“There’s no place like home!” I loved hearing that quote growing up and it certainly held true for my own home. Whether it coming from home school or work, the minute I walked through the door, dropped my things on the floor and plopped my self on the living room couch, I knew that moment marked the start of the weekend or end of the day. As someone who appreciates alone time, having a space all to your own is something special.
A sacred space is a space dedicated to prayer. Recall in the gospels when Jesus cleaned the temple filled with people buying and selling items. This is one of the few occasions we see Jesus angered. He exclaims that the temple, His father’s house, is a house of prayer. Hold onto that expression for a moment, his father’s house is a house of prayer. How does that translate for you in your home? Is your home a house prayer? Is your home conducive to silence and spiritual reading?
In the book, Theology of Home, the authors provide a strong theological and scriptural basis for the home. For instance, they draw inspiration from the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, the Interior Castle, noting that the inside of a home is reflective of one’s soul. I remember hearing a homily from a priest a couple years ago, around Advent, saying that the home is like an inside a home. The priest began had people wonder how they would prepare their home if they knew that Jesus was coming.
If you knew Jesus was coming into your home, how would you prepare for his coming? Preparing one’s home for guests, is easily understood around the holidays such as Christmas and Easter, yet how is the home prepared on a normal day. More important, is the house spic and span if he were to show up unannounced? Sacred spaces are important because the spaces are used for a deeper purpose.
The picture above is an example of my own sacred space. I have mementos from when I was in formation as a Dominican friar and items I received along the way from friends. I have to admit that I am not the most consistent person when it comes prayer, but the sacred space is unique in that it has permanence. What I mean by permanence is that the sacred space will still remain even if one does not follow through in their routine or commitment to pray, reflect or engage in some form of spiritual exercise.
Environments have influence on one’s own habits and the use of sacred spaces can help one to orient themselves back to a routine prayer life if they begin to falter. When one comes home, they see the sacred space there. The space is a beacon, a reminder of what needs to be central in their life, a relationship with Jesus Christ. Sacred spaces are not to haunt or send one into a guilt trip. Rather, it helps orient one to go beyond the mundane and to seek out the transcendental.
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