Psalms 50:9 You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed. You will wash me, and I will be made whiter than snow.
Our God is gracious. Even though we are born with sin, in baptism he washed us clean through his sacrificed Blood. We became a new creation. God does this even knowing that we will sin again. Like the Chosen People, God delivered them from their bondage; they passed through the Red Sea on dry land, symbolizing baptism and He did signs and wonders for them in the desert. They still grumbled and sinned. He would purify them through chastisement and restored them to the Covenant. How much more he does for us! As we renew our baptismal promises on Easter, let moment be a true recommitment of our lives to the Lord in gratitude for what he has done for us.
Psalms 50:5-7 For I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against you only have I sinned, and I have done evil before your eyes. And so, you are justified in your words, and you will prevail when you give judgment. For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sinfulness did my mother conceive me.
The psalmist identifies the sin that he is effected by. He acknowledge Original sin, which we inherited from Adam and Eve. I am born with this alienation from God. But with this he admits his own sins, chosen by him, which keeps him away from God. He realizes that God is justified in pointing out our sins to us. With St. Paul we can cry out, "Who can deliver us from this state? With St. Paul in faith we know that Jesus through his death and resurrection has reconciled us back to God. In baptism we are freed from Original Sin. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation we are forgiven our personal sins. What should our response be? Gratitude and determination to live free from sin, so as to share in God's divine life. That is why this Holy Week is special for us, as Christians. We remember and enter into the mystery of our salvation and new life.
Psalms 50:3-4 Be merciful to me, O God, according to your great mercy. And, according to the plentitude of your compassion, wipe out my iniquity. Wash me once again from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
As we enter into this Holy
Week, we need to cry out from the depths of our being to the Lord for his mercy
and forgiveness. He alone knows our sins. He alone can cleanse us of our guilt.
We are asking that the merits of his death and resurrection be applied to us.
He never withholds his loving mercy to those who ask him in true repentance.
Not only do we cry out because of our past sins, which he has forgiven, but for
our present sins as well. We have all sinned and fallen from the glory of God.
We are all forgiven through Jesus’ gift of his life. Thank you, Jesus, for your
great love. Help us to walk more faithfully with you.
Psalms 37:22-23 Do not forsake me, O Lord my God. Do not depart from me. Be attentive to my help, O Lord, the God of my salvation.
What began with a recognition of sin, concludes with faith and hope. Even knowing the reality of sin in his life, the psalmist also knows that his only hope is in the mercy of God. He has no right to this mercy, for it is pure grace. But he trusts that God, who is ever faithful and compassionate, will forgive his transgressions and restore him to a right relationship. The words of Isaiah confirms this faith and hope. "Even if a mother can forget her child, I will never forget you." Knowing this, knowing our own sinfulness, let us hasten to return to the Lord, who hastens to receive us with open arms. Before we ask, he has already forgiven us. But that grace will not have its full effect until we ask with a contrite heart.
Psalms 37:16 For in you,
Lord, I have hoped. You will listen to me, O Lord my God.
In spite of his sins, the
psalmist is conscious of God as his only hope, not because of who, as sinner,
he is, but who God is. Jesus in the midst of his agony on the cross turns to
the Father. Though he was sinless, Jesus had become sin for our sake. As such,
he experiences the effects of the sins of the world. Jesus never lost sight of
his identity as the Beloved Son and his relationship with the Father. So, he
cries to the Father. It is when we realize that in spite of our sins we are the
adopted sons and daughters of God that allows us to trust in God’s mercy, as we
cry out to him. Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.
Psalms 37:10 O Lord, all my desire is before you, and my groaning before you has not been hidden.
The all-knowing God is
aware of our every desires, good and bad. He is aware of our repentant heart,
as we groan before him in awareness of our sins. The psalmist is confident that
God will be faithful to his promises and forgive the sins of the contrite of
heart. Do we groan in remorse after we sin? Do we have the same confidence? If
so, in faith, we believe that after confessing our sins in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, we are restored once more as the adopted son or daughter we are
before God. God is not lacking in mercy. We are the ones lacking in love when
we sin.
