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Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre
and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth
and ashes.” Luke 10:13
Have you ever sat in sackcloth and ashes? In the Gospel passage
above, Jesus gives clear indication that doing so is a holy sign of
responding to His preaching. He states that the pagan towns of Tyre
and Sidon would have certainly sat in sackcloth and ashes if they
would have been privileged to witness the mighty deeds done in the
Jewish towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida.
“Sackcloth and ashes” were a common sign used to indicate interior
repentance and sorrow for sin. There are many times throughout the
Old Testament when this happened. Recall, for example, that when
Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh, everyone from the king
down to the common citizen responded by expressing their repentance
in this way (Jonah 3:5–7). Sackcloth was a rough and uncomfortable
material usually made out of black goats hair, symbolizing the
rejection of the false consolation of sin. Ashes symbolized
desolation and destruction resulting from purifying fire. Of
course, all of us do sit in ashes every Ash Wednesday as an
external manifestation of our desire to repent. And though putting
on actual sackcloth for clothing today may not be our literal
practice, it is good to see the spiritual fruitfulness of these
actions and to consider ways in which these actions can still be
performed in our day and age. How might you sit in sackcloth and
ashes today? What practical action can you take to publicly
manifest your desire to turn from sin and toward the Gospel?
First of all, to properly answer this question, it’s important to
recognize the fact that turning from sin should not only be a
personal and interior act, it must also be exterior and manifest
for others to see. Sin not only does harm to us individually, but
it also damages others in varying degrees. Therefore, if your sin
has done clear harm to others, it’s important to realize that you
not only need to repent to God but that you must also repent in
such a way that others see your repentance and sorrow.
So how might you repent in sackcloth and ashes today? There are
many ways to do this. The essential quality present in such an act
will be that it is clear to others that you are sorry for your sin
and that you are attempting to change. If the sin you have
committed toward another is grave, then your interior repentance
must match the seriousness of your sin, and the exterior
manifestation of that repentance must also measure up.
Reflect, today, upon some practical ways in which God is calling
you to publicly manifest your “sitting in sackcloth and ashes” as a
sign of your sorrow toward those against whom you have sinned. For
example, if your sin is that of anger and you have regularly harmed
another by that sin, then don’t only repent to God, look also for
external ways to manifest your sorrow to them. Perhaps do some form
of manifest service for them. Or engage in a public act of penance,
such as fasting, as a way of showing them you are sorry. Manifest
charitable good works, service, prayer, public penance and the like
are all ways that you can spiritually and practically sit “in
sackcloth and ashes” today.
My merciful Lord, You call me to daily repent of my sin and to
do so through the manifest signs of sitting “in sackcloth and
ashes.” Give me the grace of true sorrow for my sins and help me to
sincerely repent as I trust in Your mercy. As I do, please also
guide me so that I may humble myself and express my sorrow in
manifest ways toward those against whom I have sinned. May this
humble act bring healing and unity in You. Jesus, I trust in
You.
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