Secret places

It took nearly fifteen years before I discovered a small secret within the monastery where I was staying. Just beside the monastic church there is a room: enter by its door and you find yourself in a sacred space where the Most Blessed Sacrament is reserved for adoration and private prayer, and, when the need arises, for the celebration of the Eucharist by small groups.

To be able to take time to enter such a space and simply be still is a real privilege. Today, churches are often locked in the evenings and sometimes even during the day. As a result, it can be difficult to find both the time and the space for a true “heart‑to‑heart” conversation with the Blessed Trinity in the presence of the reserved Blessed Sacrament.

With this context in mind, it is helpful to recall two pieces of advice Jesus gave to his disciples—and continues to give to us:

“But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

Pray the Our Father.” (Matthew 6:9–13)

Whether we spend an hour there or 2 minutes we can rest in the gentle presence of God.  Stay silent or say something very short such as:

‘Lord Jesus Christ be merciful to me a sinner’

‘My peace I give you’

‘Father, in the name of Jesus open our hearts to the Holy Spirit’.

‘Thank you for my being’

‘Bless so and so at this moment wherever she or he is’

….. and so on…..

Clearly, the public liturgy—and above all the celebration of the Eucharist—takes precedence over private prayer. Yet we still need to set aside times and places to enter that secret place within our hearts. Having a particular place – whether a corner of the bedroom or a certain park bench – can be especially helpful, particularly if we have the blessing of a daily routine.