FOODFORTHOUGHT

SPIRITUAL HOUSEKEEPING

I do not know about you but I don't like cockroaches. We had them in a
house that we bought in Long Island. I did not know anything about hiring
exterminators so I decided to get rid of them myself. I bought a sprayer
and bought some chemicals to kill them. To measure the chemicals I took a
measuring spoon and wired it to the outside of the sprayer. I did this to
make sure that I didn't make a mistake and use the measuring spoon again in
the house. How could I ever clean it well enough to use it again safely for
cooking?

Imagine going in your china closet, getting one of your best crystal
glasses, and then using it to measure chemicals to kill the bugs around your
house. Then let's imagine that you take it in the house and wash it. Would
you dare to use it again? Of course not! It would be contaminated with a
toxic film invisible to your eye that might poison anyone who used this
glass.

Now imagine that your soul and mine are like this glass. It has been so
easy for me to fall victim to the attractive but false temptations of our
contemporary world. For example, power, money, liquor, sex, and possessing
more and more material possessions are alluring. These are played up so
seductively on television and in the media. These can become our golden
calves, our false idols! Who has time for God or Church? Perhaps
unwittingly or even deliberately I have filled up my glass with these toxins
that may kill my soul and potentially others whom I know and love. We call
these toxins sin. This mix more importantly is toxic to God and poisons our
relationship with Him. The worst of these is so strong that it totally
poisons our relationship with God.

Imagine that we determine to do better and try to rid ourselves of these
toxins. Can you or I wash the glass of our soul clean enough by ourselves?
It would be like trying to wash the lethal chemicals out of our glass with
household soap.

Let's assume, however, that we turn to Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and ask Him
with a contrite heart to wash our glass. Is there a sin that He cannot
forgive? His Mercy is boundless. He died to redeem us of our sins and is
prepared always to forgive us.

How can we avoid refilling the glass to the brim with another toxic brew?
This also is very difficult to do by ourselves. No matter how I have tried
to do this the devil always seems to find a way to slip a temptation in my
life when I am weak. My glass, you see, is terribly weak and fragile. The
toxins once again begin to fill my glass.

Imagine that Christ not only cleans our glass but also puts a protective
substance in the glass that makes it difficult for the devil to introduce
any more toxins. Is this possible? The answer is yes. We call this
protection grace. The Sacraments are the greatest source of this
protection. The more grace that we have in our glass the stronger that this
protection is. The greatest of the Sacraments is the Communion. We have
the blessing and privilege to be able to receive Our Divine Savior, Jesus
Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, in Communion. The grace that He
brings surpasses all human understanding. Communion is the food of Eternal
Life. Jesus Himself, who suffered and died for us on the Cross, gives
Himself willingly, joyfully, lovingly, mercifully, to us. This protection
increases the more frequently that we receive Communion. The devil,
compared to Christ, is a grain of sand. When Christ fills our soul there is
no room for the toxins that the devil seeks to tempt us with. May we get in
the habit of receiving Jesus in the Communion as often as we can to take
full advantage of this protection.

When Christ has cleaned and filled the glass of our soul whom do you imagine
others see when they look at us? My we pray that they no longer see us - -
but only see Jesus Christ Himself!

-- Author Unknown

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