Tag Archives: Lent

Lent and the Stations of the Cross

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Last night for the first time in quite awhile, I attended the Catholic devotion – Stations of the Cross. I have been racking my brain the last time I prayed this important devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ, and for the life of me, can’t come up with a time frame. Nevertheless, it was a good way to end a joyful week where we have welcomed a new Pope to the Papacy – Francis. In a few days, I will add my blog post to the plethora of posts already written on our new Papa. For this post, I just want to focus on Lent and Stations of the Cross.

With all the great news this week, a friend of mine said, we need to remember that it’s still Lent.  She was making the point that this week was joyful, but the Lenten Season needs to remain a focus of ours as we prepare for the Triduum. My Lenten sacrifice this year has not been exercised as well as I hoped it would; however, my prayer life has increased. I find myself praying nearly everywhere. Trying to be like St. Paul who suggested praying “constantly” (1 Thess 5:17).

Although the Catholic Church in her wisdom sets aside these 40 days for us to prepare for Christ’s Passion, it is our own humanity and weakness that does not allow us to keep the commitments we set out to do on Ash Wednesday. I am not using my humanity as an excuse for my lack of going to bed earlier at night (yes, I go to bed way to late), but I do realize that my sinfulness and weakness play a role in my actions. Even before the Conclave I was failing at this Lenten sacrifice, but once the Conclave began, I really wasn’t going to bed early. It was too much excitement for this Catholic.

Attending the Stations of the Cross last night set me straight though. I realized the great suffering our Lord Jesus Christ went through for us, at least as much as my finite brain could comprehend. I also realized that even though Lent is coming to a rapid conclusion, my sacrifice still has merit and getting “back on the horse” can be accomplished. As I think about that phrase, it’s not getting on the horse I should do, but I should climb back onto the Cross. That’s what it’s all about for us as Christians really – the Cross. Bishop James S. Wall of the Diocese of Gallup once said on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, “it all leads back to the Cross.”

Pope FrancisIn his first homily as Holy Father, Pope Francis said this about the Cross, “When we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, and when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord.” Our Holy Father is saying to be a disciple of Christ, the Cross-must be ever present before us.  He knows full well that the Cross-is the sign of a Christian.

So as we celebrate our new Papa’s election to the Papacy, we must remember it’s Lent and we need to focus on our prayer, sacrifice, and almsgiving. We must climb back on the Cross-, if we have fallen from it. Praying the Stations of the Cross is a good devotion that can help us remember that the Cross-should be ever present before us, if we are to be disciple of Christ.

Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

Psalm 137 – Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

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I realize that four days have passed since the 4th Sunday in Lent, but with school starting up again this week and trying to plan lessons for my students for the upcoming chapters, I have not been able to spend time on this blog. As much as I love teaching theology in the classroom, my practical work – the work that pays the bills often gets in the way of my blogging. There is humor in this statement and there is also frustration. A new friend tweeted me the other night and said that work (work that pays the bills) often gets in the way of the New Evangelization. I agreed with him, but then I thought about it again and said to myself, well I am doing the New Evangelization, with my high school students. I teach them “basic” theology in hope that when they leave us, they will go on to continue to grow in their faith and expand their knowledge of the Catholic Church.  With that being said, I now turn to Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, and 6.

Psalm 137 begins in exile and it’s a psalm of lamentation. This psalm is reminding us that the Jews are suffering in the land of their Babylonian oppressors after the destruction of Jerusalem in the years of 587-586 B.C. According to Pope Benedict XVI, we are reading a national song of sadness that reflects the things of the past that are being missed in exile. Although this psalm speaks of the suffering of the Jews in Babylon, it does give hope that the Lord will save his people from their captors and the slavery they find themselves in currently. This psalm is yet another good reminder for us during this Season of Lent because it’s during this season that we reflect on our own sins which bounds us to this earth as slaves are bound to the land they work. We also reflect and hope on the salvation that will come at end of Holy Week when Our Lord will sacrifice himself as the one, true, and perfect sacrifice on the cross.

A Levitical (temple priest) musician whose life in the temple was to write music wrote verses Psalm 137 more than likely. The psalmist was probably taken into exile with his fellow Jews around the year 587 B.C. Since the psalm is speaking of the disaster, we can assume that the temple has been completely destroyed and the Jews are held captive in Babylon and are weeping because they are no longer in Zion. The term – Zion – was a name for Jerusalem. The “songs of Zion” were known as the “songs of the Lord” and should only be sung and played in the temple. When the Babylonian captors requested that the “songs of the Lord” be played for them, it’s done with sarcasm. All they are looking to do is cause sadness in the Jews. In verse 2, when it says, “we hung up our harps”, means that the lyres (small harp like instrument) were silent and were not played.

A small note to add separate from the psalm is that Babylon had many rivers and streams. This is where the psalmist is more than likely writing this psalm near. It is through these waterways that the Persians would enter Babylon and conquer them. See Jeff Cavins’ Bible Timeline for a clear understanding of the Exile for Israel and Judah and the world powers of Babylon and Persia.

Verses 4-5 are speaking about how the songs that were sung in the temple and Jerusalem could not be sang in a foreign land. Although they lost the city of Jerusalem, the songs that they once sang are still in their hearts. The words “may my right hand be forgotten” is in reference to the inability to play the lyre if the Lord is forgotten in this foreign land. This idea of keeping the songs in their hearts can be reflected on in the early life of Karol Wojtyla  (Blessed John Paul II) when him and his friends formed a Rhapsodic Theater to keep alive the art of the Polish culture as well as the importance of Catholicism in that culture. Even though the Nazi’s had outlawed public Polish theatre, this group came together secretly and helped the Polish culture flourish after the war had ended.

Verse 6 speaks about how the psalmist makes the wealth care of Jerusalem more important than his own wealth care. Jerusalem is the quasi-Sacrament of God’s sacred people. It’s through the people of Israel that the world will be blessed. Jerusalem is very close to God. There is a theological understanding of the Church happening here, it is the sacrament to the world. The Catholic Church is the Sacrament of Jesus. The world’s hope is tied with the Church. Israel finds her fulfillment in the Catholic Church; however, the Jews are still the chosen people.

As we draw closer to the conclusion of Lent, let us pray to the Lord that we will have the desire to know God more and to keep Him close to our hearts. Let us also pray for those individuals in the Church that are bitter and cynical to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church. As St. Joan of Arc said, “Jesus and the Church are one.” And finally, let us pray for those who don’t know Our Lord at all and have either never found Him or just choose to not believe in Him. May the beauty of the New Jerusalem shine in our hearts for all eternity.

Psalm 116 – Walking Before the LORD

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This past Sunday in the Roman Liturgy we celebrated the 2nd Sunday of Lent.  The psalm for this past Sunday was Psalm 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19. When I walked into Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary here in Austin for the Noon Liturgy, I was very excited to see that this was the psalm for Sunday since only one month ago I explained this psalm to my students when talking about the Passover Meal celebrated by the Jews.

Psalm 116 finds itself right in the middle of what’s known as the Hallel Psalms (113-118 and is part of the Great Hallel (115-118). The Hallel Psalms were the psalms that were sung during the Passover Meal as the four mandatory cups were drunk (Cup of Sanctification, Cup of Proclamation, Cup of Blessing, and Cup of Praise). Psalm 116 is also known as a Todah psalm (Psalm 22 is the quintessential Todah). The term – Todah - means praise or thanksgiving.  It was a subset of offerings as described in Leviticus 7:11ff. The first seven chapters of Leviticus have to with sacrifice. In Leviticus 7:11, the Todah refers to an animal sacrifice (goat, lamb or bull), three or four kinds of bread offered and leavened bread (verse 13). You would consume the entire animal that you brought on that day. There would be eating all day and all night – essentially it’s a party.

The peace offerings were unique from other kinds of sacrifice because they were non-obligatory; they celebrated a healthy (shalom) relationship between God and the worshipper and other offerings were made as atonement for sin. The peace offerings were made because you were grateful for God and you wanted to celebrate your experience with God. There are many more elements to the Todah, but this is not the post to explain them. If you are interested and want me to explain more of the Todah Sacrifice, make a comment at the bottom of the page.

