show / podcast, “Free Expression”

Faith & Religion

The Catholic Current

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LISTEN TO MY INTERVIEW
WITH FR. ROBERT McTEIGUE

During Holy Week I was honored to be a guest on “The Catholic Current,” a weekly conversation program hosted by Jesuit Priest, Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J., Ph.D.

The subject of our talk was my novel about the family of Jesus, “My Brother’s Keeper.” Fr. Robert posed the question: “Would you try to save Christ from His cross?” — since my book is about the efforts of James, whom the Bible describes as “the brother of the Lord,” to do just that.

“The Catholic Current” is heard on stations around the country, and is also available online. Check it out when you have the chance…

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To Think in a New Way

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WORKING AROUND SOME OF THE
STUMBLING BLOCKS TO FAITH

A recent Pew Research Center survey reveals that young people who list themselves as having no church affiliation (the “nones,” as they’re called) usually have a very simple and obvious reason for not coming to the Church or for deciding to leave it.

And it’s not the poor quality of the music, or the supposed irrelevance of the preaching, or the unfriendliness of the congregation, or the ineffectiveness of the youth ministry, or other such concerns, discouraging as all those may be.

The bottom line for most disaffected young people is that they simply don’t accept the Christian story. As reported by Fox News…

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Honoring St. Joseph

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JESUS’ FOSTER FATHER AS
A TIMELESS ROLE MODEL

The earthy father of Jesus receives official honor twice during the liturgical year.

March 19 has been his feast day since, as they say, “time immemorial.” And in 1955 Pope Pius XII designated May 1 as the special feast of “St. Joseph the Worker,” highlighting Joseph’s worldly vocation as a carpenter or builder (tekton in Greek).

The pope’s intention was to provide a Christian alternative to May Day labor celebrations being promoted worldwide by the Soviet Union and the Communist Internationale. His idea caught on, and that feast is now celebrated by workers throughout the Catholic world.

St. Joseph plays a prominent role in my novel about the family of Jesus, MY BROTHER’S KEEPER. And on the first Father’s Day after the book’s publication Nancy Hastings of the Gatehouse Media Group did a brief feature article highlighting the unique challenges faced by St. Joseph, as I sketched them in my novel.

It’s only right St. Joseph is honored as a model of the fatherly virtues.

Those virtues are under stress these days. Much of the crime, violence, extremism and sexual perversion we see around us can be attributed to the collapse of fatherhood that’s evident throughout large portions of our society (and those of other nations as well).

Appealing to St. Joseph as an intercessor in this difficult period would be most appropriate. And if you don’t accept the Catholic notion of saints interceding on our behalf, then merely try invoking the name of Joseph in the prayers you address directly to God. Either way, I believe Joseph is a powerful helper standing by — and an example for all men with children to raise, young lives to mold.

So to mark the Feast of St. Joseph — and even though it’s not Father’s Day — here’s Nancy’s article…

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Ink on Paper

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MY NOVEL IS AVAILABLE
IN A NEW PRINT EDITION

eBooks may be cutting-edge — and, Lord knows, those wondrous little electronic readers have distinct advantages. But there’s something timeless and reassuring about ink on paper.

Whether you read on the beach or in the john, the printed word offers a sense of contact with an author’s writing, and the inspiration behind it, that just feels more tangible.

So, I’m pleased to announce that MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, my novel about the family of Jesus, is now available in its first commercial print edition.

You can click HERE for more information.

At the moment, the book is obtainable from one source: the website of Saint Joseph Communications. (Those are the folks who distribute the Lighthouse Catholic Media catechetical CDs you probably have on display at your church.)

But in July, Saint Joseph Communications will present my novel to book dealers at the annual Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show.

So if you prefer to support your local Catholic bookstore — and in today’s unsteady publishing market that’s a good idea — swing over to your hometown shop and put in an order. That’ll provide a “heads-up” about the book, and encourage your store operator to touch base with the Saint Joseph people at CMN.

