The prophet Joel, like many of the Old Testament prophets, speaks of the coming “day of the Lord.” This language was adopted by the early Church in its understanding of the meaning of Jesus so it behooves us to seek to understand the significance of the term. The prophetic message was delivered at a time when things were going poorly for God’s people and it is, at heart, a message of hope. Don’t be too discouraged, God isn’t done yet. When we hear of the “day of the Lord” we should not sit bemoaning how terrible things are or sit idly by waiting for some divine intervention. Rather, we should live each day with confidence that our fidelity to God’s ways triumphs in the end.
