Every
Friday morning, priests and religious and a great many lay people read this
psalm during their morning prayer. It is
penitential in character and goes to the heart of what we are striving for this
Lenten season: a humbled and contrite
heart. Some years ago after a
confession, my confessor asked me to pray this entire psalm slowly and
deliberately. Today we hear this psalm
in the Mass and as we continue to cleanse our hearts of sin during our Lenten
journey, I also invite you to pray this beautiful psalm slowly and deliberately
at some point today, for we are all longing for clean hearts and the psalmist
recognizes that the only one who can provide this clean and pure heart is the
Lord. So go, get your Bible, pray Psalm
51, or if you want to simply meditate on the six verses read at Mass today,
here you go:
Have mercy on me, O
God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of
your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me
from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse
me.
A clean heart create
for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit
renew within me.
Cast me not out from
your presence,
and your Holy Spirit
take not from me.
For you are not
pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt
offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God,
is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and
humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
