From the Editor: Spiritual Spring Cleaning

“CAN I HAVE MY PIE NOW?” The plea came from my best friend. We had embarked on a decluttering project in her house and to keep us motivated we had established a reward system: finish all our assigned chores and we indulge in the scrumptious Marie Callender Razzleberry pie.

Without the same emotion-al attachment to my bestie’s stuff I was able to dispas-sionately relegate items to be tosse
d, donated or kept.“Does this bring you joy? Will you use it again? Do you really need this t-shirt I’m pretty sure I bought you in high school?”

We worked well as a team and with that final checkmark barely inked on our to-do list, we dug into our delicious pie, savoring our success with each calorie-laden bite.I’m not sure exactly why, but somehow it seems easier to take stock of someone’s else’s mess, doesn’t it?

During spring, when the sun shines more brightly and we notice the cobwebs in the corners and the streaks and smudges on our windows, we arm ourselves with our bucket full of cleaning products and get to work.

What if we applied the same kind of spring cleaning to our faith life? Armed with the same toss/donate/keep guidelines, here are my tips for giving your faith life a spring-cleaning-like refresh:
 

Toss

Recently, I sat watching a much-hyped television show, which (I’m embarrassed to admit) was vulgar, violent and left me feeling, well, just awful. Those minutes certainly could have been better spent and so I abandoned the show. What’s your media consumption like? Is what you’re reading, listening and viewing bringing you joy, or better yet, is it bringing you the joy of the Gospel?
TO DO: Consider tossing those distractions that are keeping you from spending more meaningful and ful- filling time with Jesus. Replace one secular show or time spent scrolling with a faith-filled resource (Check out “The Chosen”).
 

Donate/Give away

Growing up as one of seven children I was always the grateful recipient of hand-me-downs. And now, as an empty-nester, I’m more than happy to pass along gen-tly-worn items. Maybe you have an extra rosary or Bible you could give away? Or an inspirational book? Or better yet, maybe one of the most valuable things we can give away is our time to those most in need.
TO DO: Consider a new volunteer opportunity at your parish or with one of Catholic Charities many agencies.

Keep

One of the coolest things about the grace we receive through the reception of the sacraments is that it can’t be given away; it’s with us for eternity, leaving an indelible mark on our soul. The grace of our baptism is so important we only need it once. And the greatest sacrament of all — the Eucharist — is waiting for us daily.

TO DO: Avail yourself of one of the sacraments. For example, up your weekly Mass attendance. Having surgery or feeling sick? Get anointed. Ready to move back to the “toss” category? Go to confession.

And once you get to the end of your to-do list, be sure to indulge in a little pie.