Sacred Self
A Reflection by Christine Jurisich
Our theme this month is “demystifying the sacred.” This week, give yourself time to learn about the sacred self. If you are unfamiliar with that term, it is understandable when you shy away from it, fearing it is a call to narcissism or selfishness. Spending time getting to know your sacred self is not a call to self-absorption amidst a suffering world. It is quite the opposite.
You are sacred because you are made in the image of God. You are a reflection of God’s creation. God lives and breathes within you (Rom 8:9, Acts 17:28, 1 Cor 3:16-17). You may refer to the sacred self as your soul or authentic self. Trappist monk Thomas Merton and Franciscan Richard Rohr are well-known authors who refer to it as the true self.
Your sacred self is that mystical place within where you and God reside together as one. Not in a way that elevates you above God; in a way that speaks to the prayer by St. Teresa of Avila. “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours." We are meant to be Christ’s instruments around the world, spreading God through our own hands, feet, and actions. When you connect with your sacred self, you learn how you are called to do that.
Why care about your sacred self?
If you are looking for hope, strength, comfort, and courage, learning more about your sacred self will help you find them, because your sacred self is where God resides. If you are having to make a personal decision that is stressful—about your health, a relationship, retirement, or moving—going within is where you can find God’s direction, clarity, peace, and the right words to speak.
If you are looking to find meaning in your life and contribute to a suffering world, growing into your sacred self will help because your sacred self is the person God creates you to be. This is where you will discover your gifts and strengths and how you are called to use them in the world. It is where you find meaning and purpose in a life outside your own. The more you learn about your sacred self—who you are in God’s name—the more you will live from that place and be more intentional and effective in your home, community, and world.
If you want a closer relationship with God, learning more about your sacred self will help, because you are made in the image of God. The more you learn about yourself, the more you learn about God, and the more you learn about God, the more you learn about yourself. This growth opens up new ways to communicate with God.
The journey towards growing closer to your sacred self is a lifelong journey; one that is worthy of spending your whole life working on. It is a journey to wholeness, a journey toward deepening your connection with the Divine, becoming one with God’s Grace, and doing your part to help contribute peace and hope to a world in need.
Helping people grow into their sacred self and connecting people in a supportive environment is what our new program, Sacred Self, Sacred Community, is all about. Come to an information session and learn more about how to live from a more loving, authentic place here.