This past Sunday’s text discusses the need for purification and presenting ourselves to the Lord. The Gospel teaches that the Holy Family presented themselves to God after their purification. Although we do not often discuss purification, perhaps we have misunderstood this term.
We often use harsh soaps to clean our clothes;
sometimes, we add potent substances to remove stains. My preferred substance to remove tough stains is bleach. The smell of bleach after washing clothes and surfaces in the house gives me the sense that everything is germ-free. Bleach can destroy fabric if not used properly; it is terrible for colour fabrics as it strips away the colour but leaves it stain-free. This process of bleaching is painful, not pleasant. The Lord will bleach out the stains that sin leaves in us.
We do not enjoy pain. However, there is pain involved in purification(refining and cleansing), dying, and rising. I believe that the process is for our good and well-being, to prepare us for the coming of the Lord. Sometimes, when God works on and in us, the unpleasant circumstances in our lives are to refine us and make us more like the people he wants us to be.
Spend time talking to the
Lord: ask for the grace to see the person God desires you to be. Share with the Lord the kind of person you want to be. Listen for a response.
Reflections by Morongoa Selepe
