“The only time you really clean is when you are about to go on a trip!” – my mother

I have a confession to make. I don’t like cleaning hardwood floors and bathrooms. It takes more than three times the effort to sweep, mop, apply floor polish, and wait for the polish to dry on hardwood floors than to vacuum the same carpeted area. I don’t like cleaning the bathroom either. The nasty fumes from the cleaning chemicals and getting on my knees to scrub off the bathtub mildew makes the chore unpleasant. The only time I should be on my knees is in front of God 😇

The dislike for such cleaning caused me to procrastinate such chores until I really have to, or when I couldn’t stand seeing the floors and bathroom dirty.

This year’s Season of Lent taught me that there are many reasons for us to be clean. Going to confession cleanses our souls and conscience, making it lighter for us to carry out our journeys of faith. Praying the rosary every day allows us to focus on what really matter to us as we lift our burdens to someone who can handle them better than us. Eating less on days of fasting, such as Fridays of Lent or on Sunday mornings, helps our bodies reach ketosis much faster and burn unwanted fat. Running outside more often these days works up a sweat that detoxifies and cleanses my mind and body.

To do such house cleaning, I broke the goal down into smaller tasks and researched more efficient ways.

Day 1: Sweep the floors. The most basic task helps build momentum for the bigger tasks ahead.

Day 2: Mop the floors upstairs and some parts downstairs. Instead of using a microfiber towel to scrub the floors using my feet, I bought a microfiber mop that can handle the uneven wooden floors to speed up the process.

Day 3: Mop the remaining floors, apply polish with another microfiber mop, and leave the area for two hours for the polish to dry.

Day 4: Clean the bathroom using a big sponge soaked with white vinegar diluted with water to speed up the process and avoid the harsh chemical smell. Then, wash the microfiber rags in the washing machine.

Don’t get me wrong. I still dislike cleaning after doing so. However, I didn’t wake up with dried phlegm on my throat after Day 2. And I slept much faster after Day 3.

There is something about cleaning the environment around us that also cleanses us. Our bodies get a nice workout and sweat. We find an inner fulfillment in manual labor. And we let go of clutter distracting us from what really matters most to us.

This past Sunday was the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity comprises of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as one.

Growing up, the concept of the Holy Trinity was confusing. How can three persons/entities be one in the same?

An analogy I heard many years ago made it clearer. The Holy Trinity can be thought of as the Sun.

God the Father symbolizes the Sun itself, where His presence is absolute and affects the universe. Jesus the Son symbolizes the Sun’s rays, which makes God’s presence visible to us. And the Holy Spirit symbolizes the warmth of the Sun and its rays, which makes us feel like we’re not alone in this journey.

Therefore, we can think of the Holy Spirit encouraging us to answer God’s call to be the best versions of ourselves. Jesus’s example and teachings make answering the call more relatable to us, showing us that we can find our inner peace through Him.

The Second Reading from the Book of Romans proclaims, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

Cleaning our environment and our inner selves is one part of the process in finding our inner peace. Confession is a divine form of psychiatric help without a permanent mark left on our record. And by doing so, we can help change the world around us. With a clearer mind, we are more present and focused in our careers, relationships, and personal goals. We attract the right partner even more and keep them.

And we find that our inner peace is a process of teamwork with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit meant to be shared with others, without expectation that our love and generosity will be repaid.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for showing us the importance of the Holy Trinity. Through the Holy Spirit, we are encouraged to answer Your call to raise our standards of ourselves in this world. Through Your Son, we are shown that it is not impossible to be better versions of ourselves and find our inner peace in the process. We are sorry for our stubbornness, because of our pride and bitterness. We pray for the grace to be patient and humble each day, as we let go of what binds us negatively. Truly there are some things you wanted us to see, so that we can be the people whom you need us to be.

All of this we humbly pray. Amen.