Heaven in the Orchard
Hints of the Divine in Daily Life
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Margaret, a single mom, was not having a good day. Her three teenage daughters seemed to be taking turns having their own personal crises. With one it was relationship issues, with another it was money problems, and with the third it was all about maturity and responsibility. There seemed to be no end to the troubles that demanded attention. So when I ran into Margaret that day and asked her how she was she just heaved a huge sigh of frustration and said, "I don't know what I'm going to do. Those kids! I just get one straightened out and another one makes me crazy!"
Mary and Joseph had each other and they only had one son, but one teenager was enough to make them crazy....Jesus, being a normal human adolescent, was not immune to this difficult stage of growth. In fact his actions here are quite typical: first he decides on his own to stay behind in Jerusalem without telling either parent, then after causing them to search everywhere in a state of great anxiety if not panic, they find him and he asks, "What's the big deal?"...
We may not understand one another. We may not always agree with each other. We may mystify and even irritate one another. But the fact remains that as children of the same divine creator we are all members of the holy family. Can we reflect that reality in the way we treat each other?
Formats
Book Details
Recognition Programs
About the Book
Uncovering the deeper spiritual meaning underlying everyday events, Heaven in the Orchard, by Father Ted Auble, presents a collection of stories and recollections. He draws on reflections from a wealth of personal experiences with his faith as a theology student at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium; as a Peace Corps volunteer in South Korea; and as a priest ordained to minister in the diocese of Rochester, New York.
Each reflection, a standalone piece, uses personal anecdotes to illustrate how God works in the lives of Christians. The vignettes, introduced with quotes from scripture, address an array of topics that are on the minds of many in today’s world, such as hunger, change, identity, sibling rivalry, gratitude, leadership, gluttony, parenting, and more. Auble uses these stories to provide direction on living a faith-filled life.
Insightful and inspiring, Heaven in the Orchard helps Christians find comfort and guidance in the Bible. Each selection is an invitation to examine the seeds of one’s own experiences to discover the rich life that lies hidden beneath the surface.
About the Author
Father Ted Auble earned MA and STB degrees in theology from the Catholic University of Louvian in Belgium. He currently serves as assisting priest at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Brockport, New York. This is his second book.