He Waits

That I May Leave My Heart

Of Jesus Concealed

'In a world where there is so much noise, so much bewilderment, there is a need for silent adoration of Jesus concealed in the Host. Be assiduous in the prayer of adoration and teach it to the faithful. It is a source of comfort and light, particularly to those who are suffering.'

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Painting: Henri Alphonse Louis Laurent-Desrousseaux

There Are Certain Things

'There are certain things which lose their fragrance in the open air, 

certain thoughts so intimate that they cannot be translated into earthly 

language without losing at once their deep and heavenly meaning. 

How lovely it was, that first kiss of Jesus in my heart - 

it was truly a kiss of love. I knew that I was loved 

and said 'I love You, and I give myself to You forever.' 

St Therese of Lisieux

Holy in the Midst

'Live on the divine Eucharist, like the Hebrews did on the manna. 

Your soul can be entirely dedicated to the Eucharist, 

and very holy in the midst of your work and contacts with the world' 

St. Peter Julian Eymard

This Unchosen Cloister

You may have noticed that lately I've been absent from behind these cloister walls. I wish I could say I've been away on a long vacation, but the truth is far less glamorous. I've spent the last few weeks in a cloister not of my own choosing... within the little "cell" of a hospital room.

I hope to tell you more, soon, about this adventure. (I know you won't be able to wait). In the meantime, this is just to say "Hi! I'm back!" And I hope you're having a blessed Easter season.

'Thank God, there still remains one sanctuary, the sacredness of which no earthly power may violate…  It is the sanctuary of the human heart.  It needs no fixed place for its confines, no stated time for the opening of its gates, no particular hour of silence for its prayer.  A thought, a word, a moment of reflection, and by faith and by love, the soul is within the blessed refuge, and the gates are closed on the confusion of life with all its noise and tumult. It is secure against the bitterness and the pain of persecution, or hardship or trial, or hurt of body, or wound of earthly pride, or failure of worldly ambition, for there she is inviolable, sacred, impregnable in the fortress of her own spirit.' (From The Living Pyx of Jesus, Pelligrini and Co, 1941, p.101) 

'We cannot go to Jesus in the Tabernacle at every moment of the day, but we can turn inward to the Triune God at any moment, even in the midst of our day's worst difficulties.' (The Living Pyx of Jesus, Pelligrini, 1941, p. 27)

God in Our Midst

Painting: Simone Martini, Miraculous Mass (detail)

His Gift

Painting: Juan de Juanes

While Crowds Pass

'Jesus lives in the solitude of the Tabernacle. 

Crowds pass, eager or despairing, in the conflict of human existence, 

in the persistent or reckless pursuits of pleasure. 

All are occupied with their material concerns, with the affairs of home. 

Few give thought to the Divine Lover who dwells amongst them.
Those alone know His divine charm who, like Mary and Joseph,
interweave human activity with the divine activity of self-surrender.
For them, the Tabernacle is the actual meeting place of lovers of Jesus with Himself.
There, they find abundance of spiritual energy and fullness of life.'

from 'Listening to the Indwelling Presence' by a Religious, Pelligrini, 1940, pp. 399-400

Outside, the Busy Hum

        'Yes, Lord, I've come. Too long hast Thou
        been waiting for me here alone,
        yearning to make my heart Thine own,
        whilst I - well, I am with Thee now...

        Here dwellest Thou unseen, by stealth,
        to hear our prayers and hush our sighs,
        and warm our hearts and dry our eyes,
        and lend the pining spirit health.

        Without:  the stir, the busy hum,
        the empty laugh, the heavy sigh,
        Thy creatures passing heedless by,
        like me too oft - but now I've come.

        I come and go, while through the night
        and through the day Thou mak'st Thou home
        beneath that little marble dome,
        which hides e'en Thy Disguise from sight...

        I go and come. Now bid me go
        with fuller grace and firmer will,
        though fain I'd linger near Thee still -
        but work must be our lot below.

        Thou, Lord, wilt smile upon my track
        throughout the busy hours, I know;
        Then bless me, Father, ere I go -
        Alas! I go - oh! draw me back.'

        (The Living Pyx of Jesus by A Religious, Pelligrini, 1941, pp. 503-504)

E'er a Vision

"Cloister thy mind, thy senses and thy heart, and keep within a silent sanctuary, where thou with Me may live a life apart, a life of love in sweetest intimacy. 

"Speak with Me often through the busy day, thy joys and sorrows, all, to Me confide. And hearken, child; My every wish obey, 'til thus thou shalt with Me in Love abide.  

"Why sigh then for the vision that is past,
or that from Thabor's mount thou must depart?
For thou has e'er a vision that will last -

"Come!  Seek Me in the chapel of thy heart!"

