Primacy of Peter There is a church near Tiberias called the Primacy of Peter, or Peter’s Church. It marks the spot along the Sea of Galilee at which Jesus appeared to His apostles after the resurrection. At this point in the Gospel story, the apostles had decided it was time to return to their former line of work. They couldn’t imagine that the period of their lives with Christ would continue. The spirit of evangelism seemed to have died with... Read more
As I always do, I began this flight with a prayer. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t get very much sleep last night or if my mind was only partially present to the act of prayer, but I realized part way through that I was praying that old prayer from St. Polycarp – the one we pray before meals. I had to smile a little. How appropriate. Bless us, Oh LORD, and these Thy gifts which we... Read more
Just before take-off, a flock of birds took to flight outside my window. He gives flight to the birds. He also gives flight to my soul. I shall mount up with wings as an eagle. And I pray that I shall walk and not grow weary, run and not grow faint, as we journey through these holy places together. I have prepared in every imaginable way, except physically. My backpack is already too heavy. I will be leaving the laptop... Read more
May 18, 2014 -Last night, I finished reading the Gospel of St. Mark. I read them out of order – Luke & John, then Matthew & Mark – but I did read them all. And now, I am ready to encounter that fifth Gospel. The Holy Land. Estimated time of departure… T-minus one day. Lord, help me to remember that today is Your day. Sunday. Quiet this racing mind. And thank you for helping me to get that suitcase packed... Read more
May 16, 2014 – Here is an interview I did with fellow Catholic Press Association travelers. These are some of the cool folks I will be traveling with in the Holy Land! Enjoy! Read more
It is May. That means Catholic schools and parishes will be having May Crowning. About two years after my conversion, the whole Mary-and-the-month-of-May thing hit my radar. “So what’s with Mary and the month of May?” I asked my cradle Catholic friend. She explained that the Church has set aside the month of May to honor the Blessed Mother – hence, May Crowning. It’s time to pray the rosary and present the Blessed Mother with flowers and a crown, she... Read more
May 12, 2014 The dates have changed slightly. We will be leaving for Israel on May 20th and returning on May 29th. (Originally, we were scheduled to leave May 18th and return May 28th.) Please keep David von Glahn of The Faithful Traveler (EWTN) in your prayers. David and his wife Diana are scheduled to travel with our little group to Israel and film a series on the Holy Land. David had a heart attack yesterday (May 11th) and had... Read more
The countdown has begun. The laptop, iPad, and iPhone are ready. The customs-friendly backpack awaits. I have sensible shoes for walking, jeans and t-shirts and skirts ready to pack. I have a notebook and pen with the Archdiocese of STL logo on them, and I can’t wait to jot every little thing down. The electrical adapters arrived in the mail. I am making my way through the Gospels – and feeling a little like the college girl who always over-prepared... Read more
We met in the baby aisle. She was older than I am – by maybe ten years. She was scanning items in a way that indicated that she was on a mission to find something, but it wasn’t something on her grocery list. If that had been the case, she would have walked straight over to the shelf and picked up the item with a kind of premeditation that she didn’t appear to have. She wanted to buy something. But... Read more
My friend is attending a class on life after a divorce. She is Catholic. She loves the faith and simply wants to heal and be whole for Christ and His Church. She lives in fidelity to the faith she has received. Her counselor suggested that she attend the post-divorce class which is held in a non-denominational church in the area. My friend doesn’t know if she will go back. On the night of the first class, she walked down the... Read more
Denise Bossert
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