Homily for Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent

2024-02-21

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Our response to the Psalm today is taken from one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 51. Sometimes, during the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I give this Psalm to people as a penance. Although Psalm 51 speaks heavily about the sinful nature of human beings, it is also a Psalm of hope. It gives hope that a truly repentant heart will not be ignored by God. The Psalm is filled with the hope that a person can be cleansed of their sins and created anew in the deepest recesses of their soul.

Our response to the Psalm today is taken from one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 51. Sometimes, during the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I give this Psalm to people as a penance.

Although Psalm 51 speaks heavily about the sinful nature of human beings, it is also a Psalm of hope. It gives hope that a truly repentant heart will not be ignored by God. The Psalm is filled with the hope that a person can be cleansed of their sins and created anew in the deepest recesses of their soul.

It also emphasizes that nothing will merit God's forgiveness more than a genuinely contrite and humble spirit. No offering, no action, no matter how great, can earn the merciful attention of God more than a sincere word and spirit of being sorry for our sins.

Throughout this season of Lent, let us ask God for the grace to remove from our lives, our minds, and our hearts those things that keep us from being truly repentant for our failings. Let us use God's grace to do so.

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