Publications For Purchase
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After the Diagnosis…A Guide for Living The Transformative Power of Love During Sickness, Dying, and Death
Regardless of our age or status, any one of us could be faced with a diagnosis - it might be a curable sickness or a chronic disease, a serious condition or a terminal illness. In the 21st century, dying is, more often than not, an elongated process that may stretch out for many years. And since all of us will, eventually, die, the question is, how do we live well while dying? How can we avoid being bullied by the obsessive inner voices of anxiety and fear that leave us self-absorbed and disconnected from the very life we hope to save?
In this book, we'll share a rare slice of heaven that can be grasped on this side of the grave, at any point along the path of living and dying. A place beyond acceptance. A place of transformation in which we can realize, in the fullest, purest way, what our life's purpose has been, and what an amazing gift we can entrust to those we'll leave behind. We can learn to embrace mystery, to understand that our suffering can be transformative. Our legacy can become one of love - pure, powerful, and eternal.
It's never too early to embark on this work of living and loving that begins and ends with God. Healing work that deepens faith and enriches relationships, inspires open, honest, and loving conversations, and frees us from the burdens of our ego selves. As inspirational as it is practical, this book is intended for patients and caregivers, friends and family - anyone struggling to live life wholly and joyfully during the challenges of sickness, dying, and death.
After the Diagnosis…A Guide for Living The Transformative Power of Love During Sickness, Dying, and Death - listen on Audible, Amazon, iTunes.
Narrated by John Burlinson, Barbara Mariconda, and actor/activist Martin Sheen, with commentary by Fr. Thomas Lynch. Listen to a sample here:
Prayers for the Journey by Barbara Mariconda, illustrated by Thomas Masaryk
Inevitably, the journey of life will lead us through experiences of disappointment, sorrow, and loss. During these periods of suffering we can become blind to everyone and everything - except our own pain. The prayers in this volume can be your compass as you traverse your personal Path of Suffering, always pointing you toward the God who will be your strength, your hope, and your solace. Each prayer corresponds to a chapter from “After the Diagnosis...A Guide for Living – The Transformative Power of Love During Sickness, Dying, and Death” by Barbara Mariconda and the Reverend Thomas F. Lynch. You can read each prayer before beginning the chapter as you work your way through it, perhaps morning and evening, to bring greater resonance of the material into your own situation. Or, you might carry this slender book with you each day, turning to whichever prayer calls to your heart. Doing so will help you surrender to something greater than yourself, something larger than your distress, and bigger than your fear – and that something is God. You might also meditate on the evocative illustrations by artist Thomas Masaryk, allowing your soul to take from them whatever it needs. Together, may these poetic, lyrical prayers and impactful illustrations be a balm for your spirit, a light along your path, revealing to you in a much greater way, the working of God in your life. Though expressed through the Christian lens, "Prayers for the Journey" will speak to anyone who longs for hope in the midst of suffering and loss. Breaking these open will result in the most personal growth, allowing you to internalize and integrate the material into your everyday living.
Illustration from prayer book
Sample prayer from prayer book
Reflections on the Journey
This journal contains questions that correspond to each chapter from After the Diagnosis... The best approach is to read the reflection questions before you read the respective chapter. This provides some context and helps set a purpose for reading. Then sit back and dive in. Take your time. Pause. Consider. After you’ve had time to digest what you’ve read, come back and reflect on these questions. Write down your thoughts, cite examples from your own life. Pay close attention to the questions that seem the most challenging – contemplate on these with an open mind. Breaking these open will result in the most personal growth. Pray about the questions and ask God to lead you to the insights and epiphanies that will be most life-giving.
Since After the Diagnosis…A Guide for Living isn’t a “one and done” kind of book, we recommend going back to your answers at a later date to gauge how your perspective may have changed. Each time you reflect on a chapter using these questions, ask yourself where you are on the Path of Suffering (Chapter 2) and how the Fulcrum in your life is weighted (Chapter 3). Pay attention to how these factors influence the lens through which you view your situation at any given time.
What People Are Saying
“…Lynch and Mariconda’s broad-based, narrative-driven work ranges from absorbing accounts of encounters with dying men and women…to engaging meditations on the human reluctance to think about death. The string of personal anecdotes well-illustrates the variety of reactions people have when encountering the final months of their lives; these stories form a vital counterpoint to the authors’ more philosophical thoughts on the subjects of terminal illness, dying, death, and the meaning of life, which is never far from the main current of the book: “We’re all, in varying degrees, handicapped by the rubble that litters the inner fields of our hearts.” An expansive, richly sympathetic book about the last and least-understood phase of life.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“In a world that misunderstands the mystery of serious sickness, Father Tom Lynch and Barbara Mariconda have masterfully narrated a path that offers healing and hope for anyone who is seriously ill. Through their keen insights, personal stories, and spiritual wisdom, After the Diagnosis: A Guide for Living provides its readers with all the tools needed to seek personal healing and to understand suffering as a catalyst for a renewed life filled with zeal, purpose, and an appreciation of the present moment as a gift. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has received a diagnosis of serious illness and wishes to seek healing and hope. I also commend it to anyone who desires to learn how to live life fully, one day at a time.”
— The Most Reverend Frank Caggiano, Bishop, Diocese of Bridgeport