GLory Story: Christmas Special!
December 2021
This December, we want to share more of how God is working through the ASJB! This past fall, Cora Wack, ASJB’s Assistant Chair of the College Division, gave a wonderful testimony at our Bosco BBQ. She shared the following story about how the gift of the Bosco Bundle to her aided in building a beautiful relationship with a fellow UVA student.
I never thought that the Lord would bring about such an incredible encounter from my Chinese 1010 class, of all places! It all started in my second year at UVA, when I befriended a girl from my Chinese class (let’s call her LJ). Even though she wasn’t Catholic--or even Christian--she accompanied me to a few campus ministry events I invited her to.
Cora speaking at the 2021 College Nights
Shortly before we graduated, I invited her and a few other non-Catholic classmates to one of our Tuesday suppers at the church (dubbed “TSUP”). After dinner, I decided to give them a tour of the sanctuary since they had never been inside. They asked LOTS of questions (I felt like all my years of Catholic school theology classes were really paying off!) After the tour, LJ wistfully confessed that she wished she could have the same faith and the community that I had (if only she knew that she could!).
Since we both live in Northern Virginia, we continued to meet up after graduation. Every time we met, LJ would always openly ask me many questions about the faith. She also shared that she felt great peace and hope in our conversations about the Lord. I could tell that she had a longing, so I continued to invite her to church social events. When she would come, she would always comment on the warmth of the community. Later this summer, I realized it was time for me to make her a more intentional invitation into the faith. And I knew the perfect book to get her started.
Cora pictured with a community of Catholic Hoos during the College Night!
Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly is one of the books we give away in our Bosco Bundles at our summer College Nights. It’s a great starter book to inspire fervor, and it explains the basic beliefs and brief history of the faith in a digestible way. I thought it would be great. The problem was, I had already given away both copies I received! But God wouldn’t let that get in the way. My little sister still had her copy from her College Night, and she was more than willing to let me pass it on to LJ.
As I gave LJ the book, I told her that I thought it would be helpful in answering more of her questions, maybe in a better way than I could. Part of me didn’t expect her to pick it up at all, but, I thought, you never know. So you can imagine how much it shocked me when she told me two weeks later that she had been reading it almost every day and that it was changing her life. She shared with me how reading it made her want to be more selfless and encouraged her to look beyond herself. She told me reading it filled her with purpose, as well as inspiration to make small changes in her daily life. I couldn’t believe it.
I have since given LJ a copy of Mere Christianity, and, after taking up my suggestion to download the prayer app Hallow, she has also begun her prayer journey. I am so excited to walk with her as she continues exploring Christianity. I share this story to remind everyone that no invitation is ever wasted, and sometimes, God works in people’s lives in ways you’d never expect--we just have to be bold and ask!
Thanks to the ASJB’s Bosco Bundle, I had the tools at my fingertips in order to aid my friend in her journey towards Christ.
Curious to see what else comes in a Bosco Bundle?