For the leader, Of David, the servant of the Lord.
I
Sin directs the heart of the wicked man;
his eyes are closed to the fear of God.
For he lives with the delusion;
his guilt will not be known and hated.
Empty and false are the words of his mouth;
he has ceased to be wise and do good.
On his bed he hatches plots;
he sets out on a wicked way;
he does not reject evil.
II
Lord, your mercy reaches to heaven;
your fidelity, to the clouds.
Your justice is like the highest mountains;
your judgments, like the mighty deep;
human being and beast you sustain, Lord.
How precious is your mercy, O God!
The children of Adam take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the rich food of your house;
from your delightful stream you give them drink.
For with you is the fountain of life,
and in your light we see light.
Show mercy on those who know you,
your just defense to the upright of heart.
Do not let the foot of the proud overtake me,
nor the hand of the wicked disturb me.
There make the evildoers fall;
thrust them down, unable to rise.
Psalms 36:1-13
When we read the psalm today, the instinct is to read section I as the part that talks about those other people, the sinners, while section II is all about the conversation I will have with God. But aren’t we all, by our human nature, naturally sinners in need of forgiveness and mercy? I know I certainly couldn’t “be the first to throw a stone.” (John 8:7)
Sometimes I think it’s easy to throw stones, and it’s harder to turn to Jesus with our own sin. I believe I have written about this many times before, and it came up at mass yesterday. The gospel passage included, “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)
I might overstate things a bit to call this my favorite Bible verse, but I certainly consider it one of the most important. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s more important today than ever before.
Forgive me if I have mentioned this too many times before, but I think this is the biggest crisis facing our world. As Christians manage to ignore this important lesson from Jesus, we are presented to the world in a negative light. The consequence is that people turn away from the Church, especially young people, who turn to secularism and similar alternatives as they reject the people who have become so judgmental.
Yesterday at mass, I actually felt like the liturgists were in my head. At offertory we sang a song I haven’t heard in years, and it’s the one I usually mention when I’m writing on the judge-not-lest-ye-be-judged topic. Sing along with me: “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
That’s the point, right? Not to beat a dead horse, but can we please remind everyone that they’re not supposed to recognize us by our ability to pass judgement. That’s not our job. As members of the Body of Christ, we are supposed to each use our own individual talents to bring the gospel to all the world, and that is a message of love and forgiveness.
So let’s look at section I of the psalm one more time. Instead of reading it as a condemnation of others, maybe it could be an examination of conscience. Yes, I recognize that I have had sin in my heart, but let it not direct my heart. May I face the guilt I feel for my sins and avoid the delusion that it will not be known, since, of course, the Lord knows.
While we’re at it, let’s examine the words of our mouths and ask forgiveness for times when they were empty or false. Let’s pray for the wherewithal to avoid those nights when our heads hit the pillow and we begin to plan what we’ll say (or do?) to that person with whom we are angry.
“How precious is your mercy, O God!” Teach us to be Your love in the world!