I will say that the Todah is fulfilled in the Eucharistic Celebration. Psalm 116 is the staple of the Christian liturgy. This psalm is the Todah Sacrifice. The Passover Meal is a Todah Sacrifice. When the Messiah comes, the only sacrifice that will remain is the Todah. The term Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” Allegorically, we can also see the words of this psalm on Jesus’ lips as he celebrates the Last Supper with the Apostles and during his Passion and Death on the cross. Brant Pitre says in his book, Jesus and Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, “this is exactly was Jesus is doing at the Last Supper: he is offering to God the “sacrifice of thanksgiving,” the new “thank offering” (zebah torah), what Greek-speaking Christians would call the “thanksgiving” (eucharistia).” Jesus Christ, at the Last Supper, gives us his body and blood in the Eucharist. It is not merely a symbol!

Now that we have a “basic” understanding of Psalm 116 and the Todah Sacrifice, I would like to turn my attention to the specific verses we either recited or sang on Sunday. Verse 10 is stating that the psalmist is lamenting over something that is happening to him, a suffering of sorts, but he is not losing faith. Actually, he has great hope even in his misfortunes. Victor Frankl understood the importance of hope when dealt with misfortunes since he was liberated from a Nazi concentration camp.  He says in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, “Man can endure almost any how if only he has a why.”

In verses 15-16, the psalmist is stating that God is concerned with those who fear him and have died in his presence since it’s God that keeps watch over the lives of “saints.” The psalmist views himself as one of these saints. The psalmist realizes he is God’s servant for God has loosened the bonds. This could refer to the bonds of sin or the bonds of slavery in Egypt. The words, “I am your servant…the son of your handmaid…” and “I will lift up the chalice of salvation” (verse 13) can clearly be heard on the lips of Jesus during the Last Supper.  It is Jesus Christ on the cross that would die for our sins and as Christians we see sin as slavery.

In verses 17-19, the “sacrifice of thanksgiving” which reflects the lifting up of the “chalice of salvation” would have occurred in the Temple. The Temple was the place where God dwelled. The payment of vows is a step in the Todah Sacrifice. This payment in the old liturgy of the Roman Rite means that we join in the sacrifice of the liturgy since this is the ideal way that we repay the debt of Our Lord. In the new translation of the Roman Liturgy, during the Presentation and Preparation of the Gifts, the priest says, “Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father” (underline is mine). Although the priest is reciting these words, we the lay faithful also enter into this sacrifice and offer up the sacrifice. The sacrifice is offered by the priest (who is In Persona Christ – In the Person of Christ) but we take part in offering the sacrifice as well.

The Church suggests Psalm 116 as we prepare to enter into the sacrifice of the Holy Mass and receive Jesus Christ’s precious body and blood. The Church recites this psalm during the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ and during the Holy Thursday liturgy.

The Gospel reading for the 3rd Sunday of Lent will add to our understanding of sacrifice and the Temple as Jesus will fulfill the Temple and become the New Temple of the New Covenant. Check back on Friday for my post on all the readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent.

Psalm 25 – Make Me To Know Your Ways, O Lord…

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Continuing with the same theme of sin and forgiveness, I wish to write a short reflection on Psalm 25. Since we are in Lent, this is theme that will continue through this desert journey. You should have heard Psalm 25 yesterday as the Responsorial Psalm for the First Sunday in Lent. Instead of focusing on the entire psalm, as I did with Psalms 41 and 51, I will only discuss the verses (4-5, 6-7, 8-9) that were read or sung yesterday during the Sunday Liturgy. Below is how the Responsorial Psalm is written in the Daily Roman Missal –

Response: Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

Your ways, O LORD, make know to me; teach me your paths, Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior.

Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your love are from of old. In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O LORD.

Good and upright is the LORD, thus he shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice, and he teaches the humble his way.

Psalm 25 begins as the psalmist lifting up his soul to God and not to graven images as happened in the previous psalm (Ps 24:4). The psalmist continues to say the just man who fears the Lord will be allowed to enter the temple. We must understand that “fear of the Lord” is not fear like you are afraid of God or fear in a horror movie, but “fear of the Lord” means that we are in awe of God’s presence.

In Psalm 25:4-7, the psalmist is seeking how the Lord will instruct him in all his ways because salvation only comes from God. He wants God to lead him in his laws and teach him how to act accordingly. The psalmist asks God to forgive him and to have mercy, love and goodness upon him. The translation that we use in the Roman Liturgy comes from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament. In this translation, we read the phrase – “Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your love are from of old.” In the Revised Standard Version – Second Catholic Edition, the same verse is translated as “Be mindful of your compassion, O LORD, and of your merciful love, for they have been from of old.

