Find your home!
SOURCE: ROSEMRIE MONNERJAHN; CNOC SUAIN 2014
Sometimes we witness an event that seems unremarkable at first, only to realise afterwards that it was anything but. Rather, it was a «gem«, a special keepsake that remains close to our hearts forever.
This is exactly how I felt when I overheard a lively conversation in a café between a girl of about 10 and her grandfather. She was telling him about a story they’d read at school. It was about peer pressure and exclusion, a test of courage and a lot of pressure. The grandfather listened quietly. Then he said: »Deep down, we often know what’s good for us. That’s when it’s especially important to listen carefully to yourself. Do you recognise that feeling? Sometimes, deep down, you know exactly what’s right, but you don’t dare. Or sometimes you’ve decided on something that turned out to be wrong, and then you tell yourself that you’d actually sensed it somehow beforehand.« The girl looked up, paused, fell silent – and it was precisely this pause that spoke loudly to me and spoke of the beginning of all inner life. For it is precisely there, when we pause in silence, that we take hold of the door-handle and can thus open our door inwards. Then we can enter the sacred space within us and settle there for a while. The more often we enter there, the more we can feel at home within ourselves. And there we encounter the great mystery we call God. The more we are at home with him within us, the better we know his voice. It beckons and calls us ever towards more life, true life, which grows and matures within us and through us.
But often we hear nothing, because we are no longer at home within ourselves. We cannot find the door to that place, and often we are not even looking for it. So many things grab our attention, leading us everywhere – yet far away from ourselves! Do I truly become ME when I’ve been to 1,000 places that one »must« see? Or when I buy things simply because one »must« have them today? Or when I tag along with a group because it’s expected of me or because it feels cool?
These questions, however, are of existential importance: Where am I? And above all: Who am I? Nothing less than my life depends on it. To answer them, I must pass through the door into my inner chamber and linger there. Here, in the space where God dwells within me, I find the path of my life – peace and clarity when I am exhausted or confused, inspiration when I am uncertain, courage when I lack confidence. Let us venture on this journey inwards!
For if we no longer nurture our inner life, if we no longer listen to the voice of our soul, we lose touch with our true self. We think we know what is good for us simply because that is how things are done; we base our choices on what brings us external benefits; we opt for something because it is easy and pleasant. And ultimately, we are far from realising that, deep within ourselves, we can hear God’s voice, which seeks to guide us to where our very own path and our potential lie. In his Gospel, Matthew gives us an example: Joseph hears everything essential for his life and that of those entrusted to him in the silence. He hears it, ponders it and acts upon it.
That is why I am so grateful to this grandfather on behalf of his granddaughter. He showed her the way, and the girl paused and fell silent.
Afterwards, she carried on chatting about other things. Soon the two of them left the café, unaware of how their conversation had taken root within me – the openness, the thoughtfulness and the wisdom.
Rosemarie Monnerjahn
Vallendar, June 18th, 2026
