The readings of Lent are taken from a wide variety of texts in both the Old and New Testaments.

They can be seen as a preparation for the honouring of the Lord's Passion and the celebration of
his Resurrection. One can profitably take one or both readings each day for prayerful reflection
in order to make a personal preparation for the observation of Holy Week and Easter.

The first reading is from the prophet Joel of whom very little is known. His name is shared with
about a dozen other Old Testament figures. Internal evidence would seem to indicate that he
lived in Judah during the Persian period of Jewish history (539-331 BC). The majority of
historical references in his book, in which there is no mention of Assyria or Babylonia, would
point to a period between 400 and 350 BC. He is regarded as a ‘cultic' prophet, that is, he
exercised his ministry within the life of the Temple. Today's reading comes from the earlier part
of the book in which Joel sees a plague of locusts which ravaged the country as a sign of God's
judgement on his people and hence a time for repentance. "Fasting, weeping, mourning…"
Fasting was required once a year on the Day of Atonement but also in times of calamity (as with
a plague of locusts). It was a sign of penitence and submission to God by a sinful people. Today's
passage is an eloquent and beautiful call to repentance. "It is Yahweh who speaks – Come back
to me with your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning… Let your hearts be broken, not your
garments torn.." Why? Because Yahweh "is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in
graciousness, and ready to relent". (This is in contrast to the prophet Jonah who early on in his
mission complained that God was too easy on sinners, especially Gentile sinners.)The passage is
a solemn call to repentance. Repentance here is not just sorrow for the past but a call to a
complete change of life. The emphasis is on inner change, not outward observance – "Let your
hearts be broken, not your garments torn". For us, too, Lent is better observed by an inner change
in our way of life than merely the external ‘giving up' of minor pleasures. A change that will
continue well beyond Lent and become a consistent pattern of our living.It is certainly not a time
for fear. Our God is a loving God. "He is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in
graciousness, and ready to relent." This is almost a chorus line that echoes through the Old
Testament. So we can approach God in the greatest of confidence. But repentance in the
Scripture is not just feeling bad about the past and looking for forgiveness.It is about bringing
about a complete change of thinking, a new way of seeing our lives, moving forward on a
different track. What the Gospel calls a metanoia, involving a radical change in the way see our
life and the direction in which it ought to go. How to benefit from the goodness of the Lord?
"Sound the trumpets in Zion! Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, call the people
together…the community…the elders…the children…even infants at the breast… Let the
bridegroom leave his bedroom and the bride her alcove…let the priest, the ministers of Yahweh,
lament. Let them all cry out for pardon and forgiveness." The readings of Lent are taken from a
wide variety of texts in both the Old and New Testaments. They can be seen as a preparation for
the honouring of the Lord's Passion and the celebration of his Resurrection. One can profitably
take one or both readings each day for prayerful reflection in order to make a personal
preparation for the observation of Holy Week and Easter.

The first reading is from the prophet Joel of whom very little is known. His name is shared with
about a dozen other Old Testament figures. Internal evidence would seem to indicate that he
lived in Judah during the Persian period of Jewish history (539-331 BC). The majority of
historical references in his book, in which there is no mention of Assyria or Babylonia, would
point to a period between 400 and 350 BC. He is regarded as a ‘cultic' prophet, that is, he
exercised his ministry within the life of the Temple. Today's reading comes from the earlier part
of the book in which Joel sees a plague of locusts which ravaged the country as a sign of God's
judgement on his people and hence a time for repentance. "Fasting, weeping, mourning…"
Fasting was required once a year on the Day of Atonement but also in times of calamity (as with
a plague of locusts). It was a sign of penitence and submission to God by a sinful people. Today's
passage is an eloquent and beautiful call to repentance. "It is Yahweh who speaks – Come back
to me with your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning… Let your hearts be broken, not your
garments torn.." Why? Because Yahweh "is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in
graciousness, and ready to relent". (This is in contrast to the prophet Jonah who early on in his
mission complained that God was too easy on sinners, especially Gentile sinners.)The passage is
a solemn call to repentance. Repentance here is not just sorrow for the past but a call to a
complete change of life. The emphasis is on inner change, not outward observance – "Let your
hearts be broken, not your garments torn". For us, too, Lent is better observed by an inner change
in our way of life than merely the external ‘giving up' of minor pleasures. A change that will
continue well beyond Lent and become a consistent pattern of our living.It is certainly not a time
for fear. Our God is a loving God. "He is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in
graciousness, and ready to relent." This is almost a chorus line that echoes through the Old
Testament. So we can approach God in the greatest of confidence. But repentance in the
Scripture is not just feeling bad about the past and looking for forgiveness.It is about bringing
about a complete change of thinking, a new way of seeing our lives, moving forward on a
different track. What the Gospel calls a metanoia, involving a radical change in the way see our
life and the direction in which it ought to go. How to benefit from the goodness of the Lord?
"Sound the trumpets in Zion! Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, call the people
together…the community…the elders…the children…even infants at the breast… Let the
bridegroom leave his bedroom and the bride her alcove…let the priest, the ministers of Yahweh,
lament. Let them all cry out for pardon and forgiveness." The readings of Lent are taken from a
wide variety of texts in both the Old and New Testaments. They can be seen as a preparation for
the honouring of the Lord's Passion and the celebration of his Resurrection. One can profitably
take one or both readings each day for prayerful reflection in order to make a personal
preparation for the observation of Holy Week and Easter.
The first reading is from the prophet Joel of whom very little is known. His name is shared with
about a dozen other Old Testament figures. Internal evidence would seem to indicate that he
lived in Judah during the Persian period of Jewish history (539-331 BC). The majority of
historical references in his book, in which there is no mention of Assyria or Babylonia, would
point to a period between 400 and 350 BC. He is regarded as a ‘cultic' prophet, that is, he
exercised his ministry within the life of the Temple. Today's reading comes from the earlier part
of the book in which Joel sees a plague of locusts which ravaged the country as a sign of God's
judgement on his people and hence a time for repentance. "Fasting, weeping, mourning…"
Fasting was required once a year on the Day of Atonement but also in times of calamity (as with
a plague of locusts). It was a sign of penitence and submission to God by a sinful people. Today's
passage is an eloquent and beautiful call to repentance. "It is Yahweh who speaks – Come back
to me with your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning… Let your hearts be broken, not your
garments torn.." Why? Because Yahweh "is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in
graciousness, and ready to relent". (This is in contrast to the prophet Jonah who early on in his
mission complained that God was too easy on sinners, especially Gentile sinners.)The passage is
a solemn call to repentance. Repentance here is not just sorrow for the past but a call to a
complete change of life. The emphasis is on inner change, not outward observance – "Let your
hearts be broken, not your garments torn". For us, too, Lent is better observed by an inner change
in our way of life than merely the external ‘giving up' of minor pleasures. A change that will
continue well beyond Lent and become a consistent pattern of our living.It is certainly not a time
for fear. Our God is a loving God. "He is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in
graciousness, and ready to relent." This is almost a chorus line that echoes through the Old
Testament. So we can approach God in the greatest of confidence. But repentance in the
Scripture is not just feeling bad about the past and looking for forgiveness.It is about bringing
about a complete change of thinking, a new way of seeing our lives, moving forward on a
different track. What the Gospel calls a metanoia, involving a radical change in the way see our
life and the direction in which it ought to go. How to benefit from the goodness of the Lord?
"Sound the trumpets in Zion! Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, call the people
together…the community…the elders…the children…even infants at the breast… Let the
bridegroom leave his bedroom and the bride her alcove…let the priest, the ministers of Yahweh,
lament. Let them all cry out for pardon and forgiveness."