Holy Family Shrine near Gretna, Nebraska

There are metaphorical and symbolic sanctuaries all around us, but the real deal–the sanctuary of churches and cathedrals–is something to behold. Resplendent with stained glass which fractures sacred light, the sanctuary is the crowned jewel of a church.

Though a sanctuary may be architecturally and aesthetically a magnificent space, it remains but a pleasant shell without the presence of the Holy Spirit. The true beauty of any sanctuary is forged from the brokenness of its people: their prayers, their tears, and their longings.

Sanctuaries host altars of iron and stone and wood, tables of sacraments and mysteries. And before these, the hands of all sanctuaries extend, palm up, eyes fixed on all that is pure and true.

Sanctuaries prefer kneeling–or better yet–lying prostrate, arms perpendicular: a human cross before the cross. In the laps of the best sanctuaries, we curl up to hear the Word and to feel the arms of Jesus.

In the sanctuary of the Holy Family Shrine near Gretna, Nebraska, one can shout psalms of surrender and supplication, commune with Job and Paul, and be. Just be. This sanctuary is the right place for song and silence. And to borrow a line from poet Robert Frost (“Birches”), “I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.”

In the world of the ordinary and mundane, sanctuaries invite us into those extraordinary places of all that is lovely and holy. If we will but enter. And though the doors of these places are often foreboding in their sheer size and oaken stature, they open easily. If we will but enter.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.                                                                                                                               Revelation 3:20