Homily for the 5th Sunday in Lent - March 21, 2021

Today's readings can be found here.

            This weekend marks the beginning of spring.  The days are getting longer and warmer.  Trees and plants are budding and growing.  For many of us, thoughts start turning to spring cleaning.  We want to open our windows and let fresh air into our homes.  We may be looking to wash our windows to see through them more clearly or shaking out the dust from rugs or drapes.  We also may be looking forward to getting out in the yard, pruning plants, starting gardens, or fixing up the landscaping.  We do all this to get our homes ready to enjoy the summer and all the activities that go with it.

            Today’s readings invite us to do some internal spring cleaning.  Our psalm prompts us to ask that our hearts be cleaned out.  The psalm is a prayer to God for mercy and forgiveness of the sins that have dulled our hearts.  We want to clean out our hearts so that, as our first reading states, God can write His law upon them.  God wishes to make a covenant with each of us, personally, and to live within us.  Just like we would prepare our homes to receive guests, we need to prepare our hearts to receive God.

            Lent is the time for spiritual spring cleaning.  Our Lenten practices of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer cleanse our hearts and souls to prepare us for the wonder of Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  How are we doing so far with the things we’ve resolved to do this Lent?  Are we still following through with them?  It can be difficult to give something up or create a new habit for five weeks.  There are some that become discouraged and give it up, especially now that we’re two weeks away from Easter.

            However, there’s still time to assess how we’re doing and continue working on creating a clean heart within ourselves.  It’s never too late to begin giving alms, fasting, and praying.  I would also strongly recommend making use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Easter.  Having our sins forgiven is a wonderful grace from God as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection.

            Having a clean heart also prepares us to serve God.  Jesus states in our Gospel today that to serve God we just follow Jesus.  Jesus sets the example by placing the will of God before His own desires.  Jesus was troubled by what He knew He had to do, go to Jerusalem and be crucified for us to open the doors to salvation.  The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us of Jesus’ agony in the garden, where He asks that the cup be taken from Him.  However, Jesus then asks that God’s will be done, not His own.

            We too need to seek God’s will for our lives instead of our own.  We need to be open to serving others in the way God wishes us to do so.  In order to know God’s will, we need to have a close relationship with God.  We need to invite God to live in our hearts.  And it begins with creating a clean heart for God to enter.  There’s still time before Easter.  What more can we do to complete the spring cleaning of our hearts to make them ready for Jesus to live in?