I must remember to go down to the heart cave
and sweep it clean, make it warm,
with fire on the hearth
and candles in their niches
the pictures on the walls glowing with quiet lights.
I must remember to go down to the heart cave
and make the bed with the quilt from home
strew rushes on the floor
and hang lavender and sage from the corners.
I must remember to go down to the heart cave
and be there when you come.
~Geoffrey Brown
(Heart Cave, Antelope Canyon, Arizona)
Our most intimate sanctuary space is within our own hearts, our place of connection with the Divine. Early Christians called this space the "cave of the heart."
In Advent of 2014 Jan Richardson wrote, "My spiritual director once told me "Sometimes all we can do is go into the cave of the heart and light a candle to the mystery." This is the time when we cease our striving, our wrestling, our struggling... We go into the cave of the heart.... turn inward toward the quiet and rest. We light a candle. We watch, we wait, we honor the mystery by letting it be."
Richardson's words "letting it be" remind me of Mary, pondering in her heart the astonishing words of the angel, and responding, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38, RSV). In the cave of our heart, we rest and "let it be," trusting (as best we can) in the unfolding of the Divine Mystery.
As we prepare our hearts for the One who comes, we can also be a living sanctuary for one another. In this broken world, places of loneliness, war, poverty, pain, and loss feel overwhelming. There are so many who need a place of sanctuary - maybe people very near us. How might you be called to be a sanctuary for another? In her book, Author Joyce Rupp encourages us to "become a consistent, welcoming presence assuring others that they are safe from impatience, nonacceptance, self-centeredness, and intolerance when they pass through the borders of our hearts."
Prayer Practice: Musica Divina: Similar to Lectio Divina, Musica Divina invites us to listen for God's communication to us through music (instead of written word). Below is a brief, prayerful song about sanctuary; you can use this prayer form with all kinds of music.
Suggested guidelines for praying with Musica Divina:
You may wish to close your eyes as you listen to the music.
Relax, open, and receive. Listen, reflect, respond, and rest in the Spirit of God within.
Just allow yourself to be in relationship with the music.
How does this music speak to you and your journey now? What images, feelings or words arise in you? How does the invitation of sanctuary inform your listening?
(adapted from Spirituality and Practice)
Resources:
Jan Richardson, www.janrichardson.com, The Advent Door.
Joyce Rupp, "Return to the Root," p. 211.
Spirituality and Practice, www.spiritualityandpractice.com, Lumen Divina, 2021.
Thank you, Donna and Linda for offering me a rich and deep image to experience stillness and sanctuary. The cave of my heart is that place of retreat, warm and adequate to be and wait and expect and know the gift of the Christ in me.
Janet, I love the synchrony of today's blog and what you shared about Guatemala. What a beautiful tradition. It is such a powerful metaphor for me: to sweep clean, make light, and warm, and cozy for the coming of Jesus.
How are we each called to do that -- right now, in the very real circumstances of our life? For me, I am drawn to making the spaces (inner and outer) clear and cozy with soft lights and warm fire. It reminds me of my Danish roots, and "Hygge" - a lifestyle of creating simple and cozy spaces.
Donna, and Linda too, This was lovely - the whole thing! Sweeping the heart cave clean at the very beginning reminded me again (I thot about it yesterday several times as well) that yesterday, Dec 6, was the day faithful Catholics in Guatemala sweep the debris & trash out of their houses, into the streets, and burn it - as a symbol of “sweeping the heart clean” and preparing for the coming of the Christ child. What I must do too, thanks!