Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Unlocking the Door

                               

In our French village, next to the church, there is a door to an ancient sinner's chapel. It is locked and abandon.

Hundreds of years ago, it was a place to pray for forgiveness, to seek freedom from darkness and ask for healing light. It was a chapel of contemplation, a place to commune with oneself and God.

The door remains locked…entering is impossible, nevertheless the
healing light of forgiveness finds it way and pours through the
keyhole, can you see the light?

Nothing can stop the power of love.

Comments

20 responses to “Unlocking the Door”

  1. Jeanne

    I love all you share……
    Love you

    Reply
  2. le petit cabinet de curiosites

    I can see the light ! Did you open the door ??

    Reply
  3. cathy

    True,a magical gift.

    Reply
  4. Catalina

    the light enters everywhere…
    (Close to our region there is a Templar church that is closed as well..wandering around we discovered that a neighbour had the key! and she lets us in…:)…)
    xoxo

    Reply
  5. Erin

    yes…just a sliver.
    a great photo and post ms. corey.
    have a most wonderful weekend.
    erin

    Reply
  6. Vicki

    Yes I see the light…thanks for sharing your love.

    Reply
  7. M-Noëlle

    Have you ever tried to find your way in?
    Ask the priest of the church/ or the cleaner or…
    In my village, our little church opens only at few occasions now… When my dear old Welsh friend came over, it was her 1st time in France – and abroad !!! So I wanted to show her the whole world in a fortnight !!!
    She said she had 3 dreams: to see the Eiffel Tower, to visit Monet’s gardens in Giverny and to go to EuroDisney.
    We did the 3 – and a lot more. 2 days before returning, she said she would love to visit our lovely tiny church. I told her it hardly opened and while she had a little nap, I popped to our “mairie” and asked our mayor if he knew whether it was possible to visit the church (focusing on my good friend all the way from Wales and who was overwhelmed by the church…). He pondered a little and replied “Can you be by the church at 5pm?
    – Sure ! (no idea of the time it was…)
    – I’ll open it for you.”
    When home I found my friend fast asleep. 3.30. No hesitation… I woke her up and said we were awaited at 4.
    The mayor was there. He gave me THE key which I had to take back to the “mairie”. An enormous key. Heavy. Looking like that of a medieval castle. My friend could not believe her eyes. In we went. I kept watching my friend. She was like a child at Xmas or like a pirate opening a treasure chest…
    2 hours later, the mayor turned up. He could not imagine we were still visiting, he thought there was something wrong …
    When we left, my friend’s eyes were watering with bliss…. a special memory !!!

    Reply
  8. Antigona

    Absolutely! What a nice treat. Just passing by this monument should be enough to make me forget my troubles, just to think of all the inspiration and comfort found in this walls…

    Reply
  9. Marilyn

    I’ve never heard of a sinner’s chapel, but the idea intriques me. I think we all need a private sancuary to think and re-group.

    Reply
  10. becky up the hill

    Lovely Corey..at first I didn’t see the light, wiggled my laptop and it appeared. I gasped..it’s true. Thanks for sharing, good start to my day. Blessings

    Reply
  11. annie

    How I would love to see the other side of that door Corey. I also happened to thoroughly read M-Noelle’s comment about her church. What an exciting and spiritual two hours she was able to give her friend. I could feel the possibilties of the place.

    Reply
  12. Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife

    It’s so faint…but I can see it.
    Can you ask the priest if it’s possible to enter? Is the space dangerous? Are there no more sinners who need the privacy?
    – Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife

    Reply
  13. Alina

    I especially like what is written when the cursor is on the photo. I often have the opposite thought . . .

    Reply
  14. Ann Voskamp @ Holy Experience

    Oh, so true and beautiful, Corey!
    I bask in it: The Light of His forgiveness makes its way to even the darkest crevices…
    “On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.” 1 Jn 1:9 (MSG)
    Is there anything as freeing as repentance!?
    And nope, nothing can stop the power of His love…
    “If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?… Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing…
    None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” ~Romans 8:39 (MSG)
    The door may be locked… but when we confess, He forgives and we are embraced.
    Sending much love, dear Corey…
    Only held by grace,
    Ann

    Reply
  15. Gillian

    This is so beautiful.
    I like to think we all have an inner room like this, that remains pure and sweet despite what happens to our exterior.
    xo

    Reply
  16. Judith

    BEautiful post! I love the idea. 🙂
    xoxo
    Judith~

    Reply
  17. Joanny

    Beautiful!
    It is nice that the door is locked- it adds to the mystery of creation, makes the seeker have a more profound experience , “Ask and the door shall be opened” the door is in our heart—this church door is a metaphor, the light needs to shine through each of us in order to unlock the door and have the light shine through….the key is in our heart.

    Reply
  18. Miss*R

    what a shame it is locked. I wonder why.
    it would be delicious to sit in a space like that.. just to be.

    Reply
  19. Claudia

    What a lovely photo!
    At the first glimpse I thought, there IS something in the keyhole. It looks as if it were locked from within, the key still sticking. And the key web, from this angle, to me looked like the shape of a little figure (maybe an angel?)…
    We all hold the key to our hidden self, and it can surely only be unlocked by ourselves.
    Love can make us want ot open it up…
    Love, Claudia

    Reply
  20. drug and alcohol rehab treatment

    Hey. The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.
    I am from Kyrgyzstan and now teach English, give true I wrote the following sentence: “Residential and outpatient treatment program.Most people who quit drinking alcohol experience mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms and can usually be treated by healthcare providers on an out patient.”
    Regards :p Elmo.

    Reply

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