Reflect on our position

Psalm 51 from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is a powerful prayer of the person who is deeply aware of his place as one who sins against God. Humility is the path through which we become aware of our state and like the author of the text from Hosea we seek restoration of our relationship with God. Friar Jude Winkler comments that we too often can approach God with attitudes of pride and pious pretending. We present ourselves in ways which we hope will give others a sense of how observant we are of religious practice. The message of the Gospel from Luke where the proud Pharisee and the humble publican pray in the temple does not surprise us. We are too aware sometime of the religious hypocrisy of others while we avoid the deep reflection of the author of Psalm 51 about our state before God, Who desires to wash us clean and have us bloom like the desert of Jesus homeland after the spring rain.