Have you ever wondered how the house became so cluttered or how the kitchen became so stained or why it is that your store is running out of space? All these creep up on you while you are not paying attention as you move with the convenience of placing this item here or there for a while. The momentary placement of an object turns out to be permanent. What needs to be done?
The clearing out of the clutter will not solve the problem unless we first root out the lack of discipline to put things in their rightful place. The discipline to go the extra mile in confronting convenience for a better good is required before the clearing of the clutter takes place otherwise when the place is cleared out, the clutter will surely return in no time. Once a place is cleared out the need for vigilance to keep the discipline going is vital.
In the gospel of today, the moneylenders and the pigeon sellers and the others would have started out in a similar manner. One practice led to another and to another and these eventually led to things becoming cluttered and more sadly becoming a practice that was not of the original intent.
The typical ‘kiasu’ mentality stems from a lack of trust that the Lord will provide in times of need and this leads to a hoarding mentality. We should not keep what we want and not keep what we have not used for more than a year.
Love and Adventure,
Fr. Terence Pereira
Questions for Reflection
Is your heart cluttered with the desire of the world?
Is your mind cluttered with the thoughts of the world?
Have you ever wondered how the house became so cluttered or how the kitchen became so stained or why it is that your store is running out of space? All these creep up on you while you are not paying attention as you move with the convenience of placing this item here or there for a while. The momentary placement of an object turns out to be permanent. What needs to be done?
The clearing out of the clutter will not solve the problem unless we first root out the lack of discipline to put things in their rightful place. The discipline to go the extra mile in confronting convenience for a better good is required before the clearing of the clutter takes place otherwise when the place is cleared out, the clutter will surely return in no time. Once a place is cleared out the need for vigilance to keep the discipline going is vital.
In the gospel of today, the moneylenders and the pigeon sellers and the others would have started out in a similar manner. One practice led to another and to another and these eventually led to things becoming cluttered and more sadly becoming a practice that was not of the original intent.
The typical ‘kiasu’ mentality stems from a lack of trust that the Lord will provide in times of need and this leads to a hoarding mentality. We should not keep what we want and not keep what we have not used for more than a year.
Love and Adventure,
Fr. Terence Pereira
