“The Lord lives in the sanctuary of the soul”
In this week’s reflections so far, we have considered the meditation of the Word of God, the Rosary and the prayer of the heart, and we have briefly mentioned the reception of Holy Communion in the celebration of Holy Mass. On the latter topic, a few more thoughts.
With Holy Communion, an intimate union with the Lord takes place and He penetrates deeper into our soul. In the “Father Book”, “The Father speaks to His children”, which I often mention, the heavenly Father gives us the following insight on this subject:
“To some souls, the words “I am coming into you” will seem a mystery, but it is not a mystery! Because, having instructed My Son to institute the Holy Eucharist, I intended to come to you every time you receive the Sacred Host! Of course, nothing prevented Me from coming to you even before the Eucharist, as nothing is impossible to Me! But receiving this Sacrament is an action that is easy to understand and it shows how I come to you! When I am in you, I can more easily give you what I possess, provided that you ask Me for it. Through this Sacrament you are intimately united with Me. It is in this intimacy that the outpouring of My love makes My holiness spread into your souls. I fill you with My love, then you have only to ask Me for the virtues and perfection you need and you can be sure that in those moments when God is reposing in His creatures, nothing will be refused you.”
The attentive participation in Holy Mass and the reception of Holy Communion is a great gift for deepening the faith and to deepen God`s presence in us. This is all the more true when the Holy Mass is celebrated with dignity and corresponds in all its elements to the holiness of this wonderful liturgy. The soul can then open herself more easily to the presence of God than if the service itself is already deformed, for example by banalised elements.
In order to achieve the desired deepening, it would be very good if – if possible – both before Holy Mass and afterwards, to remain in silence for some time in order to prepare the soul both for the encounter with the Lord and afterwards to allow the received communion to sink in more deeply.
An important element for deepening the spiritual life is, in general, the search for silence in order to be alone with the Lord. The Lord loves to be alone with a soul. He then communicates with her in a familiar way.
In the booklet mentioned above it says:
“I will also show you how I come to you through my Holy Spirit. The work of the third person of my Godhead is silent and often the person does not even notice it. But for me it is a very suitable way to dwell not only in the tabernacle, but also in the souls of all those who are in the state of grace. It is there that I erect my throne to remain here forever as the true Father who loves and supports his child. No one can imagine the joy I feel when I am alone with a soul.”
Deepening our inner life, therefore, after having opened our hearts wide to the Lord, and after having repeatedly offered it to Him at the slightest violation of love for reconciliation, is about this divine life unfolding within us.
This addresses our inner path, for Scripture says: “The kingdom of God is among you” (Lk 17:21).
St. Teresa of Avila reflects in this way:
“In order to speak with her heavenly Father and enjoy his company, the soul does not need to ascend to heaven …. She does not need wings to seek him; it only needs to withdraw into solitude and look upon him without ceasing.” (The Way of Perfection 28)
Harpa Dei accompanies the daily scriptural interpretation or spiritual teaching of Br. Elija, their spiritual father. These meditations can be heard on the following website www.en.elijamission.net