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March 9, 2022"A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn."
The liturgy of Ash Wednesday, which opens the Church's Lenten season, proposes two formulae for the imposition of ashes. One reads, "Repent and believe in the Gospel," the other one that can be used says "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." In sync with the penitential character of Lent, today's first reading from the Book of Jonah speaks of repentance and the merciful love of God. We see how the Ninevites repented of their sinful ways upon hearing Jonah's preaching. Their king proclaimed a fast; they entreated the Lord with contrite hearts, and with many prayers and supplications, they sought out God's forgiveness. The Lord decided not to chastise the city and its inhabitants upon seeing how they had turned away from their wretched ways.
Psalm 51 continues with the same theme. This psalm is attributed to King David after repenting from his adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. David was sure of God's merciful love, so much so that he knew that God would not turn away from a humbled and contrite heart. And this is the key to the message today. We sin because we are nothing but dust. Still, God is not deaf to our prayers when we recognize our transgressions against Him and when we genuinely repent, seeking His forgiveness with a humble heart. He expects us to have a child-like trust in Him and His mercy. If we confess our guilt to God, our good Lord will not forsake us. On the contrary, He will receive us back with wide-open arms.
During this penitential season, the Ninevites set an excellent example for us to follow. Let's do a deep examination of conscience and bring our transgressions in front of the throne of Grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Our Lord will be eager to grant us His forgiveness because He constantly calls us to return to Him with our whole heart, for He is gracious and merciful.