What would happen if the Lord marked our sins?

Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8. March 3, 2023 - Friday, 1st Week of Lent

Psalm 130 with a cry of help from the depth of waters, is a symbol of human tragedies and the netherworld. The psalmist’s cry brings to my mind the prayer of Jonah. That rebellious prophet from the belly of the fish cried to God out of his distress, out of the belly of Sheol (see Jonah 2:3). But I also think about Adam, the first man, out of the netherworld crying to God for mercy.

Psalm 130 belong to the songs of ascent (Ps 120-134) sung by the pilgrims going to Jerusalem. I imagine that this psalm was sung in Jericho, the lowest place on our planet, near the Dead Sea associated with the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Given such a setting, the question of the psalmist carries a powerful message: “If you, O LORD, mark iniquities, LORD, who will survive?” (Ps 130:3)

The history of humanity is marked by our sinfulness. It is not without reason that a proverb was coined that “a man is a wolf to another man”. The twentieth century was one of the bloodiest centuries to date. But, the beginning of the twenty-first century does not look any better. Islamic terrorism and local wars between gangs, tribes, and nations have again claimed innocent lives. And there is the unreported fact of the growing persecution of Christians across the globe. Adding to that the sins of omission, our cowardliness or indifference in the face of evil, and we have a bleak picture of humanity. Saint Paul was right when he said that “all have sinned” (Rom 3:23). But what would happen to us, if the Lord instead of sending us the Saviour mark our iniquities?

The psalmist continues his plea by appealing to God’s mercy: “But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered” (Ps 130:4). Most of us are familiar with Saint Faustina, the polish mystic, who in the midst of that bloodiest twentieth century spread the message of Divine Mercy. It is truly incredible that God’s answer to our sinfulness is not punishment but forgiveness. The Diary of St. Faustina includes many statements that agree with the psalmist. In one of them, Jesus says to a sinful soul: “My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness?” (Diary, 1485).

The psalmist trusted in the Lord and was sure that the Lord would redeem Israel from all their iniquities. This prayer was finally answered on Good Friday, when on the Hill of Golgotha, the Saviour of the world, our Lord, Jesus Christ died for our sins and the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). But what is the response of the world to this “plenteous redemption” (see Ps 130:7)? What is our response?