I recently came across the phrase “Doors to the Sacred” (in reference to sacraments – baptism, etc.). A beautiful phrase!
How do you connect to the sacred?
Here are ways that I connect to the sacred in daily life. Perhaps these will provide you with ideas for connecting to the sacred each day!
- Prayer
I regularly and actively engage with an encounter with God through prayer. God wants to have a relationship with us; prayer is how we cultivate a personal relationship with God. My preferred form of prayer is contemplative prayer (more on types of prayer here). Personally, my most fruitful prayer time used to be before going to sleep (though I pray several times per day!). More recently, the morning is becoming my most comfortable time to pray. The how and when of meaningful prayer varies for each person!
- Building up other people, treating people with dignity
The two greatest commandments are “love God” and “love your neighbor” (Matthew 22:36-40). Therefore, being good to God’s children is a sacred activity (we are all God’s children!). Building up other people is good for them and good for me. Lately, I have been building up other people by complimenting complete strangers (“Your hairstyle is great!” “That was a super thing you just did!”). Often, complimenting strangers results in them smiling! Treating people with dignity contributes toward making the world a better place. Everyone is fighting some kind of personal battle; treating everyone with dignity helps lighten their load!
- Becoming the person God wants me to be
We are all beloved children of God, God wants us to be happy. God knows how I could become the person I am meant to be. Starting in 2016, I came back around – in prayer – to letting God change me. I tried that once before (starting in my teens), I am experiencing more “fruits of the spirit” this time around (Galatians 5:22-23).
- Emotionally engaging when I attend church (I attend regularly)
Faith is a verb. Church is meant to be participated in, a time when we encounter God in community.
- Getting to church via the same route every time I attend (Sunday services and weekday services)
For me, church services don’t start when I arrive at church. When I get up on Sunday morning, I don’t turn on the news or connect with other distractions. I get up thinking about church. I then routinely take the same route to get to the church; as I make my way there, I ponder the experience of church – who’s going to be there, is today a special religious feast day, etc. By the time I arrive at the church, I am reflectively “in full church mode,” ready to “take in” the service.
- Daily reading of faith-related books
I am always reading a book on faith. Many people who read have routines of when they read. For me, I tend to read faith-related books in the evening before going to sleep.
- Religious items on display at home
I keep religious items on display at home. For example, I have a bookshelf where I display denomination-specific church items (everything from prayer beads to candles). In addition, I keep memorabilia around – such as a photo of the church door at St. Fiaac’s Church in Co. Wicklow, Ireland where my great-grandfather was baptized; that’s the photo I used at the beginning of this post (I took the photo when I visited the church several years ago).
Kim Burkhardt blogs at A Parish Catechist and The Books of the Ages. If you are a new visitor, it would be great to have you follow this blog (thank you!). If you know someone who would like this blog post, please share it with them (thank you!)
