Praying for inner transformation
Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19. March 1, 2023 - Wednesday, 1st Week of Lent
Psalm 51 is linked to the sin of David narrated in 2 Samuel 11:1-27 and confessed when confronted by prophet Nathan (see 2 Sam 12:1-15). In the Bible, like in life, nobody is perfect, nobody is without sin. Saint Paul expressed it in his famous statement that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).
The psalmist is aware of his sinfulness and he describes it with three different nouns: crime, sin, and rebellion. He neither accepts it nor tries to explain it away. Instead, he turns to God. The Lord is described with two key Hebrew words that point to God’s mercy: hesed and rahamim. The first could be explained as the love that never lets you down. The second describes the love of a mother. These characteristics of the Lord move the psalmist to ask for mercy.
He requests that God will transform him. The metaphor that is used by the psalmist speaks about washing. But it is not an ordinary washing. It aims to remove from within us iniquity, sin, and the attitude of rebellion against God. For such washing, water is not enough. We need water and the fire of the Holy Spirit. We need the sacrament of baptism given to the Church by Christ. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). And in the Book of Revelation, those “standing before the throne and before the Lamb” are those who “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 7:9, 14).
The psalmist continues his prayer asking for a clean heart and a steadfast spirit (see Ps 51:12). The word “create” is the same word used in the account of creation in the book of Genesis: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). As only God could create the universe, so also only God can create a clean heart. In the book of Ezekiel, the Lord promised to do that. “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you” (Ezek 36:26). This promise was given to the Jewish exiles. Because of their iniquities, sins, and rebellion, they lost their country, their beloved city Jerusalem, and the pride of their faith, the holy temple.
The request of the psalmist has been fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to the young Church (see Acts 2:1-4). The request of the psalmist is realised in the life of the faithful through the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. The Spirit of the Lord dwelling in us renews our hearts and teaches us how to live according to God’s will. Having been transformed from within, let us live in the Lord’s presence and “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom [we] were sealed for the day of redemption” (see Eph 4:30).