Caryll Houselander was a British mystic, writer, and artist whose work was characterized by profound spiritual insight and artistic vision. Her writing focused on revealing the presence of Christ in all people and life circumstances. Her style was described as refreshing, as if seeing things for the first time, capable of illuminating even the driest doctrinal considerations. Her texts, encompassing poetry, short stories, and articles, are valued for their spiritual depth and unique perspective on the human experience.
The Catholic Women Writers series brings together the English-language prose works of Catholic women from the 19th and 20th centuries. The first volume in the series is Caryll Houselander's The Dry Wood. It offers a vital contribution to the modern literary canon and a profound meditation on the purpose of human suffering.
Petook is a snowy white rooster and proud of his wife's new brood of chicks, and quick to protect them from an intruding young stranger named Jesus walking through the garden. But when he sees the child kneeling in wonder and caressing his newborn chicks, Petook is soothed and crows happily. Years later, Petook, whose home is in sight of Calvary's hill, is awaiting another hatching and becomes strangely agitated when he sees men being lifted onto crosses there. He doesn't know that one of the men being crucified is the same boy who visited Petook's family long ago. But three days later on Easter morning, as a new brood of chicks hatches that coincides with the Resurrection of the stranger, Petook is inspired to crow with great joy, celebrating the mystery of new life.
A meditation, which depicts the human side of Mary as an empty reed waiting for God's music to be played through her. The author shares her vision of Mary on earth, Mary among us, Mary as a confused but trusting teenager whose holiness flowered with her eternal Yes.
Caryll Houselander is best known for the intensity of her vision of the suffering Christ and His immeasurable love for us, a theme that she frequently spoke of with breathtaking luminosity in her many books about Him.Few know, however, of the many remarkable stories she wrote for Catholic children -- delightful tales that are simple but not shallow. Indeed, like her books for adults, they manifest a tender love of Christ and His little ones not commonly found among us these days.Here are twelve of Houselander's best tales, charmingly illustrated with Renee George's lively drawings of pirates and princesses, castles and kings.Through the tale of Jack and Jim, even young children will grasp the meaning of Christ's suffering; in Racla the Gypsy, they'll discover the charity which is at the heart of the Eucharist; in the The Cure's Guest, they'll see how Christ makes up for the sins of others.Other stories touch on other Catholic themes, but these tales are not really catechetical. Yes, they do take for granted that Catholicism plays a large role in the lives of these children, especially prayer and the Mass. But they do something more . . . and more important.Tale after tale introduces children to the tender love that Jesus has for each of them, and to the fire of love for Him that can burn in the heart of Catholics -- even in the hearts of little ones like themselves.There is no better gift you can give to a young child.