Psalm 32

1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sin is put away!

2 Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, and in whose spirit there is no guile!

3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, because of my groaning all day long.

4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not conceal my guilt.

6 I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord." Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.

7 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.

8 You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

9 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will guide you with my eye.

10 Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; who must be fitted with bit and bridle, or else they will not stay near you."

11 Great are the tribulations of the wicked; but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.

12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; shout for joy, all who are true of heart.

This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen.

This year, Lent and Ramadan began on the same day. The unusual coincidence got me thinking about common themes in the world’s great spiritual traditions. In the Jewish tradition, the seasons of self-examination begun this month by Christians and Muslims find a counterpart later in the year, with the observance of Yom Kippur, a day of repentance. While Buddhists don’t seem to have tie to particular calendar dates, their practice is an ongoing process of self-examination and course correction. The genius of the tradition of the 12 steps can be seen in the first step, an admission of powerlessness over lives that had become unmanageable. 

A common thread in these movements indicates something deep and true and significant about the spiritual journey. If we wish to move forward, to grow, to be free, we need to acknowledge a need to change, to acknowledge the ways we've gotten off track.

We find that thread revealed in the gospels. Jesus began his ministry with a message that echoed John the Baptist. Jesus led with a call to repent, to change direction (Mark 1:15). If one wants to respond to that call, it begins by acknowledging that the direction in which one is headed might need to change. Repentance really means turning around. As our gospels state it, such repentance opens a door to the kingdom of God. It's a matter of acknowledging the truth about ourselves, and as Jesus noted, the truth will set us free.

In the psalm heard in church yesterday on the first Sunday in Lent, the psalmist admits that he was stuck. He was basically a mess until he acknowledged his sin to God and stopped concealing his guilt. It was a turning point. A dead end became a threshold as the psalmist began to enjoy the happiness of someone who is forgiven, someone whose sin was put away, someone who could then enjoy guidance from the Holy One. The message from the psalmist to us this Monday morning? A good place to begin is acknowledgement, an admission that what we’re presently doing may not be working.

Let me share a Lenten practice that has been meaningful to me, helpful in that process of acknowledgement. In the Ash Wednesday liturgy, we read a Litany of Penitence (page 267 in the Book of Common Prayer). It goes into greater detail than the General Confession, acknowledging a variety of ways we have fallen short, or may be headed in unhelpful directions. I commend it to you for regular reflection this Lent. Think of it as spiritual full-length mirror. 

The litany is simply too powerful to read just once a year. Different phrases have spoken to me at different times. Right now, I’m cogitating on the specific confession that acknowledges that we have not been true to the mind of Christ. As I admit that is true of my own inner life in oh so many ways, it opens the door for me to grow in being true to the mind of Christ.

I want to give a shout out to a local priest, the Rev. Addie Budnick, who gave a fine Ash Wednesday sermon that helped me think about acknowledgment. She made the point (an echo of Psalm 32) that admitting the truth about who we are, warts and all, is good news which opens the pathway to freedom and joy, revealed on Easter morning. 

As the psalmist said: Happy are those whose sins are forgiven. Or as one person has paraphrased the first beatitude which speaks of being poor in spirit: Blessed are those who know their need of God.

 -Jay Sidebotham