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Behold I stand at the door and Knock
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August 1, 2020
The famous allegorical painting created by the English artist William Holman Hunt illustrates the biblical passage in Revelation 3:20:
“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.”
The painting depicts Jesus, carrying a lantern, while knocking at a door with no handle on the outside. The door has rusted hinges and nails with overgrown weeds nearby, implying that the door has never been opened.
The person on the other side of the door has the ability to let Jesus in.
This painting of Jesus knocking on the door is a sermon on canvas. I recall a priest passing out photocopies of this picture to parishioners and giving a teaching on the artist’s work.
My memory takes me back to a few instances when I opened the door of my heart to Jesus. When I was a young teacher in a junior high school, I became friendly with a Baptist colleague named Mitch who gave me a written copy of a series of biblical passages entitled the Roman Road to Salvation. The following summer, I remember sitting on a Cape Cod beach reading the bible (Douay Version) with that Roman Road printout as a reference. Actually The Lord was knocking on the door of my heart for many years because I was drawn to prayer especially by my mother and the Sisters of Mercy who were my 6-8 th grade teachers. My mother asked me if I thought of becoming a priest when I was a teen but I did not feel that call in my heart.
However the soil was fertile in my life at a young age. I was faithfully meeting Jesus in The Eucharist each week by going to mass on Sundays. Also The Lord was placing people in my path to nurture my faith. For example, I saw my former Upsala St. School’s 5th grade teacher: Miss Kelly at a First Friday mass the following year. Also my colleague Mitch became a close Christian friend who played the organ at my wedding. I felt his prayerful influence and loving heart for years.
My deeper walk with Jesus intensified after I met my high school sweetheart who became my bride. Since my wife (Marcia) was brought up in the Jewish faith, I prayed for unity in our marriage. After seven years, circumstances reached a head. A neighbor’s friend who was a priest became friendly with us and he helped Marcia to open her heart to Christ. With Christ in our lives, we accepted an invitation from friends to experience a Marriage Encounter (ME) weekend, a game changer for us. The depth of Christ’s love poured out on that weekend healing hurts that had built up in our strained relationship over family illnesses with two children over a 10 years period.
The door to our hearts opened up with each other in a disciplined daily writing and dialogue time for each other. We joined a sharing group of like minded couples who met in each other’s homes on a weekly, then bi weekly, then monthly basis for over 30 years reading our love letters to each other.
Along with ME, we were led to be presenters for a premarital group: the Catholic Engaged Encounter (CEE) ministry back in the early 80's while attending an ME Convention.
So to pin point when Christ entered my life, I would have to say at an early age. I opened the door of my heart in a deeper way with my wife and with the wave of The Holy Spirit in the Charismatic Renewal.
Since I have been a widower these past two years, this blog entry is my way of sharing my open door (heart) with you.
Have you ever asked yourself if and when you opened the door of your heart to Christ? Many people know about Christ as a historical figure.
Sometimes key moments may include crises in our lives like sickness, death of loved ones, marital breakup or economic problems. The current pandemic virus is having a test of our Faith as the social unrest continues.
In conclusion, I urge you to take the time to think about those key moments in your life when Christ was/is knocking on the door of your heart waiting to be let in.