The message in our reading from the first chapter of the prophet Isaiah and the message in t Gospel reading from Matthew have similar themes: the people need to leave behind their hypocrisy. Isaiah calls the leaders of the people “princes of Sodom.” He refers to the people as “people of Gomorrah.” Sodom and Gomorrah were the epitome of all that was most evil in the eyes of God. Sodom and Gomorrah are examples of sinful cities that were completely destroyed by God. Isaiah addresses the Jewish people as deserving no better than the corrupt citizens of those wicked cities.
We know that we are all called to repentance and conversion in our lives of faith. So it interests us as to how God is asking the people to repent through the prophet Isaiah. Are they to repent by offering sacrifices? By going to the sacrament of reconciliation? By saying the act of contrition? The answer is no. God is asking the people to make justice their aim. The people are to redress the wrongs that they have done to others. They are to hear the cry of the orphan and defend the widow. In Ancient Israel, the widows and the orphans were the most vulnerable and neglected people in society. In the eyes of God, real repentance did not exist unless the weakest and neediest in society were helped. For us in Lent, God calls us to do the same through acts of justice and charity. We can focus on one singular act, such as not eating meat on Fridays during Lent. But what does that matter if we are not going to Mass regularly, if we are not studying the faith and trying to grow in our faith, if we are not participating and serving in our parish, if we are not reaching out to others in acts of charity? May we hear God calling out to us in the midst of our Lenten journey.
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