Psalm for Sunday, March 17, 2024

Reflections

Psalm 51: 3-4, 12-13, 14-15  (Read)

“Create a clean heart in me, O God.”                                                                         

This Sunday's Psalm is David’s mea culpa  

and is written after Nathan calls attention 

to David’s adultery with Bathsheba.  We are 

shown in the Psalm that although David was 

chosen by God to be king, even David sins 

gravely.  But God in His compassion and 

goodness can blot out David’s offense, 

no matter how grave.

David realizes that only God, in His mercy,
can cleanse David from his sins.  David’s sins, 

like our own, are offensive to God first and 

foremost; we are all born of a sinful nature.
David calls on the Lord to blot out his offense,
knowing that the Lord, in His abundant 

compassion, will wash away his guilt.

David’s words are a prayer of repentance and recall 

for us the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
“A clean heart create for me, O God; renew within me 

a steadfast spirit. Give me back the joy of your salvation.”
Where else can we turn when we are separated from God?
Who else has the healing power to cleanse us?

“Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me 

your Holy Spirit.”  David reminds us that without the Holy 

Spirit we are ruled by the desires of this world.  And without 

the Holy Spirit we cannot bear the fruits of the Spirit,
which we are called to do.

The people of Jeremiah’s time were given the assurance 

that David sought. They were assured that the Lord would 

forgive their evildoing, their own infidelity to God, and that 

their sin would be remembered no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)
On David's part we can almost hear his loud cries and see 

his tears, as he offers this psalm as prayer and seeks his 

own inner renewal.  When Christ was in the flesh, this is 

how He himself prayed, as we are reminded in Sunday's 

second reading. (Hebrews 5:7)

David prays that God will create for him a clean heart,
because God alone can bring about this transformation.
We, too, are called to seek our Savior’s mercy for our sinful 

ways, especially during this Lenten season.  We, too, are 

given an opportunity to be restored in the joy of His Salvation, 

to offer up what is dead within us, so that we can again bear 

fruit and be good witnesses for the Lord. (John 12: 24)
In that way, we will then teach the wicked, God's ways,  

and our mouths will proclaim His praise.

Amen

Discussion Questions for Reflection

1.  Our psalmist King David cites the greatness of the Lord's compassion in calling 

upon God to wipe out his offense.  Even though David was an adulterer and 

a murderer, he knew that he could call upon the Lord to restore him and create 

for him a clean heart.   Does this give you confidence that no matter how serious 

your sins may be, you can call upon God to be thoroughly cleansed?   Explain.

2.  As our psalmist implies, it is not enough to call upon God to create a clean 

heart within us.  We must also ask for a steadfast spirit, for the Holy Spirit to be 

sustained within us.  Tell how the Holy Spirit is working within you and what you 

are inspired to do through the gifts of the Spirit.