The prophet Joel lived in a difficult time.
The exile had been over for some time
and the people of God were safely settled once again
in the Promised Land.

However, they seemed rather indifferent to the covenant.
God was not an important part of their lives.

God had given them signs,
drought and an invasion of locust
haven’t gotten their attention.

So, Joel cried out on God’s behalf:

Return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.

God is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
relenting in punishment.

Joel calls for a spectacle:
Blow the trumpet…
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly,
gather the people.

Do whatever it takes
to demonstrate that you’re ready for  change,
that the time has come
to make amends,
to show God you want to be his people
once again.

St. Paul follow up with the Corinthians:
be reconciled to God…
Now is a very acceptable time;
now is the day of salvation.

And the gospel follows up with three ways to respond
to the call of Joel and the invitation of Paul:
give alms,
pray and fast.
Don’t do it for others to see.
Do it for God who sees in secret,
and God will reward you.

Yesterday, as I was eating lunch
one of our older members
asked me what I was doing for Lent.
I wanted to tell him I was giving up watermelon,
lima beans and liver,
since I never eat any of them at least at this time of the year.

The I remembered what Pope Leo wrote
just a few days ago
about Lent:

“I would like to invite you to a very practical
and frequently unappreciated form of abstinence:
that of refraining from words that offend and hurt our neighbor.
Let us begin by disarming our language,
avoiding harsh words
and rash judgments.
refraining from slander
and speaking ill of those who are not present
and cannot defend themselves.
Instead, let us strive to measure our words
and cultivate kindness and respect in our families,
among our friends, at work, on social media,
in political debates,
in the media and in Christian communities.
In this way, words of hatred will give way to words of hope and peace.”

So, instead of giving up chocolate or ice cream,
Pope Leo is inviting us to give up harsh words
and speak words of comfort and encouiragement.

In a few minutes,
we’ll be signed with ashes.
Everyone we see will know
that we’ve been to church today,
but that is not why we come here.

We come here
because we’ve been summoned by Joel,
encouraged by Paul,
and admonished by Jesus,
all who call us this day
to spend some time this Lent
remembering that we are all on the way
toward the Kingdom of God
where every sin will be taken away
and where we will live and love
as God lives and loves.

We journey not only toward
our annual celebrations of the Pascal Mystery,
but also toward that day when we will renew our baptismal promises.
At the Easter Vigil or on easter morning,
we will profess our faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
asking God to renew in us the grace of baptism,
to draw us closer to God
and to live always faithful to him.

Now is a very acceptable time.
Now is the day of salvation.