Sometime during one of the lockdowns we had, I did a little bit of cleaning and I went through stuff I have. I’ve had a couple of realisations, but one is a stand out. It’s that unfortunately, there’s an amount of stuff I have which I don’t use, and have not let go; mostly papers and reading materials, manila folders, books, and a lot of other things that I think I would use but in fact have not touched for more than two, three, five years even. I call them 'stuff I don’t use' but perhaps some of you might simply call them 'rubbish'. Ouch, that hurts. But it does because I know they’ll be thrown, and I have this sentimental attachment to them. On Ash Wednesday, we began the season of Lent, and on this First Sunday of Lent,
our Church, through our readings, bring us to the desert experience of Jesus. 'Why the desert?' we might ask. Perhaps because in the desert, what is wise to bring with us are only the most
essential things to survive, the bare necessities. In our Christian life, Lent is the opportunity for us, like Jesus, to be led by the Spirit and spend time in the desert and to examine 'what is most essential in my life'. The desert space that we are afforded this Lent, and hopefully we take advantage of, dares us to look at each of our lives,
and identify the clutter in our hearts. What ongoing conversions does my life need now? At one stage in my life a couple of years
before I re-entered the seminary, I surrounded myself with friends,
most of whom were my drinking buddies. Most of the times we would only meet over drinks, which means we only see each other
when we get intoxicated. It reached even to a point when we foolishly
experimented with illegal substances. I was in my 20’s. By no means was I rich,
but I had some money to spend. It was at the height of this experience
when I was led to enter into a desert space. I then began to see myself longing
for something more but different, something more lasting, something more meaningful. I asked myself, when I’m not drinking, when I’m not under the influence,
if I don’t have money to spend, when I’m sober, will these friends stay? And I had to undergo the hard decision
to de-clutter my life at that stage. In the eyes of the world, I was so filled to the brim, and enjoying myself. But deep within, the Spirit revealed to me
just how empty I have allowed my life to be. Conversions like these do not only happen once. These are ongoing. This Lent, it might help to allow yourself
to be led into that desert space. May our Lord sustain us on our Lenten Journey. And as you look forward to Easter, may God bless you.