The psalmist is still seeking forgiveness, however, he is hoping that the Lord will not take away his merciful love or hesed from him. As I discussed in Psalm 51, the term hesed means covenant love or covenant fidelity. When God established his covenants [covenant – an extension of kinship by oath] with Adam, Noah, Abram (Abraham), Moses, and David, he sets the foundation of the covenants with hesed – covenant fidelity. This is such an important idea since it will come to fulfillment when Jesus Christ establishes the New Covenant with Apostles and all of us in Luke 22: 14-23 at the Last Supper. For a detailed account of these covenants, read the book – A Father Who Keeps His Promises by Scott Hahn.

In Psalm 25:8-9, the term “sinners” and “the humble” are seen as the same for it’s the humble man that admits that he is a sinner. It is Our Lord Jesus Christ who teaches us truth, shows us mercy (hesed) and brings us peace. St. Augustine says, in the New Testament, we see Jesus forgiving sins and speaking truth and judging both by their actions. In Jesus’ teachings we see both mercy and judgment. The man that follows the Lord’s ways and knows that his actions don’t contribute to his own salvation; is the man who will come to the Lord and be close to him. As he draws closer to the Lord, he will know the Lord’s path and avoid the harsh judgment that will fall upon those who don’t engage and draw near to the Lord. The man who keeps his covenant will remain in the hesed of God.

As human beings, we deal with the knowledge of our sins on a daily basis. We know that we are sinful and that we must repent of our sins accordingly. The Catholic Church, in her wisdom, establishes for us these 40 days that assist us in acknowledging our sinful ways and seeking means of forgiveness. During this Lenten Season, I would encourage you to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If you have not been in sometime, I would really encourage you to seek out this blessed and grace-filled sacrament. In his book, The Spirit of Catholicism, Karl Adam says about the sacrament of reconciliation – “In every good confession the holiest victories are won by the power of conscience, by love for purity and goodness, by desire of God and of peace of soul. Confession has given new courage and new confidence and a fresh start in life to millions of men.”

 

 

Psalm 51 – Have Mercy on Me, O God…

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Now that we are officially into the season of Lent, I wanted to write on something that would be beneficial to this Lenten season and really anytime we have sinned and are seeking forgiveness. As I was praying before Mass on Ash Wednesday, my next blog post was on my mind. I opened up my Daily Roman Missal and read that Psalm 51 was going to be the Psalm for the day and the two days to follow.  Honestly, I love this psalm! It’s by far one my favorite psalms in the Psalter. This psalm was always a favorite of mine, but after taking a class in graduate school on the Psalms with Dr. John Bergsma, this scripture text became even more fruitful for me. It’s the perfect psalm to begin the Lenten Season since its focus is on repentance and forgiveness.

Psalm 51, the Miserere, is one of the most popular psalms in the Psalter (prayed every Friday in the Liturgy of the Hours), yet it is also one of the most difficult psalms to pray because of it’s nature – it’s a song about sin and asking for forgiveness. It’s a prayer that focuses on guilt and God’s grace. I don’t know about you, but these are topics I tend to avoid because it’s hard to admit at times my own faults and sins.

Over the centuries, this psalm has been on the lips of many Jews and Christians seeking repentance for their sins, but historically, this psalm was more than likely composed by King David after he committed the sin of carnal knowledge with Bathsheba (the prophet Nathan called him out). In Psalm 51, we see David as the Repentant Sinner. Over the past two years teaching high school theology, at least one of my students understands the exact time this psalm should be recited for us Catholics – before or after receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

In Psalm 51:1-2, David feels the magnitude of his guilt and is very sick from the sin he just committed.  He prays fervently that God will not take his mercy from him – “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your merciful love, according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”

Now it should be understood that term mercy is translated in the Hebrew as hesed (covenant love/fidelity).  I spoke about this term in the reflection on Psalm 41. David is hoping that God will not take away his hesed from him. If you replace the term hesed or covenant love for the word mercy the entire two verses completely change – try it now. David does not want God to take away the love that he established with him when he formed the covenant in 2 Samuel 7.  David is fearful that God will remove his hesed from him. Those of you that are familiar with the words that a priest says in Mass before the Consecration should know verse 2 very well – ”wash me of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” He says this as he is washing his hands just before he consecrates the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

In verses 3-6, David continues to ask for repentance. He is aware of his sins and clearly sees them. It’s not just the sin with Bathsheba that is the issue, but that he has offended the hesed that God has given to him. In verse 5, David speaks of the sin he was conceived in. As Christians, we clearly see this at the doctrine of original sin that is taught by the Church.  David is fully aware that God has given him the intellect to know that he has sinned and the ability to confess his sin and make amends.

