“Often, we carry with us so many unnecessary things, not just material items, but distracting thoughts and desires, and all manner of things which obscure our vision of Christ.” As we give thanks for St David, here’s today’s reflection from the daily Mass.
BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for St David, Bishop and Patron of Wales here
You may have seen one of several TV programmes which help people deal with compulsive hoarding. Many of the homes are jam packed with all kinds of items to the extent that it is difficult even to move around.
Programmes such as as BBC’s Britain’s Biggest Hoarders or Channel 4’s Hoarders SOS, or the American series simply called Hoarders, call on a variety of experts to help people deal with their clutter. There was even one incident during the American TV programme when, among the debris of someone’s house, a dead body was discovered, the daughter of the hoarder, and which became the subject of a very different programme CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Perhaps, at times, some of us would define ourselves as hoarders even if not of the compulsive and extreme kind. We may hold onto things that have sentimental value or simply because we can’t decide what to throw away and what to keep. In his letter to the Philippians, St Paul’s declares that he regards everything in his life as so much rubbish compared to that of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord. He has lost so much, but for him those things were rubbish anyway. In losing them, they have made his life lighter to be able to race and strain on to the finishing line, and the prize of the call of Christ.
As we celebrate the life, witness and heritage of St David, we give thanks for a follower of Jesus who, like St Paul, gave up everything for Christ. He lived a simple life, stripped of unnecessary things in order to serve the Lord and share the good news of his Kingdom. Often, we carry with us so many unnecessary things, not just material items, but distracting thoughts and desires, and all manner of things which obscure our vision of Christ. May the example of St David inspire us and the whole country of which he is patron. That we may perceive what is really important, and cling only to that which saves.
Mass today is at S Dyfrig and S Samson Church at 630pm
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