February 16/Friday after Ash Wednesday
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. ~ Ps 51.3-4
My father, a veteran sailor, told us when we were young that the dishwashing policy on board was “if it looks clean, it is clean” (my mother grimaced, without fail). Appropriate for an extended sailing trip, perhaps, when thorough cleaning isn’t possible, but not so applicable to the life of faith. We may think we make ourselves presentable to God by rinsing off the day’s sin with a few prayers, wiping off the dust of transgression with a charitable donation, or cleaning out our soul’s clutter by swearing off chocolate, or fasting on Fridays. But even if we look clean, we are not clean; we go through these penitential motions, but we nonetheless, as the Book of Common Prayer puts it, “follow too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.” Part of the humbling work of Lent is to acknowledge that ultimately, we cannot fix what’s wrong with us. While it is laudable and helpful to increase our Mass attendance, deny ourselves the usual pleasures, give a little extra to charity – all worthy reminders of our need for penance – these are not what put us right with God. We get right with God because he bestows on us the grace of his mercy. We are simply not capable of scrubbing our souls as they need to be scrubbed – and the Hebrew words for washing and cleansing imply vigorous action, not a gentle rinsing! The great John Henry Cardinal Newman sums it up movingly, “Your grace alone can [deliver me]. I cannot save myself. I cannot recover my lost ground.” Despite our best intentions, we cannot redeem the world, or ourselves, by our own agency. We must submit ourselves to the hands of our loving Lord, and let Him go to work.
Lord Jesus Christ, Give me the humility to acknowledge my limitations and the faith to trust in your will. Amen. For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021624.cfm
To hear George Frideric Handel’s “Wash Me Throughly From My Wickedness,” conducted by Harry Christophers, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDC4A4p-kCg
