Lenten Season Special, First Friday Mass Adoration, Blessing of the sick by Rev. Fr. Dominic Xavier

04-03-2022 at 5:30PM Lenten Season Special, First Friday Mass Adoration, Blessing of the sick by Rev. Fr. Dominic Xavier What does it mean to render your heart and not your garment? Joel 2:13 The word in this passage is "rend," not "render." It was the custom of ancient Jewish people (and other nearby cultures) to vigorously tear one's clothing as a visible sign of deep emotion. Whether it be anger, grief, contrition or any other intense, overwhelming emotion, the rending of your clothes was an outward sign of your inward feelings. But many customs can become purely habits that are done without any serious thought. When they are not genuine expressions of our inner feelings they can become just a show we put on for others to see. In Joel 2:12-17 the LORD calls upon his people to genuinely repent over their sins. He doesn't simply want to see an outward display of tearing clothes, but a genuine sorrow over their sin. This is why, in verse 13, he says, "Rend your heart and not your garments." He is not forbidding them to tear their clothes, but what he really wants is deep, heart-felt contrition over sin.