The Heart as a Shelter for Others
By Sarah Kozak,
In the Old Testament, we read accounts of the most sacred possession of the Jewish people: the Ark of the Covenant. Encased in gold, this wooden chest contained the Ten Commandments, pieces of manna, and the rod of Moses’s brother Aaron. As they carried the Ark with them, the presence of God hovered over the Ark in the form of a cloud. It was a constant reminder to the children of Israel that the Lord was in their midst.
However, this sacred cloud was only a prefigurement of what was to come. In his book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, Brant Pitre writes:
When you compare the original Greek of Luke’s account with the ancient translation known as the Septuagint, you’ll discover an important parallel between the descent of the glory cloud upon the Tabernacle and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary.
Within the quiet village of Nazareth, God’s presence descended to earth once again. This time, in the form of a man within the womb of the virgin Mary. It is she who perfectly embodied St. Paul’s exhortation that our bodies are to become a temple to house the Holy of Holies, His spirit dwelling within us.
Growing steadily under Our Lady’s heart was the soul of God Himself; the heartbeat of her Creator pulsating within her. The fact that the womb is where God chose to make His entrance into the world, shows the sacredness of this space and the incredible calling we have been given as women: to bring life into the world and to nurture those around us.
No matter what vocation or stage of life we are in, each of us are called to be a mother to others in some way––creating a sense of home for those whom we encounter every day. As women, we share a daily calling to go out into the world to offer ourselves and stand as a shelter to those we are serving.
How is this accomplished? How do we become the ark where God’s presence can dwell? A question we must ask ourselves is this: Is my heart truly a home for others? Is it a place of peace, love, and comfort? In a world full of selfishness, it is easy for our focus to shift toward our own motives, needs, and wants. The essence of the Christian life, though, is that we are called to lay down our lives for others. While we may not be called to physical martyrdom, we are called to die to ourselves in hundreds of little ways all throughout the day. The more we do so, the more our hearts can become a place where God truly dwells––allowing our hearts to become another manger for others to encounter Him.
How beautifully Our Lady must have embodied this. Even after Jesus left home to begin his public ministry, Mary never stopped being a living tabernacle as she held him constantly within her heart. I wonder what it would have been like to go to her home and sit with her. This woman who perfectly lived out what it means to love God at every moment of every day. She who looks at us with a love and tenderness surpassing that of even our own biological mothers––this woman who would eventually become the mother of all the living.
German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “A home is a kingdom of its own in the midst of the world, a stronghold amid life’s storms and stresses, a refuge, even a sanctuary.” If you take this quote and substitute “a woman’s heart” in place of the word “home,” you have a beautiful description of the role we are called to play in today’s world. Even a woman’s body has been fashioned in a way that is meant to nurture and house the most precious of all things––a soul. As Alice von Hildebrand says in her book The Privilege of Being a Woman, “This is another incredible privilege that the Creator grants to women. During pregnancy, she has the extraordinary privilege of carrying two souls in her body.”
Whether it be by physically carrying another soul or through nurturing one in spirit, this is how women allow the touch of God to be manifested to the world. In order to do this, we must first allow Him to fashion our own hearts in a way that will make them a safe and welcoming haven for others. As sacristans of God’s sanctuary, we must recognize our role of ministering to His presence that resides in the souls of those who we encounter every day; hopefully, inspiring the faith in others by having strong prayer lives ourselves. If our own hearts are at rest, then our interior peace will spill over into our environment as a visible testament of God’s presence. With our Lady as the model, let us pray daily that the stone which the builders rejected will become the cornerstone of the sanctuary of our hearts.
Make My Soul Your Home
A prayer by the Sisters of Life
Most Holy Trinity, source of My life, I believe You dwell in my soul. Teach me to adore You in this inner sanctuary. Let Your love fill my entire being. Immerse me in Yourself. Make my soul Your home and beloved rest.
Come, O Spirit of the living God! Live Your life in me. May I delight in Your abiding presence and enjoy Your fellowship. Let my heart be wholly fixed upon Your loving gaze.
Jesus, illumine my heart and mind with Your resplendent light. Transform my sight, so that I may have the eyes to see You dwelling in the heart of every human person. Flood my heart so that it may be an ocean of peace, a ray of Your mercy, an anchor of hope.
Thank you for uniting Yourself so intimately with me. May I be one in You and You in me.
Amen.
