THE WINNOWING FORK
I
can still remember watching a man winnow the wheat as a kid. It was
amazing to see him deftly toss the stalks of the wheat around and so
facilitate the separation of the grain from the stalks. It is good for
us to remember that a day of judgment will come to us all and, on that
day, we will have to give an account of the lives we have led.
Purification
is the image that comes to mind – the rubbish being separated from me
such that I will be purified. This is the process through which we will
all go through if we are going to make it into eternal life. Judgment
and purification go hand in hand in terms of the end result they
achieve. I am sure there are things in our lives which we are not proud
of. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a means by which we enter into
this process of purification by acknowledging our sins and turning away
from
them, both now and forever.
Sin
is a nasty character that never gives up. The devil is quite aware that
there are many who have strong beliefs in this area. It is important
that we do not give up in the face of a challenge and, by preparing
ourselves well, endure it. This is the way a disciple of Jesus thinks –
always in terms of victory over sin and never towards a compromise.
The
image of winnowing is used at the start of the Gospel (Luke 3:10-18) to remind us that
the work of the Gospel is to purify our lives beginning with our
thoughts, words and deeds. We should hold nothing back from the God who
loves us and we should seek to pray for one another daily. The
ever-present danger in the modern world is to fail to recognize the work
of Satan as he seeks to tempt us every once in a while.
REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you surrender yourself to the winnowing fire of God’s love that cleanses and purifies?
Holy Spirit, come and purify my heart and mind so that everything they direct my body to do will be holy.
