14 July 2026

Every Spring, something tumultuous happened in our house. My mother embarked on her annual Spring clean! The whole house was cleaned and dusted from top to bottom. The big square carpet in the living room was taken out to the garden and beaten mercilessly.

The blankets were whipped off the beds. They were washed thoroughly in the sink – two joined together with a ringer in between. As boys, my brother and I stood in the sinks along with the blankets and stamped them to death!

Every cupboard in the kitchen was emptied of dishes, pots and pans, old jam jars, shoes, food, packets of custard, semolina, sago and lots more! The cupboards were thoroughly washed down and the contents returned. Well, not quite. My mother didn’t like clutter. She hated having things she never used.

Excess crockery and ornaments, tins and utensils were all thrown out or kept aside for the next kirk sale. Recycling and decluttering are important virtues with a spiritual dimension. ‘Go, sell your possessions and give the money to the poor.’ was Jesus' advice to the rich young man. ‘And you will have treasure in heaven.’

If we declutter, we will be free – free to follow Jesus wherever we go because we have got rid of all our excess baggage and embraced a rare simplicity. And, paradoxically, we will have treasure – treasure in heaven. But we can only enjoy it if we empty ourselves of all our earthly substitutes.

And what are these heavenly treasures if not the love which lives for others, the peace which passes all understanding, the joy which makes us alive to the presence of God in everything. ‘Be filled with the spirit of the Beatitudes.’ said Brother Roger of Taize. And what are they? Joy, mercy, simplicity.