The rhythm of the chanting and prayers produced a transcendent state that erased discomfort. After a while, I almost forgot that I had legs. The sensation was a little bit like floating.

Certain individuals usher us into great moments in our lives. I was a guest speaker at a Kentucky campus in the early 1960s when, to my surprise, I received an invitation to visit one of the world's renowned religious leaders, Thomas Merton.

If you decide to pursue a deeper connection with God, hang on tight. It may be quite a ride.

Roman Catholic mass can be a stolid exercise, perhaps even more so during Midday Mass at Conception Abbey in rural Nodaway County, Missouri.

Basic to art are the very qualities demanded of the monk: single-mindedness, beauty, immersion, praise and creativity. The merger of one with the other makes for great art; the meaning of one for the other makes for great soul.