He and I

‘He and I’ by Gabrielle Bossis

‘He and I’ is the chronicle of one woman’s rapturous relationship with the Eternal Beloved.

Gabrielle Bossis was born into a privileged French family in 1874. Recognizing her innate spirituality, her family priest tried to guide her into convent life. But she resisted this attempt. Nor did she ever marry. Blessed with many talents, she lived a full life, enjoying the life of the world, while living the essence of the spirit – shining in many endeavors, but dedicating herself to the service of her Lord in thought, word and deed. From 1936 to her death in 1950, ‘He and I’ is the narration of this deeply intimate association with the Divine.

This book, taking the form of conversations between the author and Christ, is infused by Mlle. Bossis’ love for her Redeemer Christ, who offered his life as the supreme sacrifice for humanity. It is this love of her Savior that inspires her to live her life in the spirit of constant service, yielding all to him:

“Look at the stained glass windows. Some are in the shadow and have kept all their colors to themselves. Others have surrendered to the sun and are completely lost in its light.”

Though Spirituality is supposed to transcend Religion, it is but natural if our spiritual journey is experienced through the prism of the faith that we are born into. We must row our fragile vessel of individual consciousness, before allowing it to dissolve into the ocean of the Universal.

Lovers of devotional literature will find echoes of Mirabai’s poetry, Andal’s ‘Thirupaavai’, and the songs of the Sufi saints in this book.