(from Fervorinos from the Lips of the Master, compiled by a Religious, Pelligrini, Australia, 1940, p. 258)

This is a respost from our archives. It is linked to Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb for 'It's Worth Revisiting Wednesday.'  

In Places of Praise

"They are happy who dwell in Your house! Continually they praise You." (Psalm 84:5)

Imagine living where we could praise God all day long. Imagine being where just a few footsteps would bring us into His Presence, and we could come before Him in adoration. 

'O you who fear the Lord, praise Him in the places where you are now.  Change of place does not affect any drawing nearer to God, but wherever you may be, God will come to you.' (Gregory of Nyssa)." 

Praise Him in the place where I am now? Wherever I may be, He will come to me? Now, that is a beautifully 'cloistered heart' idea, and a striking promise, and I know it is the truth. 

I do, however, need lots of reminding. So with this in mind, I hope to spend the next few days here visiting some of the places where God can meet with me. Would you like to come along?

The truth is: we live precisely where we can praise God all day long. Just a word of prayer can bring us into His Presence. 

We can come to Him in adoration, wherever we may be. 


Photo © C Wells

I Gaze on You

On the Edge of My Knowing

Photo Attribution: Kitaev Hermitage. Click for link.

In a recent dream, I found myself in an urban neighborhood at dusk, making my way across back yards crammed with people. The yards were narrow strips of land belonging to detached rowhouses standing side by side. The people appeared to be waiting for something; perhaps a baseball game, or fireworks on the fourth of July. Some seemed irritated. Sounds of traffic surrounded us all.

My trek from yard to yard was halted when I reached a building extending farther back than the others. It looked like any other building, but I knew it was a church. There was an entrance facing me; a small, humble, very plain side door. I opened it and stepped inside.

The interior was larger than I expected. Dark, cool, with walls and floors of deep reds and browns.  Every surface gleamed with a warm patina, like stones worn smooth by years of prayer.

The overall sense was of a cavern, one lit only with candles. Small clusters of burning white tapers kept vigil along the long walls.

By now it was dark outside, and I knew the people were still out there, still packed in, still noisy, still waiting. From inside, however, I could no longer hear them. There were no more sounds of traffic. I knew only silence, and subtle scents of incense and beeswax, and a gently growing awareness of someone here, on the edge of my knowing.

I had thought I was alone, all by myself in this silent church. Yet now I knew an unseen sense of Presence.

He was in this place; of course He was.  I'd only needed to come away for a moment from the noise, so I could hear Him. I needed to be where His silence filled the air.

He had been waiting for me to stop and listen.

He had been waiting all along.

"I have a secret dwelling place, a sanctuary closed to the world and occupied by God alone, where I can always say 'O my God! I belong to You!' Neither afflictions, nor tempests, nor the clamour of the world, can tear me away from this secret abode, from this hidden Sanctuary where I can always converse with God, in a mysterious friendship which is the beginning of Heaven." (The Living Pyx of Jesus, Pelligrini, 1941, p. 95) 

'To be with God it is not necessary to be always in church. We may make a chapel of our heart, whereto to escape from time to time to talk with Him quietly, humbly and lovingly.... Begin then; perhaps He is waiting for a single generous resolution.' (Brother Lawrence)  

'We are, each of us, a Living Cathedral. Each is his own chapel. And provided we are in a state of grace, God lives and dwells within us… we must live and act as if we were dwelling in a church in the presence of the Tabernacle.” (The Living Pyx of Jesus)

Photo: Kitaev Hermitage. Click for full attribution.

No Greater Love

Painting: Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret, The Last Supper, in US public domain due to age

My God, I Believe

Your Real Longing

For You

Photo contributed by C Wells

The Visit

The Eucharistic Visit

'The Visit is a meeting of our soul

and of our whole being with Jesus.

It is the creature meeting the Creator;

the disciple before the Divine Master;

the patient with the Doctor of souls;

the poor one appealing to the Rich One;

the thirsty one drinking at the Font;

the weak before the Almighty;

the tempted seeking a sure Refuge;

the blind person searching for the Light;

the friend who goes to the True Friend;

the lost sheep sought by the Divine Shepherd;

the wayward heart who finds Wisdom;

the bride who finds the Spouse of the soul;

the 'nothing' who finds the All;

the afflicted who finds the Consoler;

the seeker who finds life's Meaning.'

Blessed James Alberione

A Dearer Heaven

 
'Our Lord does not come down from 
heaven every day to lie in a golden 
ciborium. He comes to find another 
heaven which is infinitely dearer to Him - 
the heaven of our souls.'

 St. Therese of Liseiux

Painting at bottom: Arthur Hughes