Last week, I parked my car under the branches of a tree and when I went to drive away, the birds gifted the car with various white droppings. It was not pleasant to look at. You have to love those birds!

So, I drove my car through a local car wash and it came out bright and shining.

At this car wash, one of the last solutions sprayed on the car is a liquid car wax. It helps keep the car protected from the sun and elements (probably birds as well).

It surprised me the day after it was washed, my car was already coated again with a very light layer of dust. The air probably was dirty and maybe it was remnants of the fires that have been occurring in Canada and passing through the clouds in the upper atmosphere of our local area.

As I thought about this, it made me think about our constant struggle to keep clean from sin. We go to confession and through the priest’s absolution of sins forgiven, one’s soul is blemish free. Then the world, one’s reaction to life, has a way to cause us to be less charitable and more attracted to earthly pursuits instead of heavenly pursuits and before we know it, we find ourselves not quite in the same state of grace as after having our sins forgiven through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

How do we protect ourselves from such impacts of the world? It is through frequent reception of the graces received in the Holy Eucharist and going to Confession more than once or twice a year. These graces protect us from the temptation of committing sins and keeps us shining in the presence of our loving Lord.

The word, rumination, means a deep considered thought about something.

-By Deacon Tom Gryzbek