Have Mercy on Me, O God

Miserere mei, Deus, miserere mei: quoniam in te confidit animas me. 
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me for my soul trusteth in Thee. 
Psalm 56:2

​Manual labor is good for the body, mind and soul.

Last weekend we spent some time over at the new property cleaning up our Lady's rose garden: weeding, raking, deep cleaning the ponds, and planting roses for the upcoming spring blossoms. Sometimes - when working on a big project - things have to look a little worse before they look better, but once you reach a certain point, all of a sudden everything looks clearer and progress can be seen. Manual labor, such as this, is a great analogy for the spiritual life and quite easily lends itself to a Lenten meditation.  

During Lent, Holy Mother Church directs our attention - with a sharp focus - on our sinfulness and the state of our soul. Our soul can seem like a a field needing a clean-up. Some are like weeds: they are easily pulled up, but have taken root nonetheless. Other sins may be like a raspberry bush strand: their roots are a little deeper, require more effort to pull up, and once you have removed it, you realize there is another part of the strand that has rooted itself in the ground (one sin can often be tied to another). Regardless, removing sins in our life take work, but the grace is in being able to recognize the sins growing and work on removing them in our life. 

This is the gift of Lent. The Church instructs us in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in hopes that these means will draw us into the desert with our Lord, lending to a greater conversion of heart. With greater recourse to prayer, Holy Mother Church prays that we may hear the voice of God more clearly and drawer nearer to His heart. By fasting - both from food and other methods, such as refraining from stating one's opinion - the Church prays we may see that which we are attached to, and instead attach ourselves to God's Holy Will. Through almsgiving - either financial or giving of one's time or gifts - the Church calls us to go out of ourselves and focus on another, as Christ did nothing but give and give. 

At first, Lent seems daunting: What do I give up? How can I grow closer to our Lord? Am I really that poor of sinner? How can I ever make progress? The Lord does not ask for much: only a humble and contrite heart that wishes to love Him above all else. If we are able to adhere to this simply request, the Lord will do the rest. We have merely to present to Him the field, express our desire that it be a a place where He may dwell, and allow Him to do in our soul as He pleases. Once His work begins, before long, a light appears a the end of the tunnel, the field seems cleaner and actually pretty - our souls begin to reflect Him and not ourselves. 

Let us, then, with all our hearts, ardently implore His mercy upon our souls and turn back toward Him Who loves us more than we could ever imagine. Let us take up our cross with Him and begin the 40 day journey from the desert to Mt. Calvary. 
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Miserere Mei, Deus - Psalm 50 (51)
one of the seven penitential Psalms

Have mercy upon me, O God: after Thy great goodness.
According to the multitude of Thy mercies, do away mine offences.
Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness: and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my faults: and my sin is ever before me.
Against Thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified in Thy saying, and clear when Thou art judged.
Behold, I was shapen in wickedness: and in sin hath my mother conceived me.
But lo, Thou requirest truth in the inward parts: and shalt make me to understand wisdom secretly.
Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness: that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice.
Turn Thy face from my sins: and put out all my misdeeds.
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​Make me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence: and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
O give me the comfort of Thy help again: and stablish me with Thy free Spirit.
Then shall I teach Thy ways unto the wicked: and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou that art the God of my health: and my tongue shall sing of Thy righteousness.
Thou shalt open my lips, O Lord: and my mouth shall shew [show] Thy praise.
For Thou desirest no sacrifice, else would I give it Thee: but Thou delightest not in burnt-offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, shalt Thou not despise.
O be favorable and gracious unto Sion: build Thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, with the burnt-offerings and oblations: then shall they offer young bullocks upon Thine altar.

The Miserere is a also a well-known polyphonic setting of Psalm 50 (51) by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri written around the 1630s for the exclusive use of the Sistine Chapel during the Tenebrae services of Holy Week. You can listen to it here.