The deepest wounds in the world are not political or economic. They are spiritual.

We have witnessed evil exposed in ways that have shocked the conscience. Crimes against the innocent, especially against children, cry out to heaven. Too often, those entrusted with influence, authority, or leadership have failed to protect the vulnerable. Justice is necessary. Accountability is necessary. But neither justice nor accountability alone can heal what sin has broken.

What the world needs most is conversion.

The prophet Joel proclaimed: “Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning.” (Joel 2:12)

God does not ask for a passing sorrow or a moment of public outrage. He calls His people to return to Him with their whole hearts. That is why we fast.

The Nineveh Fast is an act of reparation. We offer our prayers and sacrifices in union with Christ for healing and consolation for those who have been abused and trafficked, for the conversion of those who have committed these grave sins, and for God’s mercy upon our nation and the whole world.

The world often dismisses fasting as insignificant. Yet throughout Sacred Scripture, God responds when His people humble themselves before Him. Nineveh was spared. Esther fasted before approaching the king. Our Lord Himself fasted before beginning His public ministry.

God still works through humble souls.

Do not think your sacrifice is too small. A meal freely given up. An hour spent before the Blessed Sacrament. A Rosary prayed with devotion. A hidden act of penance offered with love. These are seen by the Father who sees in secret.

As you enter this month’s Nineveh Fast, ask the Lord to purify your own heart first. Then pray for all those whose hearts have grown cold through sin, ambition, fear, or indifference. Pray especially for the innocent who continue to bear wounds inflicted by the sins of others.

The darkness of our age is real, but it will never be greater than the mercy of God. Let us not grow weary in prayer or lose confidence in His promises. May our fasting be an expression of hope, trusting that the Lord still hears the cries of His faithful people and still pours out His mercy upon those who turn to Him.

Bishop Joseph E. Strickland