The Scripture phrase that is proposed to us during this Lenten season is part of Psalm 51, where we find, in verse 12, a fervent and humble invocation: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." The text that contains it is known as the MiserereIn it, the author's gaze begins by exploring the hidden recesses of the human soul to capture its deepest fibers: those of our profound inadequacy before God and, at the same time, the insatiable longing for full communion with Him from whom all grace and mercy proceed.
«Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.».
The psalm is inspired by a well-known episode in the life of David. Called by God to care for the people of Israel and guide them along the paths of obedience to the Covenant, David transgresses his mission: after committing adultery with Bathsheba, he orders her husband, Uriah the Hittite, an officer in his army, to be killed in battle. The prophet Nathan reveals the gravity of his guilt and helps him recognize it. It is the moment to confess his sin and be reconciled with God.
«Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.».
The psalmist places in the king's mouth very powerful invocations, but they spring from his profound repentance and total trust in God's forgiveness: "erase me," "wash me," "cleanse me." In the verse of interest to us, he uses in particular the verb "create" to indicate that complete liberation from human weakness is only possible through God. It is the awareness that only He can make us new creatures with a "pure heart," fill us anew with His life-giving spirit, give us true joy, and radically transform our relationship with God (the "steadfast spirit") and with other living beings, with nature, and with the cosmos.
«Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.».
How can we put this word of life into practice? The first step is to recognize ourselves as sinners and in need of God's forgiveness, with an attitude of boundless trust in Him.
It may happen that our recurring errors discourage us, lock us in on ourselves. Then it is necessary to leave the door of our heart ajar, at least a little. Chiara Lubich wrote in the early 1940s to someone who felt unable to overcome his miseries: "We must remove all other thoughts from our soul. And believe that Jesus is drawn to us only by the humble, trusting, and loving exposure of our sins. We, by ourselves, have and do nothing but misery. He, by himself and with respect to us, has only one quality: Mercy. Our soul can unite itself to Him only by offering Him as a gift, as its only gift, not our virtues but our sins! […] If Jesus came to earth, if He became man, if He longs for anything […] it is only to act as a Savior, to act as a Doctor! He desires nothing more."[1].
«Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.».
Then, once we have been freed and forgiven, and with the help of our brothers and sisters—because the strength of a Christian comes from community—let us begin to concretely love our neighbor, whoever they may be. "What is required of us is that mutual love based on service, understanding, and sharing in the pains, anxieties, and joys of our brothers and sisters; that all-encompassing, all-forgiving love proper to a Christian."[2].
And Pope Francis says: “God’s forgiveness […] is the greatest sign of his mercy. A gift that every forgiven sinner is called to share with every brother or sister they meet. All those whom the Lord has placed at our side—family members, friends, colleagues, parishioners…—all, like us, need God’s mercy. It is beautiful to receive forgiveness, but you too, if you want to be forgiven, must forgive in turn. Forgive! […] to be witnesses of his forgiveness, which purifies the heart and transforms lives.”[3].
Augusto Parody and the Word of Life team
[1] C. Lubich, First Love: Letters from the Beginnings (1943-1949), Ciudad Nueva, Madrid 2011, pp. 122-123.
[2] C. Lubich, Word of Life, May 2002: Ciudad Nueva 387 (5/2002), p. 24.
[3] Francis, General Audience, 30-3-2016: The Tenderness of a Father. Catechesis for the Holy Year of Mercy, Ciudad Nueva, Madrid 2016, p. 101.
