Today, on the fourth day of our Lenten journey, the Lord—through the prophet Isaiah—again emphasizes the importance of acting justly toward our neighbor and keeping His commandments. If we do so, true peace will enter our souls, and what the reading promises will come to pass:
“You shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not (…). then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth” (Is 58:11b, 14a).
Indeed, only righteous conduct and obedience to God’s commandments bring true peace to the human person and enable him, in turn, to become an “instrument of peace.” If we live in God’s grace—or, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, if we are a “well-watered garden”—then we will also bear good fruit. On the other hand, how could there be peace if, because of sin, we live in inner contradiction and opposition to God? That is why the call to conversion is always a priority, whether we have strayed completely from the path, do not know God, or have neglected to follow Christ and have not responded sufficiently to the grace entrusted to us.