Spiritual Spring Cleaning
by Father Paul Keenan
 It’s that time of year when we start thinking about cleaning up and cleaning out. Here come the work duds, the sneakers and the heavy gloves. It’s time to do spring-cleaning.
But wait! Didn’t we do this last year? How in the world did we ever manage to accumulate so much clutter? Didn’t we promise ourselves last spring that we would never do this again? What happened?
What happened, for most of us, was that we did all of our spring-cleaning on the outside. Don’t get me wrong, we needed to do that; and we must admit, the place looked spic and span when we were through. But it didn’t last. What we often forget is that before spring-cleaning can take on the outside, it has to be done on the inside, where our attitudes and beliefs find their home. So put down that broom and that dustpan for a second. Grab a chair, and let’s do some spring cleaning for the soul.
Our Christian friends who are observing the season of Lent and our Jewish friends who will soon celebrate Passover know, from their religious observances at this time of year, the religious meaning of inner housecleaning and the impact it can have on our lives. Lent prepares us to celebrate Easter. The Jewish custom is to take a month to prepare for Passover. All the great religions emphasize the importance of purification in anticipation of a spiritual awakening.
Such purification is a natural part of the normal cycle of our lives. Night is intended to be a time when we empty ourselves of the cares of the day and draw ourselves into rest. (For many it doesn’t work that way, of course; but the resulting stress and nervousness give evidence that something natural is being violated.) We exhale air that has circulated inside us and we inhale pure fresh air. We nourish ourselves and afterwards eliminate the waste. Purification is a normal, natural part of our lives...
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Copyright Fr. Paul Keenan. This article was originally
published at our website, SoulfulLiving.com, in Spring 2005,
as part of Soulful Living's "Spring Cleaning" Issue.
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