In Ash-Wednesday, Eliot turns inward. The poem does not begin with reunion, but with renunciation. Its speaker stands at the threshold between the life he has known and the spiritual life he hopes to enter. He wants to change, but wanting change is not the same as being changed.

prophets of Israel were meant to stand between God and His people, faithfully declaring His Word whether it was welcomed or rejected. Yet in Ezekiel's day many had abandoned that calling. Instead of warning the nation of coming judgment, they assured everyone that peace was near, safety was certain, and Jerusalem would never fall. God gave Ezekiel a solemn message against these false prophets. They spoke confidently, but they had not been sent.

The church at Corinth had struggled with division, immorality, lawsuits, questions about marriage, Christian liberty, worship, and spiritual gifts. Throughout the letter, Paul has corrected errors and pointed believers back to Christ. Now he arrives at the foundation upon which everything else rests: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Christ is not risen, the Christian faith collapses. If Christ is risen, everything changes—not only our future but the way we live today.