REND YOUR HEARTS AND NOT YOUR GARMENTS
(A biblical refection on ASH WEDNESDAY [YEAR A], March 9, 2011)
First Reading: Joel 2:12-18
Psalms: Ps 51:3-6,12-14,17; Second Reading: 2Cor 5:20-6:2; Gospel Reading: Mt 6:1-6,16-18
The Scripture Text
“Yet, even now,” says the LORD, “return to me with all you heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him, a cereal offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.
Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare Thy people, O LORD, and make not Thy heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
Then the LORD became jealous for His land, and had pity on His people. (Joel 2:12-18 RSV)
Once again, as happens every year, we hear the prophet Joel’s call to return to the LORD “with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12). We are also to rend – to split open – our hearts, not try to change them ourselves. And, again this year, we may be tempted to look upon Lent as a dark time when we review all of our sins and commit ourselves to doing better. But the goal is not to make ourselves flawless. Who could do that anyway? Far from simply being a time of self denial, Lent is a time when God offers us a deeper taste of His goodness and mercy. During Lent, God calls us to return to Him so that He can free us from sin and lead us more fully into His Kingdom.
God is not looking to condemn us for our sins. He wants to release us from sin so that we can walk in freedom as His daughters and sons. As we examine our consciences and draw closer to Jesus this Lent, God will touch our hearts so that we can cry out to Him, “Yes, LORD, change my heart. I want to be filled with Your love.” As we begin to let go of those things that separate us from Him, we will make room for our hearts to be filled with divine life.
As we receive ashes on our foreheads today, God invites us to rend our hearts before Him. He invites us to stand before our Saviour and allow Him to look at our lives and remove the things that block His love. We will find that there is no greater privilege than allowing God to examine our hearts.
This Lent, let us ask Jesus for more of His divine life. He longs for us to welcome Him in. He may ask us to forgo some of the things that we like or spend more time praying and reading the Holy Scripture, but as we allow Jesus to take hold of our hearts, our self-denial and our service will open us to the joys of heaven. Repentance is a gift to us. Let us accept this gift and let Jesus replace our sin with His love.
Short Prayer: Jesus Christ, You are my Lord and my Saviour. Come and search my heart this Lent. Remove from my life all those things that hinder me from knowing Your love and walking more closely with You. Amen.