Joel 1:13 Gird yourselves and weep, O priests! wail, O ministers of the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! The house of your God is deprived of offering and libation.

“O my beloved, what sorrow will be yours when the house of God is deprived of offering and libation, when the altar of God is desolate and the sacrifice is no more! This is the silence you will endure, a silence more empty than any felt before. Now is the time to fast and pray. Now is the time to worship at the altar of the Lord. Now is the time to be consoled, for in the time of silence there will be little consolation. Yet, my children, remain rooted in hope. My children who call out in trust will be carried in the wound of my pierced heart. Do not trust your feelings, but believe in my love and mercy. Those who endure to the end will not be put to shame, but will be given the finest garments to wear at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.”

Jesus we trust in you! Help us to fast and pray as we ought, so that your just anger might be appeased. Show us what to do and grant us every grace to do it. O merciful Lord, we trust in you. Jesus we trust in you. Amen.