Ash Wednesday
February 17, 2021
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Joel 2:12-18
Audio file
Today is the first day of Lent–the Church’s season of repentance. The prophet Joel gives us two insights into what repentance involves. First, repentance is an affair of the heart. It’s not just behavior modification–not just taking on “practices.” If there’s no change of will–no attempt to modify the inclinations of our heart–then the change of behavior or the penitential practices simply won’t happen. Or they won’t mean much if they do.
Joel’s second insight is that the call to repentance is addressed to everyone–elders, children, brides and grooms, priests. No one is exempt simply because there is no one whose heart is already fully in tune with the Lord.
Lent works from within us. Lent is for everybody.
