Ash Wednesday

Lent 2023

Yet even now—oracle of the Lord—return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God, For he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind a blessing,
Joel 2:12–14

The prophet Joel is speaking to a people who are suffering greatly. Their survival depends on agriculture, so when they suffer a great locust infestation that brings the destruction of their crops, the people are deeply distressed. But things get even worse for the Israelites as a powerful enemy from the north threatens to destroy them.

The situation is bad, yet the people feel they can’t turn to God because they have rejected him for so long. Joel assuages those fears, assuring them that God is merciful.

God is gracious and slow to anger, but we never know for certain what God is going to do. Perhaps God will relent, perhaps not. But we do know with certainty his character. Our task is to fast and pray, to give and serve. Our task is to trust in the Lord, even when his actions don’t make sense to us.

Pray that during this Lent you will return to the Lord with your whole heart and grow in greater trust of God’s character, especially his mercy and kindness to you.

This reflection from Messages of Trust for Lent, originally published by Ave Maria Press, was reprinted with permission of the authors, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. For more parish resources, visit https://www.rebuiltparish.com/.

Responsorial psalms are excerpted from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Other scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.