Behold the Kingdom of God is within you.

In the very first line of the Spiritual Canticle by John of the Cross, he writes “Where have you hidden, Beloved.” And when St John writes in prose about this he insists that we pay attention to the words of Jesus. The Kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20. That is, God who loves us so much is within each one of us. So it is important to go within ourselves if we want to know our God. Yes, all creation gives witness to the glory of God. Yet we also have St. Augustine writing: "I did not find You without Lord, because I wrongly sought You without, Who were within."

As the Prophet Isaiah said: Come my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself for a little while. Is 26:20

How are we to go within ourselves? One way is to become silent and to make an act of faith in the reality of the Presence of God within. O God, I believe you are here in mystery within me.

WE cannot ever be without God. As we are immersed in God so God is immersed in each one of us. You are the Temple of God. St. Paul tells us. (2 Cor. 6:16) God is love so when we read in Romans that God’s love is poured into our hearts, we can be assured of the Presence of God in us.

St.John of the Cross adds: “All your good and hope is so close to you as to be within you, or better, that you cannot be without Him.”

So when we come to Christian Mediation or Centering prayer, it does seem important to me, to take a moment to make a very personal word to the Beloved within. A word of faith in the Presence of God. A word of Hope in which we express our trust in the love God has for us. Or a word of desire for more intimacy with God, which is a word of love. Then we begin our prayer word as a way to keep silent By saying our mantra and paying attention to it, we are letting go of all our ego thoughts, imaginations, worries, and quarrels with life. For this short time we are letting God within do as He wills with us. We say with Mary; behold the servant of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word.