In Verses 7-9, David continues to ask for forgiveness and to be healed of the illness that has overtaken his life. Now there is an interesting statement in verse 7 – “purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.” A hyssop was a brush like branch that grew in the Middle East. The Israelites used the branch to spread the blood of the lamb on the doorposts before the Death of the Firstborn (the last plague) in Egypt and it’s also used to lift up a sponge filled with wine to Jesus while he is on the cross. David is either using the branch to sprinkle water upon himself as a ritual cleaning or maybe he is using the branch as mortification and he is purging himself as penance for the sins he committed. As Catholics we may no longer use physical mortifications as penance, but when we do our penance after the Sacrament of Confession, we are mortifying ourselves from the sins we just confessed. At times and depending on the severity our sins, this is very painful.

In verses 10-12, we see David seeking not only a physical healing from his sins, but he seeks an internal healing as well when he says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” He seeks God’s loyalty and wants a heart, a heart that is circumcised (Dt 30:6) and made new. Simply, he wants to remain in God’s presence! Blessed John Paul II says in his book, Psalms and Canticles, “The Psalm, however, was enriched in later centuries, by the prayer of so many sinners, who recovered the themes of the “new heart” and of the “Spirit” of God placed within the redeemed human person, according to the teaching of the Prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel.” For us a Catholics, after the Sacrament of Reconciliation, not only are we healed physically because our sins hurt the Body of Christ, but we are also healed internally and souls are made new. We walk out of the “Medicine Box” as saints!

In verses 13-17, David vows to make God’s ways known to all men. He desires to speak of God and to praise him in all that does, even in the face of those who despise him. After committing this terrible sin, David seeks to do contrition. As Catholics, we say an Act of Contrition in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to confess all that we have done, give praise back to God, and to avoid sin and the near occasion of sin. Just as David said his contrition to God, so must our contrition be said to God as well.

Verses 18-19 were more than likely added on at a later date during the rule of Nebuchadnezzar after the Temple had been destroyed and the city of Jerusalem set in ruin.

This is an important psalm that should be read and prayed more often, especially during the Lenten Season. I would encourage you to place these words on the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ while he suffers and dies for our sins on the cross.  As I stated above, this is a great psalm when entering or exiting the Sacrament of Confession. As Catholics, we should look to the great saint and Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine, who could have prayed this psalm many times during his conversion to the Catholic Church – “I know my fault; my sin is always before me…my sacrifice is a contrite spirit…a new heart create in me, O God…”

May this Lent be fruitful and filled with God’s blessings.

Ash Wednesday and Lent Explained in 120 Seconds

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This is a great explanation of Ash Wednesday and Lent in only 120 Seconds by Busted Halo.

We must remember that Lent is not just about giving something up, BUT IT’S CONFORMING OUR WILL TO GOD’S WILL. So many of us give up food, alcohol, candy, soda, social media sites, etc. Those are good sacrifices, if we are truly addicted to those items – don’t give up alcohol if you only drink it a few times a year…where is the sacrifice in that?

We must remember to take on something that will allow us to know God’s will in our own lives. Some possibilities are – Go to  Daily Mass a couple times a week, Weekly Adoration, Pray the Rosary (greatest weapon against Satan according to St. Padre Pio), shut off the car radio in the morning and pray, pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, pray Stations of the Cross, Fast other than Fridays…in other words – Talk to Jesus!

In the end, it’s your choice what you “give up” or “take up” for your Lenten Penance. As adults in the faith, I think we need to be adults when we sacrifice. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:11 – When I was child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Giving things up is important, but taking on things is even more sacrificial.

