Joel 2:12-17
12 Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord, your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children,
even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep.
Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
13 rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Earth to Earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Today, we boldly face our own mortality in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection. Yes, we will all return to the dust from which we were created and, yes, we will share in the Resurrection of Jesus into which we were Baptized.
It takes a great deal of humility to publicly acknowledge our captivity to Sin and the sentence of death that comes with it. It takes even more humility to publicly admit that we are powerless to save ourselves and are utterly dependent on God’s lavish and abundant mercy. It takes the most humility to accept the fact that every human being is equally lost in Sin and equally reconciled through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Return to the Lord Our God is the clarion call of Lent. The prophet, Joel also tells us to 13 rend your hearts and not your clothing. When we repent (turn back to God), God holds up a mirror that reflects our true selves, without all the external stuff we hide behind. Coming face to face with the depths of our own sinfulness tears our hearts apart with grief and shame. Then, and only then, are we truly able to recognize the depth and breadth of God’s great love for us.
Prayer: Merciful Lord: Strengthen my resolve to look into the mirror of your love where true healing begins. AMEN