AMAZING GRACE FOR THE CATHOLIC HEART

Edited by Jeff Cavins, Matthew Pinto and Patti Armstrong

Ascension Press, 2003

300 pages, $12.99

To order: (800) 376-0520 www.ascensionpress.com

Looking for a last-minute stocking stuffer? Here's one that will delight the reluctant reader on your shopping list as it joyfully witnesses the Catholic faith to anyone who picks it up.

The second in a planned Amazing Grace series, Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart presents 101 short, uplifting anecdotes and testimonies that showcase the Catholic life in a light, Reader's Digest style. A simple theme binds the brief items together: Through grace, God keeps his promises.

“Grace cannot be seen, touched or otherwise perceived by our senses,” the authors write in the introduction. “Yet we Catholics believe it is as real as the words on this page. Grace gives supernatural life to our souls, empowers us to live virtuous lives and transforms our hearts. Grace is truly amazing.

“The proof of grace is found not only in Scripture and the Catechism but in the lives of everyone who has ever lived, including your own life! The dozens of people whose stories appear in this book have experienced miraculous events, divine interventions and sublime joys that could only have come from the source of all grace, God Himself.”

The items are grouped into seven sections: “With God All Things Are Possible,” “Family Matters,” “He Picked Me Up When I Was Down,” “The Lighter Side of Grace,” “His Healing Touch,” “Life Is Precious” and “Expect the Unexpected.” Each one rolls out its entries in a way that will inspire readers to more fully live their faith — and to share it with greater enthusiasm.

I was hooked on the book from its very first entry. In “The Badge of Grace,” a woman tells the stirring story of her brother, Bill, a U.S. Marine who served in Vietnam and had a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Bill died in the war, but God kept his promise to make sure he received the sacraments before breathing his last. Sound mundane? Far from it. The family found out that the priest who administered last rites had himself died 17 days before Bill.

In another especially gripping entry, Jeff Cavins writes about a 13-year-old named Tabitha who was charged in the murder of another teen. The other girl had been bullying Tabitha, who got this advice from her brother: “The next time she tries it, run into the house and get a steak knife. Then, pretend you're going stab her, but only tap her on the shoulder with it. That will scare her and she'll leave you alone.”

Tragedy ensued and, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, Cavins was there to be Christ for Tabitha. He describes how she saw the reality of God's love in the “holy hug” of a simple man of faith.

“Realizing the Lord had saved me to touch this young girl's life was very emotional,” Cavins writes. “Although everyone in Dayton knew about Tabitha, no one had come to visit. It made me think: What good is it to be the body of Christ unless we are going to act like the body of Christ? If we would simply act like the body of Christ — be His arms, His legs, His voice — lives would change. Christ is looking to us to do His work if we will simply yield to His will and take the risk of loving others. Once we do that, at any hour on any day … Jesus can use us.”

As I plowed through this book at breakneck pace, I realized I was not merely reading well-told stories cooked up to engage my mind and stir my heart. I was meeting my brothers and sisters: real people overcoming real problems as they discover, love and serve the Lord. With words as well as actions, these people “exhort one another daily while it is still ‘today’” (Hebrews 3:13). If you let them, they'll encourage you, too. Not a bad day's work for a stocking stuffer.

Bill Zalot writes from Levittown, Pennsylvania.