Joel 1: 13-15; 2: 1-2
Put on sackcloth and lament, you priests;
wail, you ministers of the altar.
Come, pass the night in sackcloth,
you ministers of my God!
Grain offering and drink offering
are withheld from the house of your God.
Sanctify a fast,
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord.
Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.
Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near—
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them
in ages to come.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Collective Accountability
The prophet Joel speaks not to individuals but to a nation. He calls all of Israel to repentance, for the day of the Lord is near. Even the priests, he says, must weep day and night if there is to be mercy. In this, Joel embodies the ancient truth: Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh BaZeh — “all Israel is responsible for one another.”
In our fractured nation and world, where blame replaces reflection and division overshadows unity, Joel’s voice still echoes. Can we, as a people, face our shared sins as well as our shared goodness? Can we live our baptismal call as priest, prophet, and king—calling one another to repent as a people and turn again to God for healing and mercy? How is God calling you today to live out this prophetic tradition in your vocation?
—Fr. Phil Cooke, SJ is a member of the Midwest Jesuits and is Pastor at St. Isaac Jogue’s Parish in Rapid City, SD.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we pray for unity in our nation.
Help us to set aside our differences and
to see each other with compassion and respect.
Heal the sins and divisions among us and
inspire us with a common purpose
for justice and liberty for all.
Guide us, help us to repent, collectively as a people,
and fill our hearts with Your love,
so we may become a more peaceful and harmonious people. Amen.
—Fr. Phil Cooke, SJ
Pray with the Pope
Pray with the monthly prayer intentions of the pope.