Again I am reposting something written here earlier. This time it's slightly "updated".....
Some years ago, during a torrential thunderstorm, I found myself alone in a tiny chapel. Except for flashes of lightning coming through a stained glass window, only the glow of a sanctuary light provided illumination. Yet how secure I felt. How secure I was.
In the midst of the storm, I was in the Presence of Christ and I was safe.
Thinking back to that night, I find myself comparing it to times of personal storm. Where do I go, at such moments, for security? When adversity strikes, when fear bares its fangs, where do I find refuge?
In the chapel, a sanctuary light stood as a reminder. It assured me: “Christ is here.” Golden Tabernacle, glowing light: “Christ is here.”
I saw no visions, felt nothing out of the ordinary. But my faith assured me: “Christ is here.”
Jesus is with me. But how easy it is to forget this truth, especially when the pressures of life bear down hard upon me, darkening my hopes and clouding my mind. Are there ways in which I can help myself remember that Christ is really, genuinely here?
What reminders, what "sanctuary lights," might be right before me.... if I can only learn to look for them?
It is a challenge I feel like taking on, starting with a prayer that God will open my eyes to see "markers" of His presence, protection, and love.
Yes. I think I will try to remember to look for His markers, His lights. It is a perfect project for the weekend.
Anyone care to join in?
"Faith tells us that our heart is a Sanctuary, because it is the Temple of God, the dwelling-place of the Holy Trinity. Let us often visit this Sanctuary, and see that the lamps are alight - that is to say, Faith, Hope and Charity - and frequently stir up our faith when we are studying, working, or eating, when we go to bed, and when we rise, and make aspirations to God.” (St. Paul of the Cross)