At the National Eucharistic Congress, I was blessed with an image of the Lord Jesus, sitting in the armchair in my bedroom and waiting there for me at home. Home – the place where I’m with Jesus; safe, comforted, protected, at peace :). I saw myself as a little girl, entering the room, coming to sit on His lap, and He wrapped us up in the afghan that had been crocheted by my mom, with a prayer for each stitch. What a precious place to be, warm and cozy, snuggled close to His Heart!
Sharing this image and story with my spiritual director, I mentioned that a word that has been reappearing in my journals has been, “Stay Home!” The temptation to run off to various spiritual opportunities has not always been in balance with my duties and responsibilities as a wife and mother. I’ve been seeking to come to the right equilibrium as this word continues to show up!
As our session continued, more thoughts of Home began coming to mind, in different variations. I’ve moved a fair amount in the last ten years, as I’ve cared for my Mom in her last years, experienced divorce, and moved from our house to a house of my own, then to a small apartment, a more permanent apartment, and now to two bedrooms in my daughter’s house. In the process of these later moves I’ve recognized that Home for me is being close to a Tabernacle, where Jesus is always present and waiting for me.
The last several moves brought me to a new geographical place, away from friends and Church community I had known for more than 40 years. These moves have brought me to two new faith communities, starting all over again in meeting fellow parishioners. Yet this sense of Home, always having an Adoration chapel and daily Mass as an anchor have made the transitions quite smooth. I’ve been so grateful for the generous hospitality offered in these parishes to newcomers like me.
The Girl Scout song I learned years ago comes to mind here: “Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver, but the other Gold.” The Gold is my friendship with Jesus, and to be with Him is always a coming Home.
Today I’m at our family cabin the the North Woods, a place that has always been Home for me. My parents bought it in 1946, when I was just one year old, and it’s been the place of family connecting and a stable peaceful retreat location as I’ve made all the many geographical moves in my lifetime. From city to city, state to state, house to apartment, this spot has always been there, always a coming Home destination.
As I sit here at the family table, I see the names of our family members which had been etched on the chairs around the table. I’m surrounded by the communion of saints, praying for me and calling me to join them in the eternal Home, in Heaven!
Another level of Home began to surface in reflection, that being the reality that Home is in my very own heart, where Jesus resides always. In the wake of the Congress, with the Eucharistic Pilgrimages, I came to recognize that each one of us is actually a Eucharistic Procession, as we carry Jesus with us wherever we go! I can envision Christians around the world, each with the Light of Christ within them, radiating that Light and bringing it’s Glow into the darkness of this suffering world.
“Home is where the Heart is,” is a saying that’s often been shared. If indeed Jesus lives in my heart, as His Word proclaims, I’m always at Home, no matter the time or location. I can indeed stay home, for Home is in my Heart! May I continue to live in that awareness of Jesus in my heart, to “stay Home” through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and Home to the Heart of the Father in Heaven!
Lord God, thank you for all the images and remembrances of Home. Thank You for connecting the dots between Home and Heart, between Home here and Home in Heaven. Thank you for calling us to live in communion with Your Heart, present within us, and to bring the Love of Your Heart to all we meet, to stay in the intimacy of Home with You…
Spiritual Sun Pennies 