Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Easter

St. Theresa of Avila writes, “Be careful to remember who is really the guest of your soul.” 

In the gospel and letters of St. John, the apostle teaches that we share a reciprocal immanence with God, a dance with the guest of our souls. The Lord says, “He who eats my flesh abides in me and I in him (Jn 6:55);  Abide in me and I in you (Jn 15:4); We abide in him and he in us (1 Jn 4:13)”.

Immanence means to be entirely within, as distinguished from transcendence which is entirely beyond. At the incarnation God became immanent in creation, totally within it.  At baptism God becomes immanent in the souls of the baptized, the guest of our souls. Reciprocal means we share in the dance of the three divine persons with each other, we enter into their affection for one another.  When God enters us, the door is opened through which we can enter into the infinity of Trinitarian Love

My oldest sister and I illustrate this reciprocal immanence in the art of loving God. When ending a phone conversation with JoAnne who has always been like a mother to me, I always say, “I love you” and she replies, “I love you more.”