Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. . . He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow... Read more
There is nothing like it outside of the Catholic Church. On this night, they come. The children. The parents. Those in wheelchairs. Some with canes.Some who have lost a spouse, some who come with a spouse. A father with a son. A mother with her infant. And the server stands at His side like St. John and holds His cross like Simon the Cyrene. We genuflect. We kiss His feet. We worship. It is so different from every other ritual.... Read more
The East and West have never been closer to unity than right now. Perhaps there are some who would not like to see the two lungs breathing as one. Certainly, John 17 reveals where Our Lord stands on the issue of Christian unity. Jesus prayed, “Father, make them one. . .” I am thrilled that I will be in the Holy Land when the East and West meet – and for a moment in time – take a breath in... Read more
I read something yesterday in Fr. James Martin’s Jesus: A Pilgrimage. It made me think of conversion and Lent and even a little something from my days as a graduate student at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. “The ancient Greeks had two words for time: chronos, the tick-tock chronological time that we are more familiar with; and kairos, the right or opportune moment. We also know what these kairos moments are like: tired and dissatisfied with our lives, we’re waiting for... Read more
Ten years ago, when my father passed away, I was in the habit of praying each morning. After Dad’s death, I entered that prayer time with more anguish, more need. But I still kept that appointment with God every morning – thanks to an older daughter who would watch her little sister so that I had quiet time alone with the Lord. During those months of grieving, the lives of the saints came to me through books – first a... Read more
I went to the movie God’s Not Dead a few days ago. It was moving – something like a contemporary twist on themes common to old Billy Graham films. Instead of ending at a Billy Graham crusade, it ended at a Christian rock concert. Other than that, it fit the model. As the credits rolled, I noticed a familiar name. Cary Solomon. Writer. Later that day, I sent Cary a LinkedIn note. It wasn’t presumptuous of me because Cary had sent me the... Read more
I remember the day I discovered the joy of playing with a prism and the power generated by a magnifying glass. I was sitting on the windowsill of our fifth grade classroom and chatting with friends. We were looking at Mrs. Grace’s plants and goofing around with the magnifying glasses and prisms. I was fascinated by the rainbows appearing on our notebook paper when we held a prism just so between our fingers and thumb. What an amazing thing, this... Read more
Knowing you are going to the Holy Land is a little like knowing you are pregnant. You start counting down the number of showers you will take before the plane leaves. You start laying out clothes that will work for this or for that event. You get the bag ready crazy-early. And, you start having cravings. I’m counting down the days until I can have some of my favorite foods in Israel. Hummus & pitas. Wine & pitas. Olives &... Read more
This week, I received an email from a deacon asking me to send him an article that ran in the St. Louis Review and the diocesan papers of the Archdiocese of La Crosse, the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. The deacon teaches RCIA classes, and one of the students was dealing with anguish that comes with waiting for an annulment. This topic comes up a lot in the weeks before Easter Vigil. Therefore, I am reposting this... Read more
I am one hour in to my first set of invisalign braces. I now have many more things to offer up this Lent. No coffee – except with meals when the braces come off. No soda either. Nothing with color – unless I want a red, or brown, or orange smile. Water. I can drink water. And I can eat and drink whatever I want – but only at meal time when the braces come off. As they said in... Read more
Denise Bossert
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In