“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” Doesn’t that give us pause to wonder what those rooms might be like when we arrive? Some people claim that when we die, we will end up living in the same houses and rooms we are already living in. Therefore, we must take care that they are places we treasure, look after with love, and will be happy in for eternity. There are certainly all kinds of dwelling places here on earth: rich houses, poor houses, abandoned houses we see on brief country escapes from our required isolation, houses we ponder who once lived in them: did they have good lives, happy lives, fruitful lives with large or small families, or suffer loss and die out? Then there are the cave dwellings of our ancestors, and the hollowed-out hillsides in the desert where saints and hermits retreated from distractions of the world. We might ask, “How many would live like that today?” Yet, many still do, seeking a life of prayer and contemplation, perhaps in a house of cloistered ascetics. One thing is clear: our dwellings are extensions of ourselves. Khalil Gibran, in his spiritual masterpiece, “The Prophet”, tells us: “Your house is your large body.” And is it not true, we can often tell who a person is by the condition or state of their rooms. In fact, our dwelling places represent our interior, spiritual selves. Author, Jerry Jenkins, says a writer should establish a ‘place to write’, like the board he stretched between two kitchen chairs in front of a folding table when he was starting out. He suggests this place represents our inner thoughts and ideas. And so, shouldn’t our homes and rooms therein represent at least a part of our spiritual selves, who we are as Christians? Like Christ taught us to be: a humble people, living in moderation, yet resourceful, kind, and generous toward others. St. Teresa of Avila wrote her classic, “The Interior Castle”, after receiving a vision of a multi-faceted jewel, in essence, a crystal house containing 7 rooms representing our graduated, inner journey to God who is at the heart of this magnificient gem, waiting expectantly for us to knock on his door after we have completed the challenges of the other rooms, and have now abandoned ourselves, the soul of our now empty shells ready to be filled with his light and love, and so, become completely absorbed into him, to become ‘one’ with him for eternity. But are our homes dark with despair, dusty with disappointment, cluttered with vain attempts to control what we cannot control? Does our interior castle look more like a “Fun House” where mirrors distort our true image? Or as Khalil Gibran cautions: “Or have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house as a guest, becomes a host, and then a master? Verily, the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in [one’s] funeral.” Instead, he advises, “Your house shall not be an anchor, but a mast. Your house shall not hold your secret, nor shelter your longing. For that which is boundless in you abides in the mansion of the sky, whose door is the morning mist, and whose windows are the songs and the silences of night.” When I was very young, a music teacher named Mrs. Margetson would visit our one-room school house on Weds to teach us how to sing, read music, even how to square-dance in the school yard when Spring came. Sometimes, she played 45s on her portable record player. Our favourite was, “Puff, The Magic Dragon”. But she also taught us to become responsible, moral, and ethical young adults, not to demand too much of life, but to give back to life instead. One of the things she taught us was to love and honour our future homes, which might sound odd, but she read aloud today’s gospel about Christ’s Father’s house, suggesting our homes should also reflect God’s love and joy. This probably came from reflections of losing her own home in England during the war. To illustrate this, she used an old, war-time song, sung by the dearly loved, Gracie Fields, for troops in Europe: “Bless This House”. The lyrics go like this: Bless this house, O Lord, we pray. Make it safe by night and day. Bless these walls so firm and stout, Keeping want and trouble out. Bless the roof and chimneys tall. Let thy peace lie over all. Bless this door that it may prove ever open to joy and love. Bless these windows shining bright, Letting in God’s heavenly light. Bless the hearth, blazing there, With smoke ascending like a prayer. Bless the people here within; Keep them pure and free from sin. Bless us all that we may be, Fit, O Lord, to dwell with Thee. Everyone: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe in Jesus, hear his glorious proclamation of the Gospel, and receive in the inner rooms of your hearts the promise he made to us of resurrection through his own wondrous resurrection from the dead. Recently, it was said, in responding to the global pandemic, that responding to people’s emotions of fear and anxiety only leads to chaos. Truly, it is better to respond to people with facts, with the truth, and then people will respond positively, being confident in that truth to know how to move forward with their lives. But as Christians, we have a much more profound Truth with which to live without fear in our homes: It is Christ – the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Go and visit God in your inner castle. Sit in silence for 5 or 10 minutes. Empty your thoughts, dispel distractions using a mantra if helpful. Do it alone or with family. Don’t be surprised to find children are already familiar with this form of prayer practiced in our Catholic schools. This is the Way to Truth – to God – in your Life. Rev Fr Christopher Tracey, Pastor Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Parish Saugeen Shores, Ontario
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Father's Blog
Rev. Fr. Christopher Tracey
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