OUR home is our sanctuary. In the privacy of our humble abode, we can be who we are without fear of discrimination in addition to the unconditional love by the people around us.
Our residence is merely to give reference where we live but our home is a whole lot in our day-to-day existence. Our sanctuary is where we retreat after all the hustle and bustle of the outside world. When we feel aggravated from too much traffic, how much of a relief it is to finally reach home.
Our home has our personal touch. We arrange and rearrange our furniture and appliances according to our liking and more importantly, decide where our altar should be.
There are times when we leave home, we become less the person we are, in a sense that we succumb to countless temptations. In our interaction with different individuals outside, we can easily miss the main purpose of social life. We fail to empathize when we are faced with those in need. We become so critical that we look down on people who do not meet our standards. On the other hand, we become envious and jealous of those who are more financially equipped. How many times did we lose our temper and do stupid things or say stuff that we regretted having done or said? At the end of the day, when we evaluate how our day was away from home, are we ashamed or proud of ourselves?
We were given a manual, a reference, a guide, in fact a book on how to live but it is gathering dust in some shelf in several houses. We browse and surf the internet most of our waking hours but do not bother to open the Bible.
The Holy Book contains the eight beatitudes and parables that should teach us how to deal with situations outside our home. In Lamentations, we are taught how to cope with trials and suffering. The Psalms highlights the virtue of accepting the things that we cannot change and benefits of being patient and being resilient. The Acts of the Apostles underlines their humanity and how their belief in the Almighty and their trust in the Lord have helped them tremendously in the evangelization of the Catholic faith.
I may have sounded sanctimonious, but in my moments of reflection, I realized that to embrace things spiritual in nature is of utmost importance in these trying times. The world speaks of nuclear power, economic sanctions and cyber warfare in complete disregard for the human race.
“I want to go home,” says a child who is not comfortable with his environment. Yes, home is where we feel safe and secure.