The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.  (Hebrews 9:13-15, NIV)

Spring is upon us and with it, all sorts of treasures.

Christ’s death and His resurrection certainly top the list, but all of Spring is wonderful!  From the Easter Bunny to the dust bunnies that flee as we embark on our annual projects.  Spring cleaning isn’t just great for the closets and the attics, it’s good for the soul!

St. Catherine of Siena stated brilliantly that one should,  “Make two homes for thyself: one actual home and another spiritual home which thou art to carry with thee always.”  So don’t polish all the silver and sweep away a few cobwebs and think your Spring cleaning is done!  Dig into the dingy bits that linger inside, and cleanse of them, too.  Both of your homes need attention!  Letting those piles of stress, lust, jealousy, hostility, resentment, self doubt, greed, anger, hurt, and sin build up is fatal.  That sort of blockage is the leading cause of Spiritual death.  Okay, I made that bit up, but there aren’t any staggering statistics out there to match up with the staggering reality that most of us are neglecting our Spiritual homes.

According to Sue Kaufman, when it comes to keeping a house a home,  “Our only chance for survival lies in creating our little islands of sanity and order, in making little havens of our homes.”  I say we apply this to our spirituality as well!  After all, we are fighting for our very souls, aren’t we?  We must keep our judgment sound and our spiritual affairs in order as part of keeping our souls safe.  How do we do that?

Jesus.

Plain and simple.

Dear Lord,

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice.

In your name,

Amen

~prayer from Psalm 51:7-8