The Season of Hope

It seemed fitting to return to the Holy Family Shrine near Gretna, Nebraska, on the first Sunday of Advent.

Earlier in the day, we'd watched a family light the first Advent candle at Jill & Eric's church, The Water's Edge, in Omaha.

It was the candle of HOPE. Their pastor, Dr. Craig Finnestad, began his Advent series by preaching on hope. He admits that the story of Mary and Joseph is pretty familiar to people of the church. But he added:

"It may be familiar, but nothing about this story is ordinary. It is a prophetic and powerful story that applies to all of our lives. It is a story about hope. We learn from this story how to get along with others in difficult situations. And we learn to trust God and His ways.

"One day, God looked at the world and knew a better way existed. So He became human and lived as one of us. The world hasn't been the same since. For the optimist, the sad, the exhausted, the young, the old, the sinner, the saint, the poet and the athlete - the only things God really gives us are rest, peace, joy, hope, love, grace, forgiveness, healing and salvation - which is just as well because those are the things the world really needs."

We stopped as we were on our way home, after spending the weekend with Jill & Eric.


On a cold, blustery day in late November, the scenery wasn't as vibrant and colorful as it had been on our first visit in June. But, in some ways, it was more timely as I kept thinking about the message of HOPE as we entered the Advent season.

The symbolism of the mother and child is prevalent at the shrine.

This statue was titled, "Root of Jesse." As a blossom is the glory of a flower, so is Jesus the glory and fulfillment of the line of King David. In the sculpture, Mary and the infant Jesus appear as parts of an abstract flower. The metal folds represent roots, stem and blossom. The roots are planted in the earth, shown as a hemisphere.

The sculpture was inspired by a poem:

Lo, how a rose e'er blooming.
From tender root hath sprung.
Of Jesse's lineage coming.
As men of old hath sung.
It came as a flow'ret bright
Amid the cold of a winter
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah was foretold it
The rose I have in mind.
With Mary we behold it.
The Virgin Mother kind.
To show God's love a'right
She bore to men a Savior
When half spent was the night.

It was the perfect way to spend an Advent afternoon before a long ride home. There, with my family, the season of Advent truly began anew for me.


And I felt that glimmer of anticipation, separate from the huge to-do list of gifts to buy and goodies to make.

Bring on the season of HOPE!

A Sacred Place

In the stillness of your heart, God speaks.
Mother Teresa

Visitors are close enough to I-80 to hear the whine of 18-wheelers and the cacophony of tires hitting pavement as cars zoom from Lincoln to Omaha.

But the noise seems to fade away when you visit the Holy Family Shrine. On earlier visits to Omaha, we had seen the chapel just off the interstate. This time, we got to visit.

I'm glad we did. Other than shopping with my girl, it was my favorite destination during our recent Omaha trip.

The shrine is a Catholic chapel, but it certainly spoke volumes to this lifelong United Methodist, too. It was completed in 2002 on a 23-acre site overlooking the Platte River Valley, just off the Gretna, Nebraska, exit.

The construction was not without its challenges. A windstorm during construction caused the structure to buckle and collapse. Not to be deterred, they started yet again.

The founders of the shrine created it as a place for travelers to seek the presence of the Holy Spirit. Even though I'm sure it would have beautiful in February with the snow blanketing the prairies, it was a blessing to see it in spring. From the prairie flowers to the carefully cultivated gardens, the shrine was bursting with evidence of new life in Christ.

The floor to ceiling window panels offered a panoramic view of God's creation all around us.


The chapel's entry facade is made of red cedar and glass. The upper web is designed to look like waving wheat. The wheat symbolizes the bread broken by Jesus in the Upper Room.


The Visitor Center is carved out of a hill, designed to remind visitors of Christ's tomb. Inside, a skylight-illuminated sculpture represents the shroud of Christ as it fell to the tomb during the resurrection.


From the sculpture, water drips into a pool below.

As the pool fills, the water flows toward the chapel.

The water flows through the chapel to the altar area, where is gathers in a pool. You can see the water as you step into the pews over the limestone "bridges," an experience designed for worshipers to remember their baptism.

The water gathers at the feet of the Virgin Mary. The etching of the Holy Family overlooks the chapel and the hillside.

On Good Friday 2009, they erected a crucifix outside the shrine. It is approximately 40 feet tall, one foot for every day of Lent. The figure of Christ is just over 8 feet tall.


On the day we were there, it was a little bit overcast at times, and I couldn't help but think about the crucifixion story when darkness covered the Earth during Christ's time on the cross.


The symbolism was there - whether intentional or not. For me, the red and white peonies in the garden brought this Bible verse to mind: "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

I would gladly return to the Holy Family Shrine at other seasons of the year. If your travels take you near Omaha, I would recommend the drive down the gravel road to reach this beautiful, peaceful place.