On this First Friday of Lent, we are immediately challenged
by God’s word to ensure that our Lenten penances are rightly ordered.
In our reading from the prophet Isaiah, God says something
startling.
The people are fasting. They are bowing their heads. They
are wearing sackcloth. They are afflicting themselves. And yet God says: “You
fast, but I do not see it.” Why? Because their penances have not changed their
hearts. The people were performing religious acts. They are keeping the ritual.
They are technically doing what is required. But at the same time: They continued
to exploit their workers. They quarreled and fought with each other. They
pursued their own interests. They neglected the poor.
Their penance were simply external. Their hearts remained
untouched, unmoved, unconverted.
This is one of the central temptations of Lent: to reduce penance
to religious performance: Give something up. Eat less. Pray a bit more. Check
the box.
But Isaiah reminds us: God is not impressed by religious
theater. He wants conversion. “This is the fasting that I wish: releasing those
bound unjustly, setting free the oppressed, sharing your bread with the hungry,
clothing the naked, not turning your back on your own.”
Notice the movement. True penance loosens the grip of
selfishness and turns the heart outward in mercy.
When we fast properly, selfishness diminishes—our ego, our
pride, our attachment, our indifference diminishes—in order to give way to
charity—to that of the Lord’s own heart
If Lent does not conform our hearts more closely to His—if
our fasting does not make us more patient, more merciful, more generous—then we
are bowing our heads like reeds while our hearts remain stiff.
Our Isaiah read ends with a powerful promise. If you allow
your heart to be converted, if you allow selfishness to be transformed into
charity—then you will know the closeness of God: “Then you shall call, and the
LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!”
What a beautiful promise that reminds us that the purpose of
Lent is union with God.
Lent is not about impressing God. It is about removing the obstacles that prevent
us from allowing his life to flow through us. Interior conversion leads to active
charity which leads to divine intimacy.
Lord, may our Lenten penances soften our hearts, detach us
from selfishness, move us to charity, and unite us more closely to you, for the
Glory of God and the salvation of souls.
Trusting in the Lord, we call upon Him with sincere hearts.
For the Church throughout the world: that during this holy
season of Lent her fasting, prayer, and almsgiving may bear fruit in true
conversion and works of mercy.
For the Holy Father, bishops, and priests: that their lives
may reflect the charity of the Sacred Heart and lead God’s people to authentic
repentance and deeper union with Christ.
For civil leaders and all who exercise authority: that they
may release those bound unjustly, defend the oppressed, and govern with justice
and compassion.
For the poor, the hungry, the infirmed, the homeless, and
those who suffer injustice: that our Lenten sacrifices may translate into
concrete charity and real assistance for those in need.
For our parish community: that our fasting may soften our
hearts, diminish selfishness, and make us more patient, merciful, and generous
toward one another.
For those who struggle to repent or who feel distant from
God: that they may experience the Lord’s promise of closeness.
For the faithful departed: that purified of every attachment
to sin, they may rejoice forever in the fullness of divine charity. We pray to
the Lord.
Heavenly Father, you desire mercy and not empty show. Purify
our hearts this Lent and hear the prayers we offer with confidence through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
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