Readings: Isaiah 1:10,16-20,27-27,31; Psalm 50; Matthew 23:1-12
Around 2,800 years ago God sent the prophet Isaiah to the Jewish people with a message of hope and the promise of forgiveness of their sins and the promise of salvation. If they return to the covenantand change their ways they will be saved from their sins. The prophet tells them to "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil you are doings from before my eyes." This is good news for us as we begin this second week of Lent. We are filled with hope at the words of the prophet Isaiah. God will always forgive us when we repent and believe in his word.
Our response says that "To the upright I will show the saving power of God". This gives another reason to repent.
The Gospel tells us to live the word of God and not to use it for public display like the Pharisees did. As we can say, they were all show but no go. They made religion a burden and not a loving relationship with God. We are called to walk humbly before our God. Let us all continue on our Lenten Journey together with our prayer, fasting and almsgiving.