Psalm Reflection: The First Sunday of Lent - Cycle A

“Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.” - Psalm 51

Who was the last person you apologized to?

It might be difficult to remember because you either apologize for everything (including things that are not actually your fault), or you do not like to admit when you are wrong. I actually think those who apologize constantly do so because they are also afraid to admit they were wrong. It is easier to apologize than to have the hard conversation or acknowledge what is really going on.

Either way, we are uncomfortable with vulnerability, especially when it happens in a way we did not expect. Think about the last time you were in a meeting, class, or conversation, and someone was sharing and suddenly started to cry. Our immediate feeling is discomfort. We are not sure what to do and we jump to alleviating the discomfort instead of listening and being present. We offer a tissue or platitudes until the person apologizes for having feelings: “I am sorry for getting so emotional…”

I was recently sharing to a group of people about something negative in my past and some people in the group felt compelled to start complimenting me. It obviously came from a very good place, but it was a clear reminder to me that we do not like to do the hard, uncomfortable work of facing weaknesses, imperfections and even suffering. It is easier for us to try to explain or fix it away than to sit in the discomfort, because it often forces us to face our own imperfections.

You can see this at work in “cancel culture,” a phenomenon where people who have done or said something that is considered culturally unacceptable are essentially persecuted online and shunned.

The more I see this play out in our world, the more I am convinced of how un-Christian it is. It is appropriate for us to speak the truth and to stand against injustice. We cannot shy away from calling sinful actions sins. However, we also believe that every single person is destined for Heaven and worth saving. Every one makes mistakes and sins (Romans 3:23), some in more extreme ways than others. We cannot approve of destructive, hateful or violent actions, but that does not mean we also throw away the people who do them. 

No person is unredeemable. Jesus died on the cross and in the midst of his horrific and painful suffering, He prayed that those doing terrible things to Him would be forgiven (Luke 23:34). He saw their sin, but was still ready and willing to die for them. He did not condemn those in front of Him, but loved them and prayed for them.

The people who fall victim to cancel culture do so because one thing they said or did was made public, and was contrary to what the main cultural narrative says is true, which is essentially what happened to Jesus. Jesus never sinned, but we do all the time, and the Bible tells us that we cannot point out the speck in our brothers eye without first acknowledging the beam in our own (Matthew 7:3). 

Imagine that all your sins became publicly known to everyone: we would all be “cancelled” immediately. God, however, sees us as His children. He calls us by name even though He knows our sin. As a Christian, we are called to extend His mercy to others. We are called to reject sin and humble ourselves in response to the love of our Savior. It is a fundamental truth of our faith that we are all undeserving of Heaven, we are all broken in need of fixing, and none of us has the knowledge needed or the right to condemn another.

As we prepare to enter the season of Lent, which begins tomorrow, spend some time reflecting on the following:

Who have you written off? How can you pray and fast for them or extend the mercy and forgiveness of God to them?

Who have you neglected to share the Good News with?

What if every sin you ever committed was made known to everyone? How would you hope others would respond?

Who are the marginalized and outcast near you? How can you be present to them?

How might your Lenten journey be an opportunity to deepen your compassion and understanding for others?

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt