I need help. I need a lot of help. Yes, I know that Our Lord makes His home within me - even within sinful, distracted me. But oh, how easy it is to forget this as I go through my day to day life.
Wouldn't it be lovely to have a little "prayer closet" to duck into from time to time, something with reminders of Our Lord's presence? A place where I could steal away from chaos and distractions and focus my mind on the reality of God?
As a child, I'd occasionally slip away from the playground during school recess and visit Our Lord in the Church next door. I would often be alone, there, with God. I'd just sit, in semi-dark, surrounded by windows that showed me the life of of Christ in stained glass. Years later I became an Art student, and learned (in a secular University) that churches have a language all their own. They are not just pretty for pretty's sake. The best of them teach with every column and icon and golden shimmer. Set your eyes not on things of this world, they tell us; you were made for something higher. Reach for it; reach and don't settle. Pray and seek and spend your life for God.
In this busy, crazy world, I can't just rush off to a chapel any time I'd like. And oh, I find it so hard to remember that Jesus is really, truly in the cloister of my heart.
If you, too, could use help remembering this truth, I invite you to come visit our new prayer spot. We have long had a Parlor where we can meet with one another. Now we have a "chapel" where we are welcome to spend time alone with God. Our real chapel, of course, is where Jesus waits under the appearance of Bread in a nearby Tabernacle, and our real chapel is where He resides in our hearts. But this can hopefully be a place where we can come apart for a few minutes now and then if we care to do so, where we can find a few helps to focus our attention on Our Lord.
Besides, I love finding chant videos, icons, and paintings of stained glass windows. Now I shall have a place to share them! I thought of making this a page here, but I really wanted a dark background (I've missed our dark background)... so it is another blog. Not one where there will be much to read, ever, but where I hope to keep "hanging paintings" and posting music and helps for prayer. I will put a link to it on the sidebar here, and for now I invite you to click this line to visit Prie Dieu.
And may I ask a favor? Would you please offer a prayer of praise to God while you're there?
