2010 Holy Week Monday – Cleansing the Temple

Greetings Dear Reader,

When I was very young and would spend weekends with my grandparents, my Grandmother always cleaned the house on Saturday afternoons. She had a collection of porcelain horses. I would sit and watch as she took each one down and carefully dusted it. She would remind me that we are like the horses. If we do not keep ourselves cleaned up inside and out we lose our shine. It is Jesus who wants us to shine so he dusts us off when we let him, but if we just sit around we get dusty again.

On this first weekday of Holy Week I find myself pondering how easy it is to lose ground I have gained spiritually. Like so many physical disciplines, the toning and training of the spirit seems to fade so quickly if left unattended. We somehow think that it should be easier or that we can take a break away from the training of the spirit. It is never so.

I am more aware than ever of old habits trying to push toward things that are unhealthy for me as a follower of Christ. I hear my mind making excuses for not shedding things that hinder me from reflecting Christ to others. I also see the lure of old habits that make me less like Christ and more my own false god.

I wonder if this is one of the things Christ saw as he cleansed the temple. People who were supposed to reflect the love and mercy of the Father were instead filling their pockets each year with the money of their neighbors, making access to the Father more difficult for them. When I lose the lessons Christ teaches me I make it more difficult for others to see Christ through me. So as I begin my weekly walk toward the Cross and ultimately the empty tomb I will focus on dusting off any areas of spiritual discipline that I have let become sedentary.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."