Somebody’s Knocking at Your Door

William Holman Hunt’s 1853 painting, “The Light of the World.” Notice there is no door knob on the outside. we have to let Jesus in.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20). Jesus is forever knocking at our door – perhaps even today, at this very moment.

God created everything in harmony. There is a cycle of life all around us – sunrise and sunset, light and darkness, night and day, life and death. There is an invisible hand that holds the sun, the moon, and the stars and everything else in their proper place.

What we are describing is a precious web of relationships and connectedness – all in glorious harmony. We describe all this as “a reconciled life”. The heart of us human beings, the heart of all creation, beats as one with the heart of God.

At times we may even dream about God. But then it’s time to wake up – that is, if we want to have our dreams come true. Here is a story that can wake us up and stir our hearts!

A Stirring Story

It happened on an ordinary Saturday, September 19, 1846, in the small village of La Salette, near the town of Corps and near Grenoble. In this poor area in southeastern France, to quite two ordinary, uneducated children – Maximin Giraud, 11 years of age, and Melanie Calvat, just 14 – were hired on that day to look after the cattle of their employer. They leisurely herded the cows up the mountainside, expecting nothing but a pleasant lunch with a requisite nap to follow.

 

Then their simple lives were disrupted by suddenly awaking to find their cows had gone. A globe of light mysteriously shone in a nearby ravine. And their lives would never be the same. What happened to them could happen to us now! So let us open our hearts because she is our Mother and she speaks to us.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, radiates the light of the resurrection: she is nothing else but light. The brightness of her face is such that Maximin and Melanie are unable to bear it. Mary’s garments, like those of Christ on the Mount of the Transfiguration, are likewise resplendent with light, along with her headdress, robe, long apron and peasant woman’s shawl.

All the light seems to emanate from the large crucifix which she bears on her breast. On each side of the crucifix are a hammer and pincers, the instruments of the Passion. Her shoulders are weighed down by a large chain. A chain hangs along edges of the Beautiful Lady’s shawl, bordered by roses of many colors. Roses likewise crowned her head, edging her crown of light. More roses encircled her feet. All this seemed like a veritable rosary, rising from our human roots to the cross, and from the cross to glory of light and the feast without end!

What a beautiful mother we see before us! She appears simple and deceptively ordinary yet shining with resplendent beauty. As the Beautiful Lady spoke, a mysterious light seems to come from within her, from her tender heart. She reveals the beauty from within her. She invites us to come and stand nears her, to come into the light!

She wept all the time she spoke to us

Our Lady appeared on many other occasions but it is only at La Salette where she was weeping continually.

I was always taught that there will be “no more tears in heaven” until I heard the story of this Beautiful Lady. How can there be tears in heaven? The scriptures tell us that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Tears are emotions that burst forth from the heart. In other words, a tear is 1% water and 99% a heartfelt expression of feelings.

What is being expressed at La Salette is a reflection of the sentiments of the heart of God. Our loving Savior is inviting us, through his Mother, Mary, to open our hearts and lives to faith, to an intimate relationship with him.

Of course, we can live our faith both in our head and in our heart. Faith in the head means knowing more about God. However this does not mean that we truly love God. We may be praying more and doing more to serve God, yet we may love his benefits more than him. “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Mark 7:6). What Jesus wants is for us to take the leap of faith and abandon ourselves into his loving arms.

Come near… do not be afraid. I have come to tell you good news.

From the Song of Songs we hear a passionate love poem: “I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my friend, my dove, my perfect one” (5:2). Our highest calling is to a most intimate love – our relationship with God.

Mary at La Salette draws the two children closer to her, saying: “Come near, my children” and lovingly adds: “Do not be afraid. I have come to tell you good news.” She was aware that her sudden and shining appearance would result in the children’s fearful response. Of course, she knew well what that kind of fear is all about – when, at her Annunciation, an angel appeared to her.

Love and Fear

Fr. Tony de Mello recounts the story of the student who asked his Master: “What is love? The master responded: “The total absence of fear.” Again the student asked: “What is it we fear?” The Master simply responded: “Love.”

Why are we afraid? Perhaps because we don’t feel loved? In point of fact, “God loved us first” (1 John 4:19). Love ultimately comes from God, although we use all kinds of things to give us a feeling of pleasure.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). The Beautiful Lady knows this full well. The angel said to her: “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28b).

This is the good news – the greatest of all good news! You are precious in God’s eyes! You too are highly favored! You are absolutely loved by God because, like Mary herself, the Lord is also with you! So don’t be afraid to open the door.