Here Now, Holy Ground
I started a “COVID-19” diary when the quarantine started. Those posts may or may not be published here. I feel compelled to keep an account of these days, strange as they are. Last night’s entry ended up being far more rambling that I intended, but that’s about how my brain currently functions. Rambling and tumbling from one thought to the next, one emotion to another that is completely opposite.
From peace and “let’s do this” to ranting “NO! Why must they take away Mass from us?! We need the Sacraments now more than ever!” to resolve “the Saints have done this before. This is a time for saints to be made. Let’s suffer together and grow in our faith at home.”
Right here, right now is holy ground.
Right here and now, in your house and mine, is exactly where God planted us to seek Him.
Here and now. Each of us, from 6 feet apart if we gather at all (in groups of ten or less, please! My family makes the “cut”. ha!😅), are called to holiness TODAY.
I’ve felt a growing urge and calling to return to a more intentional domestic life. Funny how God works like that. When the word “presence” settled into my heart for my “word of the year 2020”, I knew this was going to be a year for me to make space in my heart for the Lord’s presence, to cultivate space in our home for His presence, to work on beauty and comfort in our home. To be more fully present to my children and my husband.
Maybe the first two and half months weren’t a stellar start for me, (I suppose my family will be the judge of that, though I have tried), but NOW more than ever, our domestic churches matter.
What else do we have to focus now, but on our domestic church?
With Masses cancelled, our homes MUST be a haven of prayer and worship. Some of us can still visit our local churches to pray, but home is where we can stream Adoration and Mass to our living rooms. Home is where we will teach our children to pray on their own.
With school cancelled, we’re all homeschooling in one way or another. I’m not-so-secretly sad about it. I love learning alongside my children! We’re going to cook together, garden together, pray together. That’s what the domestic church is about, right? Living a full life together.
This is an incredible time to bring more beauty and joy into the world. I’m almost defiantly excited to grow a garden of flowers and vegetables. Coronavirus can drastically alter our lifestyles right now, but it can’t take away the human desire for beauty and creative action. Last week instead of buying toilet paper, I bought flowers. I cannot wait to get into the ground with my kids, digging and prepping flower beds, laughing about worms and getting grossed out about ickier underground bugs.
My holy ground is here, in my kitchen, living room, front yard, even my cluttered desk filled with stickers to mail and creative projects ready to finish. Your holy ground is your home, your apartment, your shared space with family or roommates.
One tidied space, one planted flower, one little bit at a time, I’m determined to build up this domestic church in the coming weeks. With that, I’m off now to tidy this desk and find a frame for a vintage Sacred Heart of Jesus print I rescued from a ‘free’ pile at the neighbor’s house yesterday. What are you going to do in your holy ground today and this week?
I just have to say that, although you had wonderful things written in this article, my favourite part was the picture of your writing space. I feel frustrated when my work spaces get cluttered and needs to be reorganized, AGAIN. Messes are a sign of living, not a weakness. So, thanks for the reminder: live, organize, live, breathe, live, and re-organize. 🙂