We all yearn for intimacy with loved ones, a shared hearth, a cherished place of fellowship. This is what the Lord promises us. We have a foretaste of it now as He dwells in us. How wonderful to be able to relate to a warm, beating heart rather than to cold tablets of stone (Archbishop Trench)!


Through the perfect work of Jesus on our behalf, His dwelling is among us… in our very hearts, in fact. Though comforting, it also is disconcerting to think of Jesus making His home within us. What He finds are “messy houses, filled with hidden staircases built of excuses, and idols of good deeds atop mantels of false security – in short, the home of Christ in disarray at our own hands” (Jill Carattini, Slice of Infinity, March 15, 2013).


Yet faith in Jesus means we are searched by the Holy Spirit. He goes through all the messy rooms of our lives and mercifully sheds His light to reveal how we need Him. Thankfully, it is “through the dingy windows of a messy house that we have the clearest view of the cross” (Carattini).