Twenty-Seventh Friday of Ordinary Time

Gird yourselves and weep, O priests! wail, O ministers of the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! The house of your God is deprived of offering and libation. Proclaim a fast, call an assembly; Gather the elders, all who dwell in the land, Into the house of the LORD, your God, and cry to the LORD!

We are all called to live lives of repentance. None of us is perfect. We all sin in one way or another. Some of us are prideful, others envious. Some wrathful, others lustful. Some greedy, others slothful or gluttonous. And because of our failings, we are asked to make amends for our sins through the sacrament of reconciliation. We gird ourselves with contrition. We weep for mercy. We wail before the altar, “Please forgive us, O Lord.” We might not spend nights in sackcloth like our ancestors, but we should spend nights asking for God’s Mercy on us. We should fast and assemble with other people, seeking absolution as both individuals and as a community of believers. Then, and only then, can we be cleansed of our sins and become truly holy people.

What sins do we struggle with most? Do we pray to God to help us overcome our sins and do our best to avoid them? How do we prepare ourselves to make a good confession so that we can be reconciled with God?

O Lord, we cry out for your forgiveness and mercy.

Amen.