Last Sunday (8th Sunday of the Year, A) we were reflecting on the idea of ‘painting’- painting with colours and paintbrushes.
Throughout history people have tried to paint even… GOD – at least, what they thought God was like!
Still today, artists try to do the same.

But we said that we also ‘paint’ with words.
Describing things, situations and people and thus creating an image of them.
We said that we do this also with… GOD.
Saints, spiritual writers, religious leaders, all of them try to give us a picture of God.

At the beginning of this period of Lent, the same theme comes again.
The prophet Joel, in the 1^st reading (Joel 2:12-18), is the one who gives us an idea – a picture – of… God’s personality!

The text says:
“Your God is all tenderness and compassion,
slow to anger, rich in graciousness,
and ready to relent…
Who knows if he will not leave a blessing as he passes.”
 
Simple words, a clear message, a description in human terms, with concepts familiar to us, telling us who God is. God’s character, if we can speak in these terms, is one of tenderness, of compassion, of graciousness, of readiness to forgive and forget our failings and failures.

Who would not want to experience personally such acceptance, such mercy, such love?
Only one thing is required for this experience to be ours:

“It is the Lord who speaks,
‘Come back to me with all your heart’…”

Source: Images: www.pinterest.com;  stedward.com