Sometimes the spiritual life can seem boring, as we do not physically see any material benefits to the hard work we are doing following God's will.
It can seem as though we are not doing anything and that our prayers and sacrifices are simply disappearing into thin air.
It's one of the difficulties of the spiritual life, as our eyes are not tuned to see the invisible realities around us and are unable to see the work God is doing in our soul.
That's why it's helpful at times when the saints provide beautiful images for us to reflect on an fill our imagination with.
Preparing our house for God
St. John Chrysostom lets loose his imagination in a homily, as he describes for us a way to think about all the things we do to prepare for God to dwell within us:
Practice prayer from the beginning. Paint your house with the colors of modesty and humility. Make it radiant with the light of justice. Decorate it with the finest gold leaf of good deeds. Adorn it with the walls and stones of faith and generosity. Crown it with the pinnacle of prayer.
He then explains how this spiritual house will then be ready to receive our Lord:
In this way you will make it a perfect dwelling place for the Lord. You will be able to receive him as in a splendid palace, and through his grace you will already possess him, his image enthroned in the temple of your spirit.
These images are a helpful reminder to us that we are not simply doing things for no apparent reason, but are actively preparing our heart to receive its King.
In a similar way that we put our house in order when welcoming guests in our home, we turn inwards and seek to make it clean and immaculate for the Bridegroom of our heart.
