Seeds of Truth Ministries

Joseph Hollcraft

A Severe Mercy

In our second installment of books reviews, we turn to an autobiography,  A Severe Mercy, where we journey with Sheldon Vanauken in his quest to find the meaning of grief, faith, and the power of God’s love.

Early on, Mr. Vanauken chronicles in wonderful detail the courtship between he, and his wife Jean Davis (“Davy”), as they embark on friendship, romance, and the fulfillment of their dreams together.

The travels of Sheldon and Davy landed them at Oxford University where they were introduced to the esteemed English scholar and writer C.S. Lewis. Inspired by the witness of Christian joy from their peers, and under the guidance of C.S. Lewis, the starry-eyed couple began to inquire more deeply into the meaning of life and the existence of God. They would eventually accept the meaning of Christian doctrine, and Davy’s starry-eyes moved from Sheldon to God; admiring now not just beauty, but it’s Author.

Soon thereafter, tragedy strikes the Vanauken family: Davy dies of a terminal illness. Sheldon tries to make sense of his loss by turning to his companion from Oxford, C.S. Lewis (after failed attempts to understand without God). Out from these exchanges, Sheldon gained the all important insight, “That death, so full of suffering… was yet a severe mercy. A mercy as severe as death, a severity as merciful as love”. Indeed, Sheldon’s deeper conversion into the Christian faith came about because he was dealt a severe blow--a severe mercy.

In a modern culture that typically reduces married love to the human realm of physical attraction and the acquisition of material goods, Sheldon Vanauken’s poignant memoir is a welcomed reminder of the heights of married love in light of faith in Christ. For anyone who wishes to better understand the reality of the tension that exists between human love and the divine love of the cross, A Severe Mercy ought to be a flagship volume for your bookshelf.

What’s more, this book offers up something else in the form of eighteen rich theological and philosophical letters between Sheldon Vanauken and C.S. Lewis. We are acutely reminded that Gods ways are not our ways. If you are seeking to understand how God works in tragedy and in the most trying circumstances of life, I could not encourage enough the reading of this heart-rending read.

Type of Book: Autobiography/Christian Spirituality

  Get book at http://www.amazon.com/A-Severe-Mercy-Sheldon-Vanauken/dp/0060688246

View Dr. Hollcraft's author profile on Amazon
Unleashing the Power of Intercessory Prayer - Book Cover

“Hollcraft's book engagingly integrates his personal experience with the luminous witness of Scripture and the overflowing holiness of the saints to help you maximize the effectiveness of your intercessory prayer.”
Bishop Liam Cary
Diocese of Baker, Oregon

“With this book, Hollcraft opens the door to the humble act of praying for others and invites us, through practical and accessible tips, to step through that door with trust.”
Dr. Anthony Lilles
Author and Academic Dean of Saint Patrick's Seminary, Menlo Park (CA)

"As I read through these pages, I am reminded of our beautiful calling to pray for others, and Dr. Hollcraft explains here how to do so in deepest intimacy with Jesus Christ!"
Fr. Dave Pivonka T.O.R.
President of Franciscan University of Steubenville

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A Heart for Evangelizing - Book Cover

“Evangelization is never about numbers, and never about programs. It’s one heart setting another on fire. With this book, Dr. Hollcraft helps us keep the home fires burning—even as we set the world ablaze with Christ.”
Mike Aquilina
Award-winning author of more than 40 popular books

“Hollcraft wonderfully displays the tapestry of Catholic life and evangelization by weaving solid Catholic teaching, its application to the modern world, and clearly expressed examples that bring out the light and shadows of this beautiful picture.”
Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.
Author, television host, Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center
for Biblical Theology

"In a world of burgeoning textbooks and media, the reminder that  catechesis is inescapably a personal task to which we are all called, through a cooperation with the redeeming and educative work of the Person of the Holy Trinity, is a timely and important one."
Dr. Petroc Willey
Professor of Catechetics, Franciscan University of Steubenville

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