Spiritual Spring Cleaning

From Dan Conway’s The Good Steward, April 2003

The Lent and Easter seasons provide us with opportunities for spiritual renewal. Just as the advent of spring prompts us to do spring cleaning or yard work following the long, hard winter, this time in the Church year invites us to “get back in shape” spiritually through prayer, self-denial, and almsgiving.

Prayer connects us with God. It helps us to tune out the distractions of daily life. Prayer reminds us that God is the source of all life (and the center of our individual lives). It puts us in touch with the truth about ourselves and about our world. Prayer helps us to focus on what’s most important in life. It allows us to open ourselves to God’s grace and to live a richer and more authentic life.

Self-denial is profoundly counter-cultural. It demands that we learn to say “no” to our impulses (good and bad) and that we resist the relentless voices of a market-driven consumer culture that demands our undivided attention 24/7 …

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