Rituals and liturgies are good. They can shape our hearts, train our bodies, and draw us into God’s service. They teach us to pray, to worship, and to repent. But when these practices lose their substance and become routine rather than response, they can hollow out our faith instead of strengthening it. In Joel, Paul, and the words of Jesus, God calls us not to abandon these sacred rhythms but to fill them with true repentance, real reconciliation, and sincere devotion.
This Lent, we must ask:
Are we allowing these holy practices to form us, or have we emptied them of meaning?
