March 2/Second Monday of Lent
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low. ~ Ps 79.8-9
Sometimes it seems that our troubles come not one by one, gradually, but in swarms. A relationship is troubled, we trip and sprain an ankle, the dog gets sick, we have a setback at work, a child is faced with challenges, health insurance premiums skyrocket. We feel overwhelmed by the cascade of hardships. As we grasp for the end of the rope, we may cry in frustration or despair, “What did I do to deserve this?” Despite our well-intentioned attempts to be “good people,” sometimes it may feel that God is not only remembering our iniquities, but punishing us for them. Certainly, the ancient Israelites interpreted misfortune as God’s retribution for their unfaithfulness: the context for our verses today may have been the catastrophic destruction of the temple at Jerusalem in 587 BCE and the ravaging of the population by “the nations,” biblical shorthand for foreigners. God’s people are suffering, groaning, and “doomed to die.” But on the other side of despair lies deliverance, and even as the psalm careens down into hopelessness, the psalmist gathers himself together and cries out for mercy: “May your compassion quickly come to us, for we are brought very low.” (The “quickly” indicates his desperation). It is not God’s will that we suffer, nor does God exact vengeful retribution for our sins. It is we who break the world apart through our wrongdoing. But whatever wrongs we have committed or omitted, God is ready to swoop in and cradle us in the arms of mercy like a loving mother. No matter how low we may sink, God can go lower, and through his compassionate love, lift us to a place of comfort.
O God who unbinds prisoners and lifts the downtrodden, Dispatch your help to me when I am brought very low, and lift me up with your compassion. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030226.cfm
To hear Scherzi Musicali sing “Domine ne memineris” by Giovanni Felice Sances, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfL2uV6B4Sg&list=RDcfL2uV6B4Sg&start_radio=1
