No one would mistake this place for a palace – this place I call “holy ground.”
It’s certainly venerable, boasting a capstone over the front entrance that was placed in the 19th century. But on the whole, the facilities are more functional than fabulous.
It’s a place where work gets done at least as much as worship. Hard work: chipping away at stony hearts. And judging by the dates on the tombstones in the cemetery out back, this holy work has been going on for a very long time indeed.
I can personally attest to its efficacy – the humbly engaging LaSalle Retreat Center in suburban St. Louis. I’ve been spending sacred time there for more than 20 years now, most recently just yesterday – when our ACTS team gathered for a day of prayer in preparation for the men’s retreat we’ll present next month.
Once a house of formation for young men discerning a call to religious life as Christian Brothers, LaSalle now casts a wider net – offering a place to encounter the Holy Spirit to groups both large and small, from teens…to adults…to “seasoned” citizens.
One never knows at LaSalle where one will encounter simple unexpected beauty.
You don’t tend to experience LaSalle by accident. Something’s likely already tugging on your heart when you arrive. But what happens next – that’s often a glorious mystery in my experience. Maybe a little like the otherwise ordinary day when Jesus showed up at the temple in Jerusalem, as we hear in today’s gospel reading.
Commerce was happening that day. Transactions were taking place, deals were being made, everyday life was unfolding. And then Jesus strolled in, with disruption on his mind. His presence obviously made an impression:
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me.
Interesting word, zeal. In fact, it helps define the charism of the Christian Brothers who built LaSalle. Their founder once wrote, “By your zeal, give striking evidence…that you love those whom God has confided to you.”
Zeal is inextricably linked to love, don’t you think? If love dims, zeal is surely one of its first facets to fade. But there are places (like LaSalle) and times (like Lent) where zeal can be rekindled. Only it’s not a foregone conclusion: Jesus leaves the decision up to us.
Jesus…did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.
So I suppose the question is – as it ever was – how are we going to respond to the invitation?
Is it time, perhaps, to come away?
Let us pause now…to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy & Merciful One.
IHS
With Us Still 