Into the Desert We Go…

Psalm 41 – A Plea for Healing

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As many of you will remember, Psalm 41: 2-3, 4-5, 13-14 was the Responsorial Psalm at the Roman Rite Liturgy yesterday – the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.  I am choosing to write on this Psalm today because during Mass the words had a particularly strong impact on me. This is an important Psalm for us to investigate since the verses that were used at the Mass on Sunday are dealing with something that is not natural to our human condition – I am speaking of sin. When God created man in the Garden, sin was not created. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 413 says, “God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living…It was through the devil’s envy that death entered the world” (Wis 1:13 2:24).  It was the first man’s disobedience and pride that transmitted the rest of humanity to be conceived in Original Sin. I often reflect on Original Sin and the effects on my own soul, especially, concupiscence, which is the inclination to sin. Although Original Sin has been washed from my soul with the Sacrament of Baptism, it’s still the remnants of original sin that often tempt me or incline me to sin otherwise.

As we enter the Season of Lent, I challenge you, as challenge myself, to be coherent of those times when you are sinning and allow Our Lord to work on you during Lent – even if it is painful. You might want to read Psalm 41 (Psalm 51 is another great one!) during Lent as your morning or evening prayer.

The theme of sin runs throughout Psalm 41 and is referred to in the psalm as sickness. This makes perfect sense because when we sin, there is a feeling of sickness that goes along with that particular sin (that’s if our conscience is formed properly…see my posts on Conscience Formation). The greater the sin becomes or as the magnitude of the sin increases (mortal sin), we feel sicker and less like ourselves. When this sickness is present in our lives, we should make a conscious effort to pray more, put our trust in God, and get to Confession as soon as possible. I know when I have committed mortal sin and have not been to Confession (a.k.a. – Medicine Box), there is a feeling of just nastiness (as if influenza and pneumonia united as one) on my soul and it truly has an impact on my relationship with the Mystical Body of Christ.

Now let’s turn to Psalm 41. The Psalmist (more than likely David) A  is speaking in the first person (41:5) and asking for God to heal him of the sickness that is now upon him. This psalm is ideal for us as sinners because the psalmist seems to be speaking from personal experience – he knows what it is to sin and he seeks out the Lord for the forgiveness of that sin. There is a lot of lamentation and suffering that occurs in this psalm as well as in the entire first book of the Psalms (1-41).

Verses 2-5 are speaking of a true friend who is concerned for the lowly and the poor (weak), for he will help set the man free who is “on his sickbed.” It seems that the friend is the LORD. He will protect the man (David) from his enemies and from his infirmities (possible sins?, death?…we understand sin as death).

The enemy (Absalom – one of David’s sons) could be the one that is seeking to destroy the man. It further seems that the man is dealing with both friends and enemies, but not in the same way. The friends are pushing him one way and the enemy is pushing another way. In the life of Christ, we could relate this to Jesus at the Last Supper when he is eating with friends and an enemy – who is set to betray him. Also, think of St. Peter who rebuked Jesus shortly after he declared him the Messiah. What does he say? God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you…Jesus says…Get behind me Satan…you are a hindrance to me and nothing like God, but like men (Matthew 16: 22-23). In our lives, we can see this in our enemies who try to force our hands to sin against them or we can see our friends (as good as they are) who could lead us into sin.

Verse 5 states, Once I said, “O Lord, have pity on me; heal me, though I have sinned against you.”  The sick person (the one who has sinned) starts off by asking God for forgiveness. In the Old Covenant and for a Jew in the ancient world, physical sickness and pain was the starting point of the conscience to rethink its action and to repent of its sins. As Christians, we know this to be Metanoia – change of heart. Just like the words of Psalm 51, for us as Christians, these words should remain on our lips as a permanent reminder of the sins we commit.

Verses 12-13 give us a glimmer of hope when the man seems to pray to God and he knows that God will rescue him out of the hands of his enemies (they come to destroy him in verses 6-9). God will show his love to the man and deliver the man from those who seek to harm him. The man will receive hesed and will remain in the presence of the Lord.  In the Daily Roman Missal, the word used is pity, however another translation is mercy. In the Scriptures, when we see mercy we should understand that it’s the Hebrew term – hesed – covenant love or covenant fidelity.

After analyzing this short Psalm, we can now see the importance of this Psalm in our Lenten journey. As you reflect on these words in your life, put the same words on the lips of Jesus Christ as he suffers through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection (Paschal Mystery).  During Lent, we must emulate our Lord in his Passion. Remember this – Lent is not just about giving something up, but it’s about conforming our wills to that of Jesus Christ.