NOTES for Joe 2:12-13
The original meaning of fasting is mourning, whether personal mourning, connected for example with the death of someone close, or public mourning, for example on the occasion of some national disaster. It is no wonder that on a day of national mourning, in the streets of Jerusalem one could see people publicly expressing their grief; in the East such a practice is still quite widespread today. And one of the gestures that express grief is torn outer clothing. Meanwhile God says: tear not your garments, but your hearts. External signs are not needed; turning back and repentance are more important. Why is that? Is grief, sincerely expressed even if publicly, as was customary among the Jews of those times, not a sign of repentance? Apparently, not always. Grief certainly makes one think, and sometimes even reevaluate something in one's personal or public life. But not always: it can also produce hopeless sorrow, hatred of life, and a desire to take revenge on the one considered responsible for what happened. And outward, especially public, expressions of grief only inflame these feelings, often hindering the spiritual processes that could really help. What can help, clearly, is a sober assessment of what has happened, repentance for sins committed, and turning to God with a request for help. And the prophet offers the people just such a path: the path not of emotional outbursts, but of serious spiritual work that will help them make the right decisions and find a way out of a situation that may seem completely hopeless.