From Where I Enter

Latin inscription at ceiling arch in nave of chapel
"That In All Things God May Be Glorified"

As I enter our sacred chapel space, the above iconic embossed mantra on the highest summit of the Gothic ceiling always catches my attention.  It invites me to stop, pause, and pay attention.  I am reminded "You are entering the Sacred Place of God's Dwelling- the centerpoint of your life. You are here to be refreshed and renewed and to be embraced in my love."

I have stopped what I am doing to enter into a prayerful stance, to enter into God's Holy Presence, and to sing God's song with my Sisters.  This time is the Work of God, our life with and in God.  It is not a separation from the world I have just left, but a communion in God's Presence for the sake of the world.

The mantra "That in all things God may be glorified" reminds me that earth and heaven are one.  I am here in this Sacred Space for a reason.  I am here to be shaped by God and to be loved by God so that I can shape and love wherever I go- at work, at table, at prayer. It is this chapel time that is the essence of it all, uniting time and prayer into God's universal call to love.  Whether I am in chapel praying alone or praying with my Sisters in community, I must know that the fruit of this time goes with me wherever I go.  I hear the call to carry within my heart the mantra "That in all things God may be glorified" every breathing moment of my life. So everytime I enter our Sacred Space and my eyes greet the words of St. Benedict's mantra  

"That In All Things God May Be Glorified"

I pray the following poem

As I open the door to prayer

my heart breathes a sigh of relief

as I step into Holy Space.

The stillness of God's beauty

permeates every fiber of my being

as I place myself in God's Holy Embrace.

As my eyes gaze heavenward

I am grateful for my call

to sing my heart out

"That in all things God may be glorified."

~Sister Priscilla Cohen, OSB