And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
Then afterward I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my Spirit.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved…
Joel 2: 26 – 29, 32
This prophecy given in Joel seems too good to be true. God’s people shall never be put to shame! God is in the midst of His people! For the Israelites, the incomprehensible part of this prophecy was likely God’s promise to pour out His Spirit upon the male and female slaves. The Holy Spirit poured out upon us is like a “thunderbolt of wisdom,” giving us the ability to dream dreams, to see visions, to comprehend prophecy. This must have been very hard for them to understand. Is it any easier for us?
What if His Spirit being poured out on us does not prevent us from experiencing suffering, but enables us to endure it? What if His Spirit gives us joy and peace which passes all understanding? What if His people could suffer genocide and still love God because we know He loves us despite it all? What if His Spirit given to us allows us to join our suffering to His, the suffering He endured for us on the cross? Difficult ideas to comprehend, but worth contemplating during Lent. We choose to suffer during Lent – the three works of Lent are prayer, fasting, and alms giving. His Spirit, poured out upon us, enables us to do all three of these things.
Let us pray with St. Gregory:
Now, O caregiving, mighty, heavenly, kind,
creator of all out of nothing,
send the Thunderbolt of wisdom in powerful words,
upon the movements of my tongue that it might cleanse the senses
with which you endowed me,
so that with the faculties you created and fixed a second time,
I might offer thanks to you with unfailing voice and unbroken speech.
For the glory of the majesty of your Father,
our God, forever.
Amen
Prayer 22 E
