Psalms 51 · The Lantern

In your kindness, O God, be gracious to me, in your own great pity blot out my transgressions.

Beloved, let us praise her, through whom we have been saved. Let us love her; let us prefer her to wealth. Let us have a merciful soul apart from wealth. Nothing is more characteristic of a Christian than mercy. There is nothing that unbelievers and all people are so amazed at as when we are merciful.

Some monks called Euchites, or 'men of prayer', once came to Lucius in the ninth region of Alexandria. He asked them, 'What manual work do you do?' They said, 'We do not work with our hands. We obey St Paul's command and pray without ceasing' (1 Thess. 5:17).

In the preceding Psalms of this decade, the Psalmist seems to have treated of those things that pertain to the state of the kingdom, whose glory he described and to which he invited others. But now, because the glory of this kingdom has been impeded by sin, he treats of the abolition of sin. Here two things must be considered.

Wash me clean of my guilt, make me pure of my sin.

"More and more wash me from mine unrighteousness" [Psalm 51:2]. What is, "More and more wash"? One much stained. More and more wash the sins of one knowing. Thou that hast washed off the sins of one ignorant. Not even thus is it to be despaired of Your mercy. "And from my delinquency purge Thou me." According to the manner in which He is physician, offer a recompense.

"Wash me yet more." Here he asks for the removal of the uncleanness of guilt. A person who has a well-disposed mind abhors the uncleanness of guilt more than the severity of punishment; and therefore he says, "wash me yet more"; as if to say: I ask that you blot out the punishment; but more than that, I ask that you cleanse the stain. Or, "wash me more" than I understand. Rom.

For well I know my transgressions, my sin is ever before me.

As the holy old man Pachomius was journeying to his own monastery and had come near the desert called Amnon, legions of demons rose both on his right hand and on his left, some following him and others running in front of him, saying, "Behold the blessed man of God." They were doing this, wishing to sow vainglory in him.

Singing to the Lord, we have asked Him to turn away His face from our sins, and to blot out all our crimes. But you can notice, Brothers, that in the same psalm we have heard: For I acknowledge my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. However, it is said to God elsewhere: Do not turn away your face from me, to whom we have said: Turn your face away from my sins.

"Because." Here he confesses his guilt. And first, he confesses the guilt. Second, he shows this confession to be acceptable to God. First, therefore, he confesses the guilt.

Against you, only you, have I sinned, and done that which is wrong in your sight: you therefore are just when you speak, and clear when you utter judgment.

What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

"Against You alone have I sinned, and before You an evil thing have I done" [Psalm 51:4]. What is this? For before men was not another's wife debauched and husband slain? Did not all men know what David had done? [2 Samuel 11:4, 15] What is, "Against You alone have I sinned, and before You an evil thing have I done." Because You alone are without sin.

"Against you alone have I sinned." Above, the Psalmist set forth the recognition of his own guilt; here he aggravates his guilt; and regarding this he does two things. First, he aggravates it. Second, he sets forth what follows from the aggravation, at "that you may be justified." He aggravates this guilt by comparison to God; and in two ways, as is said in Jer.

See! In guilt was I brought to the birth, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Celsus has not explained how error accompanies the "becoming," or product of generation; nor has he expressed himself with sufficient clearness to enable us to compare his ideas with ours, and to pass judgment on them.

"For, behold, in iniquities I was conceived" [Psalm 51:5]. As though he were saying, They are conquered that have done what thou, David, hast done: for this is not a little evil and little sin, to wit, adultery and man-slaying. What of them that from the day that they were born of their mother's womb, have done no such thing?

"Behold indeed." Here he sets forth the root of the guilt. The root of all actual guilt is original sin, which is contracted from parents infected with that sin; this infection was in the father of David and in his mother.

It’s the innermost truth you desire, give me therefore true wisdom of heart.

Purge me clean with hyssop, wash me whiter than snow.

After this white robes were given to you as a sign that you were putting off the covering of sins and putting on the chaste veil of innocence, of which the prophet said, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed; wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow." For one who is baptized is seen to be purified according to the law and according to the gospel: according to the…

"You shall sprinkle me," he says, "with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed" [Psalm 51:7]. Hyssop we know to be a herb humble but healing: to the rock it is said to adhere with roots. Thence in a mystery the similitude of cleansing the heart has been taken.

"You shall sprinkle me with hyssop." Above, the Psalmist commemorated the benefit of God granted to him as to the grace of prophecy, from which he was raised to hope; here he shows what he hoped for from God. And there were two things. First, he hopes for the removal of the evils he had incurred through sin.

Fill me with joy and gladness, let the bones you have broken rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins, and blot out my guilt altogether.

Create me a clean heart, O God, put a new steadfast spirit within me.

People are in error who think that the priests of the Lord, after a lapse, although they may have exhibited true repentance, are not capable of ministering to the Lord and engaging their honorable offices, even though they may lead a good life thereafter and perform their priesthood correctly.

It would be better to be defiled with unclean mud than with sins. A person who is defiled with mud can wash it off in a short time and become like one who had never fallen into that mire at all.

"A clean heart." Above, the Psalmist asked for sin to be removed; here he asks for the effects of sin to be removed, which are two: namely, the defilement of the soul and the disorder of the affections. The first effect occurs because a person is attached to earthly things; hence he asks for cleanness of heart. Mt.

Cast me not forth from your presence, withdraw not your holy spirit.

Give me back the joy of your help, with a willing spirit sustain me.

I will teach your ways to transgressors, and sinners shall turn to you.

Save me from blood, O God, and my tongue shall ring out your faithfulness.

Open my lips, O Lord, and my mouth shall declare your praise.

For in sacrifice you have no pleasure, in gifts of burnt-offering no delight.

The sacrifice pleasing to God is a spirit that is broken; a heart that is crushed, O God, you will not despise.

To us, then, He declares, "A sacrifice [pleasing] to God is a broken spirit; a smell of sweet savour to the Lord is a heart that glorifieth Him that made it." We ought therefore, brethren, carefully to inquire concerning our salvation, lest the wicked one, having made his entrance by deceit, should hurl us forth from our [true] life.

Nevertheless, no matter how great our crimes, their forgiveness should never be despaired of in holy Church for those who truly repent, each according to the measure of his sin.

Hence he adds, "A sacrifice to God," namely one that is acceptable, "is a contrite spirit." Augustine, in City of God 10: Every sacrifice that is offered externally is a sign of an interior sacrifice, in which one offers one's soul to God. But it should be known that the soul of a person is led into sin first through vain joy. Eccl.

Do good in your pleasure to Zion, build the walls of Jerusalem.

Then will you welcome the due forms of sacrifice, then on your altars shall bullocks be offered.

Psalms51