The Ash Wednesday liturgy offers us, first of all, the passage from the prophet Joel, sent by God to call the people to repentance and conversion, due to a calamity (an invasion of locusts) that devastates Judea. Only the Lord can save from the scourge, and so there is need of supplication, with prayer and fasting, each confessing his sin.<\/p>\n
The prophet insists on inner conversion: \u201cReturn to me with all your heart\u201d\u009d (2:12). To return to the Lord \u201cwith all [one\u2019s] heart,\u201d\u009d means taking the path of a conversion that is neither superficial nor transient, but is a spiritual journey that reaches the deepest place of our self. The heart, in fact, is the seat of our sentiments, the center in which our decisions and our attitudes mature.<\/p>\n
That, \u201cReturn to me with all your heart,\u201d\u009d does not involve only individuals, but extends to the community, is a summons addressed to all: \u201cGather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. (2:16)\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
The prophet dwells particularly on the prayers of priests, noting that their prayer should be accompanied by tears. We will do well to ask, at the beginning of this Lent, for the gift of tears, so as to make our prayer and our journey of conversion ever more authentic and without hypocrisy.<\/p>\n