March 21/Third Saturday of Lent
For you are not pleased with sacrifices; should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a crushed spirit; a heart crushed and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. ~ Ps 51.18-19
At such a time as this, when Masses and church services are indefinitely suspended, and the spiky tentacles of COVID-19 are threatening even the celebration of Easter, today’s reading speaks to us and resonates deeply. Unable to offer our traditional “sacrifices” and “burnt offerings” by attending church, participating in the liturgy, receiving the incredible gift of the Eucharist, we are thrown back on our heels. All the external supporting structures of our faith and indeed, of our social, communal, and economic life, seem to have disappeared — albeit temporarily. The advance of the contagion, and the concomitant dismantling of our established routines and practices, certainly have a humbling effect. They remind us how powerless we are, and how fluid our seemingly sturdy social and economic order can be. But they may even constitute a blessing of sorts, if they lead us to learn again what truly matters in our society: loving one’s neighbor as oneself, taking care of the most vulnerable among us, and striving for authentic interior holiness. No longer able to go through the motions, perhaps we will rediscover what it means to believe in God, to love and be loved by our Creator, to be called to help others. In these uncertain and scary days, our spirits do feel crushed (the Hebrew here is emphatic), our hearts are broken. But the gift of these psalm verses is to remind us that sacrifices and acts of piety are not the substance of our faith; they are merely its outward expression. Regardless of whether church doors are open or closed, we can seek a relationship with God through prayer and acts of generosity and service. Let us take heart, at least, in that.
Merciful and loving God, Accept with compassion and kindness the brokenness that I offer up to you today, and turn it into an instrument of love and generosity in a world that needs both. Amen.
To hear “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind,” sung at Westminster Abbey, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1MN3chW1Hk
For today’s readings, click here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/032120.cfm
