Saint Dominic, Priest (Memorial)

A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn. 

King David is known for his bravery on the battlefield: he is the shepherd boy who became the king of Israel. But his life tells a cautionary tale, and his repentance in today’s responsorial psalm illustrates the challenge of being human. We are sacred creatures made in the image of God and destined for glory. Yet like David, we fall short in keeping God’s commands. And quite often, our sins cause great pain to ourselves and others. But David’s reliance on God’s mercy reminds us that no matter how far we fall, our Lord will always lift us up.

David’s trust in God’s mercy in our responsorial psalm foreshadows the new covenant that Jeremiah prophesied in today’s first reading. He promised that God’s people would know him and walk in his ways. He would write his law “upon their hearts” and would “remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:33, 34).

This is the new covenant that Jesus established through his death and resurrection. This is the covenant we have all been baptized into. We don’t have to define ourselves by our failures and sins; we are defined by God’s love for us.

We know all this is true, but we can still be tempted to forget our identity and believe that our sinfulness is more real and pervasive than God’s grace: “I didn’t just act like a bad mother, I am a bad mother. I didn’t just sin, I am my sin.”

You are not your sin; you are a child of God, deeply loved and of infinite worth! God does not want you to punish yourself. He longs to heal your heart so you can rest secure in his love.

Are you carrying burdens from past mistakes? Are they causing you to doubt your identity as a forgiven child of God? Let David’s prayer remind you that God will never spurn “a heart contrite and humbled” (Psalm 51:19). Instead, he will take you tenderly into his arms and say, “Neither do I condemn you” (John 8:11). He will never turn you away.

“Lord, help me to believe that I am who you say I am.”

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 51:12-15, 18-19
Matthew 16:13-23