In the Office of Readings this morning there is an excerpt from St Jerome on the prophet Joel. Now I think that the only time we ever hear from Joel is on Ash Wednesday. Joel admonishes the peoples, especially the religious leadership to rend their hearts, and not their garments. St. Jerome does a little catechesis here, offering that the action of rending, or tearing one's garment, was an exaggerated expression of angst, and deep sorrow, especially in regards to sin and sinfulness. The prophet Joel makes the point that interior change and transformation should arise from such exterior actions.
St. Jerome would of course concur with this, adding that penance leads us to conversion and drawing closer to a life with God. Eons ago the Church detracted the 'sin' of eating meat on Fridays. Many were distressed by this, especially after many years of eating fish. But what many failed to grasp is that the Church continues to strongly recommend regular fast and abstinence as a practice of penance. The responsibility is on us to lead a virtuous life, receive the sacraments worthily, and avoid Sin and Evil.
I like telling the story of my little brother who came home from work late one Friday night during Lent. He popped a pepperoni in the oven, and twenty minutes later was having a fine meal of a frozen pizza. Suddenly realizing it was Friday, he didn't know whether to throw the pizza out, or what to do. But the real question is whether that Friday had been an occasion of grace for him. Had he engaged in some sort of prayer, charity, and most importantly making necessary changes in his life.
St. Jerome makes the distinction today between Evil and the absence of virtue. Evil as that brokenness that afflicts the human condition requires a faith response, and a commitment to doing what is right and good. We avoid Sin and the affects of Evil when there is an ongoing conversion and discipleship that is occurring in our lives. Just doing holy things does not make us holy, but the decision to do good and to avoid evil changes our interior posture. This is vastly more important than simply doing 'things.'
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