April 01, 2012

Let Us Clean Up Our Act

Today, Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of the commemoration of the Lord's passion and death.

Mom and I attended a retreat yesterday. Truly, it is healthy to spend time to cleanse our soul. A recollection is a tool to help in cleaning up our lives. As Father Illh mentioned yesterday, just like when we clean our home, we should also regularly clean our lives and try to keep it clean and orderly and smelling good for the Lord. But some of us fail to clean regularly and so the house gets messy and smelling foul. When a visitor comes, we try to quickly clean the surroundings but this becomes a superficial cleaning only. We hide the dirty laundry in the cabinet, we sweep up the floor and remove all unsightly things but dump everything in the backroom or backyard hoping that the visitor will not go inside the messy rooms and prevent them from wandering into the backyard. Because other people will definitely talk behind our back if they discover how messy and dirty our home is. However, Jesus the visitor does not behave like others do. When He comes into our home, He will help us clean up. He comes not for the healthy and the rich and the privileged. He came to the world for the sick, the hungry, the helpless, the poor, the sinner.

Father Illh asked all the participants to use the concept of the Johari window in reflecting over our lives. And then there was sharing and a mini-group discussion afterwards.

I remember a passage I read before from one of my fave author, Max Lucado.

"God is a God of perfect grace.
Grace forgets.
Period.
He who is perfect cannot hold grudges.
So do yourself a favor.
Purge your cellar.
Exorcise your basement.
Take the Roman nails of Calvary and board up the door.
Remember... He forgot."

What better time to start cleaning up our act than now? let me end by sharing this song with you all.

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