Make room for what matters

Lord, thank you for your unending mercy and unconditional love! You loved me so much that you died for me and promised to always be with me so that I may be free. You overcame death and for that, I rest in you. Nothing is impossible for you. When you are with me, nothing is against me.

The above prayer was in my head and heart over the Triduum weekend. For some reason, I had a sense of decluttering my home. I don’t live in a large space but would always find myself thinking that I didn’t have enough time to clean and organize. Normally, during the Triduum, I try not to do anything and spend more intentional time with Jesus but I felt I had too many distractions, one being a cluttered home! So I decided that I would make this year’s spring cleaning a prayerful one.

All the services were done in the evening so I was able to take the day to really plan out what area I would begin to clean. For me, cleaning is meditative and it requires you to only focus on the task at hand. I found myself thanking Jesus for the spaces I was cleaning and the things I was coming across. Then I thought, “Lord, help me prepare the space for you to love me, help me create a space to welcome Jesus Christ in my home”.

As I cleaned various areas throughout the weekend, I started realizing how much stuff I had. It’s not bad to have material things and they didn’t control my life but I realized there were so many things that were just pushed off to the side that created clutter. And it would stress me out! Many things were associated with memories of experiences I shared with loved ones but then I came across things that I have held onto for many years with the intention of using it but never have and they have just sat there, collecting dust. Has this happened to any of you?

Well, there is Hope my friends!

How many times have you allowed shame, guilt, sin to clutter your life? I have been reminded over the last week that God already has given me the ability to declutter it all – Jesus Christ. When you take the time to examine the clutter in your life, you’re able to see the things that have brought you life and what things have just been traveling with you because you’re too afraid to let them go. All of them are significant in your journey of faith and all of it is significant to your relationship with the one who loves you but do not be afraid to ask for forgiveness, work through them and move on. We are given the graces to do so! Let Jesus Christ take that from you because he died for exactly that.

What areas of your life need decluttering? You don’t need to wait for another Lent to come around or any other season for that matter. Continue to prepare your home for Jesus Christ, make room for the Holy Spirit to work in your life and accept God’s unconditional love!

Amen.