Our bodies are temples, sanctified for prayer, dwelling places of the Holy Spirit and the place where we are to offer spiritual worship in Spirit and truth.  “God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” (Jn 4,24)  In our interior being we are meant to have a holy place, a sanctuary, where God dwells and where we withdraw to spend time with the Lord in prayer. St. Paul reminds us that our bodies are temples:  “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been purchased at a price.  Therefore glorify God in your body.” (1Cor 6,19f)  He also urges us to be a living liturgy that is constantly being offered to God:  “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.  Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rom 12,1f)  The unique gift of our interior castle (as St. Teresa of Jesus would name it) provides us with a beautiful place to find our rest in God.  The psalmist speaks to us of our desire to remain always in this place of communion with our Lord:  “One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek:  to dwell in the Lord’s house all the days of my life, to gaze on the Lord’s beauty, to visit his temple.  For God will hide me in his shelter in time of trouble, will conceal me in the cover of his tent; and set me high upon a rock…I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and chant praise to the Lord.” (Ps 27,4-6)  This dwelling place, this temple, this shelter of peace, this interior castle is as close as our own hearts when we seek the Lord in prayer.  Our interior temple should be a house of continuous prayer.

What is your experience when you enter into your interior sanctuary to seek the Father, Abba, in prayer?  I know that too often in my own interior Dwelling Place there is a whole marketplace of activity going on constantly.  I enter into this sanctuary space hoping for some peaceful time of prayer and communion with the Father but too often I am met with distractions and a thousand different projects that vie for my attention.  There is so much noise that I can’t begin to hear the voice of God speaking to me in his small whisper.  Even worldly allurements try to capture my attention.  The distractions in prayer can become quite frustrating.  As I enter into the interior temple of my heart I also notice at times that my mindset is one of commerce.  I need something from the Father and so I set about negotiating with him over my desires.  I often haggle over the price of something because I fear that it is too costly for me and that I cannot pay the price that God is asking.  I am frustrated to find that my interior temple, the Father’s house, my place of prayer, has become a marketplace.  My temple needs a cleansing!  “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” (Jn 2,16)

Lent is a time for spring cleaning in the interior temple of our Dwelling Place.  We need to drive out the beasts and the vendors of God’s grace and reclaim our house of prayer.  St. John Chrysostom writes about prayer:  “Prayer is the light of the spirit, true knowledge of God, mediating between God and man.  The spirit, raised up to heaven by prayer, clings to God with the utmost tenderness; like a child crying tearfully for its mother, it craves the milk that God provides.  It seeks the satisfaction of its own desires, and receives gifts outweighing the whole of nature.  Prayer stands before God as an honored ambassador.  It gives joy to the spirit, peace to the heart.  I speak of prayer, not words.  It is the longing for God, love too deep for words, a gift not given by man but by God’s grace…Practice prayer from the beginning.  Paint your house with the colors of modesty and humility.  Make it radiant with the light of justice.  Decorate it with the finest gold leaf of good deeds.  Adorn it with the walls and stones of faith and generosity.  Crown it with the pinnacle of prayer.  In this way you will make it a perfect dwelling place for the Lord.  You will be able to receive him as in a splendid palace, and through his grace you will already possess him, his image enthroned in the temple of your spirit.”

Do a little “home improvement” for our Lord in the sanctuary of your heart this Lent.  Get rid of whatever is causing that stench and throw open the windows of your heart to the fresh breath of the Spirit.  See a spiritual director if you need some professional advice on interior decorating.  Toss out the squatters that you have tolerated for too long.  Make your heart a suitable Dwelling Place for the Father.