Self-Reflection
When you walk into a store everything is laid out in a very beautiful display. And as stores turn our thoughts to Christmas, everything is the store becomes brighter, shinier, and glitter is everywhere. All this to attract our attention. But we only see the beauty of what we are supposed to see. Anyone who has ever worked in a store knows what the storage area of the store looks like.
There are boxes upon boxes – stacked cardboard does not look attractive it looks like work for someone to do. Instead of a shiny waxed floor it is just bare concrete with tire marks and scrapes and scratches. There is litter and old package slips scattered everywhere. And the back rooms seldom have the lights as does the front of the store. This is the image Jesus is trying to share with the Pharisees. On the outside they look shiny and bright. But the inside is like a dingy old storeroom.
Today, many of you will recite your prayers. Maybe do a little reading from the Bible. Maybe even make it to daily mass. All of this looks great on the outside. Does your outside reflect your inside?
During Advent and Lent we teach that we need to prepare a place in our hearts for Jesus to come to dwell. If Jesus were to visit our home tonight to join us for supper, would we not make sure everything is in order and that we can present to Jesus our very best? Then what about the inside of our hearts today? In our self-reflection, is our heart ready for Jesus to move in?
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen