March 26/Third Saturday of Lent
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. ~ Ps 51.4
After raising four children, I thought I knew a thing or two about laundry. But I nearly met my match with the challenges one of my children presented to me after a solo cross-country bike ride a few summers ago. The accumulated sweat stains from many long, hot days on the road, the encrusted dirt of the Kansas prairie and Virginia’s country byways, the epic odors of an epic journey — each item of clothing required extensive and repeated soaking, scrubbing, and rinsing. One or two of them, alas, proved beyond the pale, but in general my robust efforts paid off, and the clothes were redeemed for another day. This is just the kind of spiritual purification signified by the Hebrew verbs of “laundering” in verse 4 of today’s psalm: both kabas and tahar signify vigorous, even abrasive cleansing. The process of repenting, confessing, and being forgiven by God may hurt, at times; it may leave us feeling wrung out or depleted. The point of such cleansing action is to restore us to wholeness, not to defeat us. We present to God the stains that are deeply embedded on our souls precisely so that we can start afresh with a clean heart and a steadfast spirit. However skilled we may be, though, we cannot remove the soil and dirt of our accumulated flaws by ourselves. Being honest about our “dirty laundry” is the first step — through prayer and reflection, and openness to others, we spot the stains on our own souls. Next, we put ourselves in the hands of the “master launderer” and beg for his cleansing mercy. And finally, after we submit to being scrubbed, we may begin again on the path to holiness, renewed and restored for the journey ahead, moving forward in the light of God’s forgiving love.
Holy and perfect God, Rinse my heart of the stain of sin, and renew my spirit with your loving faithfulness. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032622.cfm
To hear the King’s College Choir sing the gorgeous anthem “Wash Me Throughly,” by Samuel Wesley, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=192TzmFAEQs