I’m also pleased to present a review of MY BROTHER’S KEEPER by Catholic author, Deanna Klingel, who has created a delightful line of historical novels designed to be read by the whole family (with subject matter and language that’s age-sensitive for children).

Deanna is wonderfully enthusiastic about my representation of Jesus’ relatives. In a Facebook post linked to her blog she comments that MY BROTHER’S KEEPER…

“will be the best book you read this summer. I’m not a book reviewer, I don’t get paid for my comments, but I can’t stop talking about this book….

“Jews, Catholics, Protestants and non-believers can enjoy this, learn and talk. You’ll be glad you read it.”

From Deanna’s blog…

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Great Winter Reading

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FOR ALL eBOOK-LOVERS
MY BROTHER’S KEEPER

What if your brother was the most controversial figure in the history of the world and your job was to protect him? That’s the question raised by my novel about the family of Jesus.

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER is the perfect curl-up-and-read title for those long January nights — available in all eReader formats.

It plunges you into controversy surrounding Jesus’ ministry, and reveals how it touched the lives of people closest to him — especially the Rabbi James of Jerusalem, whom the Bible identifies as “the brother of the Lord.”

 

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER is available from your favorite online eBook vendor. And what a bargain! A nearly 600-page religious / historical novel for only $5.99.

This blog offers plenty of information, including four audio tracks, posted at right, in which I read brief excerpts.

And here’s an interview I did on Ave Maria Radio, in which I discussed the book with talk show host Al Kresta.

To assure you that MY BROTHER’S KEEPER is not only absorbing fiction but a truly worthwhile effort at historical recreation, here’s a thumbs-up commentary that appeared in Homiletic & Pastoral Review, a leading journal for clergy…

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Book Talk in the Afternoon

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MY RECENT INTERVIEW
ON AVE MARIA RADIO

Kresta in the PM LogoA couple of weeks ago I was interviewed on “Kresta in the Afternoon” by my old Ave Maria Radio colleague, Al Kresta. Here’s an audio track of that discussion…

 

It was fun being on the air again, something I don’t get to do very often these days. And — even better — it was great to introduce my new novel, MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, to listeners of the more than 300 stations that carry “Kresta in the Afternoon,” AMR’s flagship daily talk show.

Give it a listen, and get back to me with your thoughts.

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The Virtues of St. Joseph

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JESUS’ FOSTER FATHER AS
A TIMELESS ROLE MODEL

Reni's St. JosephOur extended family was enlarged last week when my wife’s niece, Jessica, gave birth to a baby girl.

This occasion brought to our in-box the requisite photo of grandparents, Chris and Joe, framing their daughter reclining in hospital bed with little Emily Anne in her arms.

Jessie bore the classic new-mother expression that blends joy with exhaustion (it was a long labor). Chris’ and Joe’s faces were all pride.

I was particularly struck by the image of Joe, who is considerably older than Chris and struggling with severe health complications. The family prayer during those months of Jessie’s pregnancy had been that Joe might live to see his grandchild.

Praise God, he made it.

Joe’s birthday is March 19, which on the liturgical calendar is the feast day of St. Joseph, for whom he was named. His patron saint also receives recognition on May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, which was established in 1955 by Pope Pius XII to provide a Christian alternative to the May Day labor celebrations promoted worldwide by the Soviet Union and the Communist Internationale.

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My Brother’s Keeper

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A NOVEL ABOUT JESUS’ RELATIVES
AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN THEM

MBK Cover“What if your brother was the most controversial figure in the history of the world and your job was to protect him?

“That’s the challenge faced by the Rabbi James of Jerusalem — whom the Bible identifies as ‘the brother of the Lord’ — in MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, an inspired retelling of the Christian story by author Bill Kassel.

“What can James do to fulfill a deathbed promise to his father, Joseph, and save Jesus, the Nazarene prophet who is stirring debate and contention among the Jewish religious leadership and the Roman occupiers?”

Sound provocative?

I hope so, because this is the lead copy on promotional materials for my new novel that is finally — finally — out.

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