Weekly Inspiration (3/8/24)

Lent

Lent is a time of housekeeping, of setting things right, of de cluttering those things that get in the way of the better, priceless treasures of God. It's a time of throwing open the doors and letting the Spirit come in to clear away the cobwebs, the dust and spilled messes; allowing the furniture to be rearranged, the pictures straightened, the windows cleaned, and breathing a new gulp of brisk fresh air. A time of inviting Jesus into those previously closed off rooms and saying, "Please, make yourself at home."

Poem of the Week

Making the House Ready for the Lord
by Mary Oliver

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but
still nothing is as shining as it should be
for you. Under the sink, for example, is an
uproar of mice — it is the season of their
many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves
and through the walls the squirrels
have gnawed their ragged entrances — but it is the season
when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And
the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard
while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;
what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling
in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly
up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will
come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,
the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know
that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon:
Come in, Come in.