Joel 1:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Certainly, we should not punish our bodies by refraining from food, and simultaneously, in our fasting, we must not engage in actions that displease God. If we neglect to renounce our desires during the fast and instead descend into trials and conflicts, as the practice of ‘striking with the heel of the humble’ teaches (Is. 58:3-4), then our fast will lack its intended purpose, and we will rightly face consequences, for God proclaims: ‘I have chosen not such a fast’ (Is. 58:6). Thus, we should refrain from wickedness and earnestly pursue the teachings of the Lawgiver, directing our hearts toward what brings Him delight, and humbly bowing our minds, singing and proclaiming: ‘See my humility and my toil, and forgive all my transgressions’ (Psalm 24:18), alongside that prophetic declaration: ‘Behold.... we will return to You, for You are the Lord our God’ (Jer. 3:22). This is a spiritual offering that is pleasing to God ‘more than a young calf’ (Psalm 68:32), surpassing the value of sheep from the flock or goats, more significant than fine flour or leaven, for it is through spiritual ‘sacrifices that God delights’ (Hebrews 13:16). As we consecrate the fast, let us also proclaim the ‘service,’ which involves fulfilling God's commandments; this will likely lead to righteousness, goodness of spirit, and a strong inclination toward all matters concerning godliness. We shall perform the rites of service, whereby the elders will assemble in the church, and all the people of the earth will come together, weeping profusely throughout the day, firmly believing that God will show mercy to all, for He is ‘slow to anger, and abundant in truth, forgiving iniquity’ (Num. 14:18) ‘and forsaking wickedness,’ for ‘He will not withhold His anger forever, for He delights in mercy’ (Micah 7:18).

Yet the prophet Joel also exhorts, "Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly" (Joel 1:14), indicating that fasting is made holy through accompanying deeds, and that sanctified fasting serves to heal transgressions.

LXX: Weep and mourn, O priests; weep, O ministers of the altar; enter in and rest in your garments, servants of the Lord, for there is no longer any sacrifice or offering in the house of your God. Consecrate the fast, proclaim healing, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God, and fervently cry out to the Lord. The holy priest who partakes of the Lord's Passover should wrap himself in a belt of righteousness and adhere to the exhortation of the apostles: "Let your loins be girded and your lamps be burning in your hands" (Luke 12:35). But for the sinner, burdened by a troubled conscience, let him don sackcloth and mourn for his sins or those of the community, returning to the Church from which he departed due to his failings, and lie down or rest in the sackcloth, seeking to atone for his past offenses against God. Those who indulge in comforts from the king's table are but the pampered (Matthew 11:8). However, the priests are called to gird themselves, weep, and mourn, remaining in their vestments, as the prophet urges, asking, "Ministers of my God! How is it that the sacrifice and libation are no longer present in the house of the Lord?" It is insufficient to merely weep or mourn while donning garments of grief unless they also sanctify the fast and summon the assembly. If every fast were pleasing to God, it would not be commanded to "Sanctify the fast." The Lord declares, "I have not chosen such a fast as this" (Isaiah 58:5). Likewise, in the Gospel, those who disfigure their faces to appear as fasting are rebuked (Matthew 6:16). For your fasts, He observes, you strike with your fists and oppress the needy (Isaiah 58:3-4). Thus, He calls for the sanctification of fasting. The Manichaeans and various heretics—including the Enkratites, led by Tatian—practice fasting as well, yet such fasting is worse than indulgence or drunkenness. And call for a meeting or healing so that through repentance we may find restoration from our sins. The Hebrew term for assembly is asaga, translated by Simmachus as synod, and by Akilah as the days of gathering. Call together the elders, those advanced in years whose mature thoughts incline them toward reverence and service to God, along with all the inhabitants of the land, as the prophet earlier stated (v. 2), "Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land." Thus the elders and the people of the land can gather in the house of God, that is, the Church. When they come together, uniting from the diverse flock of priests and people, elders and citizens of the earth, then let them invoke the Lord in their hearts, and say: