Being stuck at home for 10 days is no fun, but that’s what happens when the roads are covered with ice and snow. This snowstorm we in Portland have been hit with has virtually shut down the whole metro area, and it still isn’t over. As I was thinking about the situation I am in, a (favorite) song came to mind: I am a Rock, by Simon and Garfunkel. The lyrics really fit the state many of us are in right now.
But there is more, another idea came to mind as I was thinking about the snow: What does the Bible have to say about snow? After doing a quick word search, an astonishing passage came up, Psalm 51. This is not only one of my favorite Psalms, but is a famous Psalm of repentance which the Church has always hailed. It was written by King David, who himself fell into sin, and rather than give up he trusted in God and repented. The Church calls this Psalm the Miserere, which is Latin for “have mercy on me” (the first words of the prayer). If you think back to Mass, when we say the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei), part of the prayer says “miserere nobis” (have mercy on us).
Anyway, back to the text of Psalm 51, I will quote only the first 10 verses:
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Did you catch the reference to snow? I strongly encourage Catholics to pick up a Bible and read the whole Psalm, it’s amazing! If you feel the need to repent, if your life is not going so well, pick up a Bible and read Ps. 51, read it from the heart and it will pick you up. If you are about to go to Confession (or need to go), this Psalm (along with a good Act of Contrition) is a good place to start. Catholicism’s deep spiritual heritage is something that we Catholics today need to rediscover and take to heart.
One Comment
Amen brother!