The people of Israel have returned from their exile in Babylon. They are called to return to God, to return to their faith. There is a lot of bewilderment, frustration, and hard feeling bottled up in their hearts. Isaiah calls them to not only an outward change, but more importantly, an inner change. The spirit of Isaiah’s prophetic charge is reflected in our Gospel message as well. The Pharisees were so concerned about the outward appearance that they gave to the world that they did not consider what Jesus and his disciples were going through. Isaiah told the people to raise their voices like a trumpet. In great feasts and at the beginning of fasts, a trumpet blast announced what was happening. When God spoke at Mount Sinai to Moses, his voice was compared to a trumpet blast in the book of Exodus. Like the Day of Atonement when the Jews fasted, our comparable days of fasting in our Catholic faith take place on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday to commemorate the beginning of Lent and the day that Jesus was crucified. In Isaiah, the people voice their desire for the Lord to approach them, to come near to them. The people desire God to be just with them in his laws. And they want God to notice their fasting and acts of penance. On the surface, this seems to be sincere and to adhere to their religious observances, but Isaiah wonders if this is really an excess of outward piety that violates the spirit of God’s law and is just for show. Lent is not just about going through the motions for us as Catholics. It is not about outward appearances. We are called to pray and to search our hearts, to find the ways that God is calling us specifically to observe Lent this year in prayers, in fasting, and in charity. May Lent be a truly holy time us in our lives of faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment