Offaly columnist reflects on the hope, nourishment and awakening of Spring

For me Spring is a season of renewal, reflection, and compassion. After the long, cold months of winter, there comes a moment, sometimes quietly, sometimes almost without noticing when the earth exhales. The frost melts. Crocuses and daffodils push through the soil. Trees begin to dress themselves in fresh green leaves. Birds resume their songs, and the cooing of birds fills the air once again.

“For the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds has come.” (Song of Solomon 2:12). Spring does not arrive with force or fanfare. It comes softly. Faithfully. Tenderly. And yet, it changes everything. For many of us, winter has not only been a season on the calendar. It has lived in our bodies, our memories, our prayers. It has carried grief and loss, anxiety and loneliness, disappointment and unanswered questions. It has held the exhaustion of a world that feels fractured, where storms, literal and emotional, have shaken communities, strained relationships, and left many hearts weary. And still, spring comes. “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5). Spring is God’s quiet whisper to a weary world, I am still here. I am still at work. I am not finished yet.

A gentle invitation to begin again

As the season arrives, we instinctively open windows, letting fresh air rush in. We shake out the dust of winter, clear away what has grown heavy and stale, and make room for light. But spring asks us to go deeper. It invites us to spiritual spring cleaning, not just of homes, but of hearts, minds and souls. Our spiritual house is the sacred space where body and mind shelter the soul God lovingly formed. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Over time, even the most cherished homes become cluttered. So too do our inner lives. Fears, resentments, harsh self-judgments, old wounds, and habits that once protected us may now quietly imprison us. Spring invites holy honesty. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” (Psalm 139:23). What grief have we never fully named? What bitterness have we justified? What fear shapes our choices? What have we been carrying that God never asked us to bear alone? This is not shame. It is mercy. It is preparation for new life, just as the earth prepares for blooms beneath frozen soil. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5).

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Cleaning the wardrobes of the heart

Spring asks us to release what no longer belongs such as old grudges, quiet resentments, jealousy and bitterness, harsh words we replay and limiting beliefs that steal joy. “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” (Hebrews 12:1). And in this clearing, we are clothed anew: “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12). Letting go is not weakness, it is preparation. No gardener plants seeds in soil choked with weeds. Likewise, spring asks us to create fertile ground in our hearts for love, mercy, and hope.

Spring Is a call to compassionate action

Spring is never only about personal renewal. It calls us outward, to hold tightly to the fragile, protect the vulnerable, nurture the young, honour the old, and stand beside those on the edges of our communities. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2). “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1). When we place our hands in the soil, pause to watch a bird build its nest, or truly see the face of a stranger, creation becomes prayer. Spring preaches resurrection without words. It is Easter whispered through blossoms and birdsong. It is God reminding us that even after suffering, even after loss, life is still being born. “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). As E. L. Marsh beautifully wrote: “There piped a piper in the wood, Strange music—soft and sweet…The wood grew green, and flowers sprang up, For the piper’s name was—Spring.”

Lessons from nature

Nature teaches resilience and hope. Every tree that loses its leaves, every seed buried in darkness, every bird building its nest from scattered twigs, shows us that life perseveres. I once glimpsed an eagle soaring, calm and majestic, on a spring’s road. For a fleeting moment, it was as if God placed that bird there to lift my spirit. Like the eagle, we too can rise, renewed, guided by God’s hand. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles…” (Isaiah 40:31). Spring reminds us that the world recovers, hearts can heal, hope can rise.

Spring hope and spiritual awakening

Spring nourishes more than soil, it also nourishes hearts, souls and minds. It calls us to reflect on what truly matters. Release thoughts and behaviours that dim joy. Grow in love, faith, and service. Recommit to being a light in a world that often feels dark. “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). Like the first robin or the gentle crocus or daffodil, small acts of faith, love, and kindness can blossom into hope for others. Here are some practical ways to embrace spring spiritually that I use. Go for a spring nature walk every so often to reconnect with God’s creation.

Observe buds, birds, and blossoms. Offer thanks. Do some spiritual decluttering such as cleanse your heart, mind and soul through prayer, confession, daily eucharist and letting go. Do some prayerful planting such as sowing seeds of faith, love, and kindness in your life and community. Take part in some sunrise prayerful meditation such as to greet Christ’s light each morning and invite renewal into your life. Also try if possible to do some gratitude journaling where you can reflect daily on God’s blessings and God's words in Holy Scripture and the new growth in your soul. And don't forget your daily examen at the end of each day.

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Thought for the week

As your thought for the week, live as though resurrection is already at work. Notice one small sign of new life each day. Release one burden you were never meant to carry. Offer one act of compassion, especially where it costs you something. Speak one word that heals rather than wounds. Pray one honest prayer, without polishing it first. “Whatever a person sows, that they will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7). Your thoughts are seeds. Your words are seeds. Your actions are seeds. Plant wisely. Plant gently. Plant hope.

Let me leave you with a prayer poem I wrote about Spring called 'A Prayer for Spring Awakening and Compassion' - "Loving and faithful God, As the earth turns again toward the light, turn our hearts toward You. Breathe fresh air into weary souls. Clear away what no longer gives life. Heal what winter has wounded. Soften what has grown hard within us. Create in us clean hearts, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. Teach us to hope again, not with fragile optimism, but with courageous, resurrection faith. Make us gentle with one another. Make us brave in love. Make us generous in compassion. Where there is despair, plant hope. Where there is bitterness, plant mercy. Where there is fear, plant love. Thank You for the nourishing gift of spring. Thank You for new beginnings. Thank You that even now, You are making all things new. Hold us. Guide us. Send us forth as signs of Your healing in a wounded world. Amen." Spring is here. Let it awaken your heart, renew your spirit, and guide your hands in acts of love and kindness. Life, no matter how long the winter, always blooms again. Happy Spring season to everyone, especially you the reader.