A spring clean – in winter?!

In today’s reflection on the daily mass readings, Fr Richard considers the concept of a spiritual spring clean as a way of reconnecting with God.

Readings for Friday in the 33rd week of Ordinary Time: 1 Maccabees 4.36-37, 52-29; 1 Chronicles 29.10, 11-12; Luke 19.45-48

Having a good clear-out of a room or even the entire house can be very therapeutic, even if we might wonder half-way through why we ever started! Sorting out years of accumulated junk, taking umpteen black bags to the tip, or delivering old items to the charity shop, somehow makes us feel better. Added to which, we also suddenly have lots of extra space which we had forgotten existed! We often talk about having a “spring clean” and this also denotes a time of renewal just when the natural world is bursting into new life once more.

Our readings today have within them a sense of cleansing, rededication, and a fresh start. In the passage from 1 Maccabees, Judas and his brothers, having defeated the Seleucid rulers of Israel, cleanse and rededicate the Temple which had previously been desecrated. We also learn that they commanded that this event be remembered every year, which Jewish people still do at the festival of Hanukkah. In the Gospel, nearly 200 years after the events of Maccabees, Jesus performs his own cleansing of the Temple, driving out the traders.

The great Temple in Jerusalem of course no longer exists, except for one wall. For Christians, God’s Temple – his dwelling place – is the human heart. As we reflect on today’s readings, perhaps we should ask ourselves: “what in my life needs cleansing, rebuilding, or rededication?” Like Judas, do we need to restore something that has been neglected? Or like Jesus, do we need to drive out that which doesn’t belong? The approach of Advent is not a bad time to be considering these things. We can think of it as a spiritual spring clean – even if it takes place in the depths of winter!