Loading..."Rend Your Hearts..."
Whenever a cloth is torn, it is altered for good. It will never be the same. You can patch it up, sew it together, or mend it, but it will never be the cloth it was before it was torn. So if you are intentionally tearing a cloth, you intend it to never be the same.
I believe when God speaks to us, He does it in a way that we will understand. So when He spoke through the prophet Joel, the words “Rend your hearts and not your clothing…” ( Joel 2:13 ) God had special meaning in mind for us.
First of all the word “rend” means to tear or to split. It was a custom in those days to tear your clothing as a sign of anger, or grief, or despair. It was a kind of protest to whatever was going on at that time. Some saw it as a kind of righteous protest or righteous anger.
Many, however, used this act of despair as a means to show others they were Godly men, when in fact they were men seeking approval and admiration from others and not God’s approval. So the tearing of their garments was a hollow act of righteousness. Even though their clothes would never be the same, what was on the inside had not changed. Even though they would replace the rendered garments with new ones, their heart and soul were still the same . . . dry, self-centered, and focused on the things of this earth.
God didn’t want their outward acts of righteousness. He wanted their hearts to be changed. He didn’t want them to tear their clothes. He wanted them to tear open their hearts. God didn’t want to replace their garments. He wanted to replace their hearts.
The reason God sent His son to die for us was to give us a way to return to Him with all our hearts. God said through the prophet Joel, “Return to me with all your heart . . . . rend hearts and not your clothes.” Tearing our clothes won’t bring us any closer to God, but tearing open our hearts will. Just acting like we are righteous, doesn’t mean we are. It is only by surrendering ourselves to Jesus completely that we will be able to return to God with all our hearts.
We are now in Lenten season which is a time for introspection and penitence. It is a season intended for us to make changes in our lives. It is an opportunity for us to open ourselves to Jesus as never before. Let us remember, for us to be the righteousness of God, we must tear open our hearts.
God’s Grace be with you. Fr. Tom
