“Clothe yourselves in penitential garments…”
March 1, 2023
Dear Family of Mary!
February 25, 2023 “Dear children! Keep converting and clothe yourselves in penitential garments and in personal, deep prayer; and in humility, seek peace from the Most High. In this time of grace, Satan wants to seduce you; but you, little children, keep looking at my Son and follow Him towards Calvary in renunciation and fasting. I am with you because the Most High permits me to love you and lead you towards the joy of the heart, in faith which grows for all those who love God above all. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
“Clothe yourselves in penitential garments…”
As far as I can tell, this is the first time Our Lady has mentioned “penitential garments”. I do believe she is referring back to her own days as a Jewish woman, when there were prescribed times for fasting, prayer, and repentance, along with wearing rough garments as a sign of mourning, repentance and turning back to God.
There are many accounts of penitential garments being worn as a sign to God of repentance. A famous one is in the book of Jonah:
Conversion of Nineveh
Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.
Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he cried, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
Then tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry mightily to God; yea, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?”
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it. (Jonah 3: 1-10)
The use of penitential garments was an expression of repentance and self-denial. It showed that the people of Nineveh understood that they had offended God and wanted to change. It made that desire physically present to them. It was an outward sign of an inner desire.
So how can we express outwardly our desire to repent as Our Lady asks this Lent? We could change the way we dress, being simple and modest and poor, etc. Or we could wear something that signifies our repentance, like a Crucifix or a Rosary around our neck. A big sign we often see in Medjugorje is climbing the rocky mountains in bare feet! That is penitential!!
But there may be an additional way to clothe ourselves in penitence that has more to do with our actions than with our appearance. We could put on the garments of love and forgiveness, of service and humility. These garments are seen in our actions. They appear when we put ourselves last, and serve others instead.
This message might be helpful for us in finding our penitential garments:
January 2, 2010 “Dear children, Today I am calling you to, with complete trust and love, set out with me because I desire to acquaint you with my Son. Do not be afraid, my children, I am here with you; I am next to you. I am showing you the way to forgive yourselves, to forgive others, and, with sincere repentance of heart, to kneel before the Father. Make everything die in you that hinders you from loving and saving, that you may be with Him and in Him. Decide for a new beginning, a beginning of sincere love of God Himself. Thank you.”
Maybe our penitential garments can be made of love of God and neighbor?
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
Mary TV
