“Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek [the Lord’s] face!’ Your face, Lord, do I seek.”—Psalm 27:8
Theophan the Recluse is attributed with the phrase, “Find a place in your heart and speak there with the Lord. It is the Lord’s reception room.” God loves each one of us, beckoning us into a relationship that is communal, yet personal, intimate, yet inclusive and faithful, yet inquisitive. God calls out to us in ministry to share in the divine life. Through our sharing in the divine life, we share in extending God’s presence to all.
Various traditions see the heart as something more than the physical nature; it sees the heart as the core of the person, at the center of the body, touching all of the body, mind, soul and spirit. Eastern Orthodox writers bid, “Let your mind descend into your heart.” When we draw together with truly listening hearts, we enter into communion with one another and with God.
God speaks to us through the language of everyday events and encounters. It is in these moments that, if we are attentive or we let our mind descent into our hearts are called to live even more deeply the divine relationship. We truly see the face of God, through the compassionate care we give to our patients and family members. We continue to see God’s face in the co-worker who celebrates milestones along the journey or when we walk with a co-worker who is struggling to get through the day.
In order to hear the Lord speak and to see God’s face, we must create that space to be able to be attentive to the voice of God calling out to us in the encounters of our day. As a followers of Jesus we must find ways in which we continue to open the reception room for God.
- In your homes and workplaces, how can you create an environment that gives space to listening to the hearts of our families and co-workers?
- How do we open that reception room in our hearts to encounter the face of God through the everyday events and encounters?
Ordinary Glimpse 