In the depths of my soul there is a quiet, peaceful, restful space that I retreat to be with the Lord. In this place the Lord and I are one. As I lay on His chest, it rises and falls and He speaks ever so softly in my ear. My soul is in unison with Him. I desire only what He desires and feel fulfilled simply by being with Him in this place. No one is permitted access to my secret space. It is only for the Lord and me. There is a calm that overtakes me when I enter this place. I remove myself from the noise of the world. The hustle and bustle that I feel in my bones halts. My eyes, and all of my being home in on the Lord.
Each person has this sacred place that they can escape to. It is not a physical place but a mental space that offers easy breathing and personal time with the Lord. Years ago, when I heard others speak of this concept, I was flabbergasted. Surely, they were speaking figuratively, I had convinced myself. No such place exists. It must be their vivid imagination. I convinced myself that I could experience this same depth by creating the right environment for prayer. With the perfect surroundings, I could enter into this union with the Lord as I snuggled in my chair in my living room and reflected on my meditation. I could think my way into such a place.
My misunderstanding here was that I had the control over this union. I thought if I did it right, I would essentially force myself on God. He would enter into synthesis with me because I did it correctly. If I had the right picture of His Mother, Mary, the most inspirational statue I could afford, the correct prayer cards to guide me, the right version of the Bible by my side, the correct assortment of holy books, the perfect mix of loving saints images surrounding me on all sides, gazing at me as I bowed my head reverently in prayer in the perfect sanctifying stance, then I could reach this sacred space. Years of this attempt proved I was mistaken.
God meets us where we are. All He asks is that we turn off the noise of the world as much as we are able and retreat to be with Him. Our Lord wants our time and our focus, just as each person in a thriving relationship seeks. Holding nothing back, we bare our souls to the one who created us and cultivate intimacy with Him. We are fully alive when we reach this union. Living and breathing Christ, as we inhale we are renewed and filled with Christ, as we exhale His love pours forth from our being.
St. Teresa of Avila believed a friendship with Our Lord was something of tremendous importance. This begins with prayer. She explained, “For mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us. The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything.” This intimacy was the key to entering sacred space with him.
In God’s time, we unlock the gate and it is thrown open. We enter into this beautiful place to be with our true love, Our Creator, Our God. Song of Songs 8: 6-7 instructs us, “True Love: Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; For stern as death is love, relentless as the nether world is devotion; its flames are a blazing fire. Deep waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away. Were one to offer all he owns to purchase love, he would be roundly mocked.”
The love we experience when we finally arrive in this sacred place is inebriating. It rises within us like waves washing over a swimmer drifting on a the current, leisurely floating along on a warm summer day. Song of Songs 5:4-6a describes love like this: “My lover put his hand through the opening; my heart trembling within me, and I grew faint when he spoke. I rose to open to my lover, with my hands dripping with myrrh: With my fingers dripping choice myrrh upon the fittings of the lock. I opened to my lover-“ Can you feel the depths of emotion rising within the lovers? The eager willingness of each to share intimately with the other saturates the text. This is the intimate union the Lord calls us to in our sacred garden.
“How do we arrive here?” you ask. We lay in wait. We offer all we have to Him, all things big and small. Our deepest longings, our desires, our sorrows, every piece of our lives and each decision we make, we hand to the Lord. We accept our crosses and joy and celebrate each as a gift of love from our Father. We give Him our time and our attention, and as we develop an intimate union with Our Creator, He will unlock the gate and invite us to lay with Him and connect with him as lovers do. Our eyes fixate on Him and our minds focus on only what he speaks to our heart, our union is impenetrable. Once the gate is opened to us, we can enter and be with Him as we desire, He lays in wait for us. Our unique and personal sacred garden with the Lord is a reprieve and ours alone.
Call to Act: What small things is the Lord asking you to turn over to Him? Where is He asking you to let go and allow Him some space to work? Where is He asking you to open your heart to allow Him to enter and take control? What relationships or situations does He ask you to give to Him? You know the nudges He has been giving you, follow His lead, hand it to Him. Allow Him to unlock your sacred garden.
St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us as we open our souls to moving of the Holy Spirit. Ask the Lord to permit us to be brave and courageous as we allow Him to begin to move within us, permeating our being. Beg the Lord to open the sacred garden within each of so we may come into a deep union with Him, enabling us to become fully alive in Him. Pray he penetrates every cell of our being, calling us to Himself. Beseech Him to open our hearts and minds to discover the depths of His love in our own “Interior Castle”. We ask this in the name of Christ Jesus, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.
Saint Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa of Avila was born in 1515 in Avila, Spain. Prone to sin from an early age, Teresa was drawn to troublesome situations. She enjoyed the pleasures of this world, as well as, showed interest in young men and naughtiness. Sent to a convent at 16, Teresa began to develop a love for Our Lord. She chose to devote herself to religious life as a means to keep herself out of trouble and develop virtue. Unfortunately, the Carmelite convent she lived in was worldly and encouraged parties, vanity, and an exaggerated, insincere spiritual life. She fell into sin which kept her from Our Lord. When Teresa became sick from malaria, she used her illness to avoid praying for an extended time. When a priest finally convinced her to open her heart to praying, it was an overwhelming battle. This invitation back to prayer was what lead her to the deep union she experienced with God, her calling open a convent to further deepen her faith, and yet another calling to write several books on these mystical experiences, including her most famous, Interior Castles. She is considered a Doctor of the Church. Learn more about her here: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=208