February 28/Friday after Ash Wednesday
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. ~ Ps 51.3-4
Pulling the orange and yellow polka-dotted shirt and the red and blue and pink plaid shorts out of the drawer, the toddler insists, “Me do it!” At any age, there is a strong inclination in the human heart towards self-agency, towards fixing everything ourselves. Not only do we strive to manage and control our individual affairs when things are going well, but we tend to subscribe to what Flannery O’Connor referred to as “the notion of the perfectibility of man,” believing that if just given enough time, money, individual gumption or government intervention, we can fix what’s wrong in ourselves and in the world around us. And while the adage that “Heaven helps those who help themselves” holds more than a kernel of truth, part of the work of humility and repentance is acknowledging that God, that God’s mercy and God’s compassion, will rescue our broken lives and put us on the right path. The psalmist underscores the point grammatically in today’s verse. In the first verse of our pair, he places God’s “goodness” and “great compassion” (the latter word in Hebrew is racham, or literally “womb,” a word which imbues the divine love with a reassuring maternal undertone) in the center; in the second of our verses, he surrounds and submerges guilt and sin with the washing, cleansing actions of God. Cardinal Newman again 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 devices. Instead of “me do it,” let us cede control to the God who loves us and leads us.
Lord Jesus Christ, Give me the humility to acknowledge my limitations and the faith to trust in your will. Amen.
To hear Judy Collins sing “Amazing Grace,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtteRD5bBNQ
For today’s readings, click here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022720.cfm
