Jesus today reminds us that prayer isn’t supposed to be just an outward action. He even goes as far as saying that we should “go to [our] inner room and close the door.” God isn’t telling us we shouldn’t pray in front of others. We can and should pray in public, and it’s a necessary part of the witness of the Christian life. He instead is saying that our prayer should be one of intention, presence, and heartfelt yearning. While a prayer space is a good idea and having a room dedicated to prayer is laudable, the room that we should be entering in our prayer life is that of our hearts.
Unfortunately, we sometimes get stuck in a rut. The human mind is conditioned by habit, and it’s a strong necessity to slow ourselves down and think about what we are doing. When we have genuflected at the pew thousands of times, it can become just a rote movement. We can lose the meaning behind it, and the motion becomes just another one of the many movements we do during the day.
In a way, the pandemic has made us stop and take notice of the things we were doing. Now that Holy Water has been returned to the fonts by the entrance, I find myself having to stop and think about dipping my finger in the water and making the sign of the cross on entering the Church. It was never meant to be something we did casually. It is supposed to be a moment of intimate encounter with Jesus, in which we remind ourselves of the trinity, the cross, and our duties as disciples of Christ by virtue of our Baptism.
The Catechism says: “The gathering of the People of God begins with Baptism; a church must have a place for the celebration of Baptism (baptistry) and for fostering remembrance of the baptismal promises (holy water font)” (CCC 1185).
All of that is symbolized and actualized in the simple prayer and action of dipping our fingers in water and making the sign of the cross. Jesus reminds us that we should imbue all of our actions with a deep desire for a relationship with God Himself, one that starts with Him even as we enter the room. Never to just been seen or to show off, but rather to express and share in the love language of God through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
It is the Father who sees into the depths of our hearts the true intent of our actions. So let us meet Him in the secret recesses of our soul in every action, whether it be in a quiet corner of our home alone or on a busy street. Because when you’re madly in love with someone, their presence fills the room even when others are around, and they are the ones you really pay attention to. So let’s meet Jesus here at the altar, receive Him in the Eucharist worthily, and attempt to live a life of holiness and righteousness that will keep Him in the prayer closet of our hearts.
A reflection on the readings for Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time: June 16th, 2021