Psalm 32
1 Blessed is the one whose fault is removed, whose sin is forgiven. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no deceit.
Sin is an inevitable part of our fallen nature. Saints are sinners who were forgiven. Whose guilt was not charged to them but wiped cleaned by the blood of Christ.
And how do we receive this gift of God? — By confessing our sins.
The psalmist explains how he resisted God’s gift and the effects of sin ravaged him.
3 Because I kept silent, my bones wasted away; I groaned all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength withered as in dry summer heat.
We too often find ourselves with the weight of our sins on our shoulders, and its overwhelming guilt, because we are too proud or to embarrassed, or too proud to be embarrassed in confessing our sins. But by staying silent, and keeping it bottled up inside, we cause great spiritual and physical damage. The stress, the guilt, the self-hatred, the anger, manifests itself in physical and spiritual symptoms. We become ill-tempered, we lose our strength to fight off sin, we become blinded to the love of Christ, we become trapped in a self-destructive cycle of misery and despair. But the psalmist finds the solution.
5 Then I declared my sin to you; my guilt I did not hide. I said, “I confess my transgression to the Lord,” and you took away the guilt of my sin.
We can experience relief by confessing our sins. Sacramental confession, moreover, not only pardons us of our sins, but provides us with grace and peace from God our Father. It imparts to us the love of God who reconciles us to himself and to the church, we become more united to God and his saints. It converts our hearts, it kindles the Holy Spirit within us, strengthening us for the Christian battle against evil, making us more conscious of the effects of our sins, urging us on towards justice and mercy.
6 Therefore every loyal person should pray to you in time of distress. Though flood waters threaten, they will never reach him. 7 You are my shelter; you guard me from distress; with joyful shouts of deliverance you surround me.
I think for most people it is normal to pray in times of distress. Even people who don’t pray often begin to pray when, as the psalmist says, the flood waters threaten.
When things begin to feel overwhelming. We should have this same mentality when we are distress by our sins. When we feel like we are drowning in our own self-made flood, we should call on the Lord, and he will deliver us from ourselves He will guard us from distress.
8 I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk, give you counsel with my eye upon you. 9 Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding; with bit and bridle their temper is curbed, else they will not come to you.
If we call upon the Lord, he will guide us. If we confess our sins, grace will be poured out in abundance upon us. How great is it that the Lord has given us clear paths to grace, free grace, just ready to be taken.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked one, but mercy surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; exult, all you upright of heart.
In the Diary of St. Faustina we hear Jesus say:
“The flames of mercy are burning Me — clamoring to be spent; I want to keep pouring them out upon souls; souls just don’t want to believe in My goodness.
Let us trust the Lord. Let us accept his mercy. Let us believe in his goodness.
Let us believe that he really does love us more than we can imagine.
So let us rejoice and be glad in the Lord.
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