I regularly use the Liturgy of the Hours to pray. Much of the content is praying the Psalms. I noticed from the content of Peter's sermon in Acts 2 that Peter makes connections to Psalms as prophetic of Jesus. I discovered a new connection this morning as I prayed. It is a profound reality that I do not fully comprehend (a mystery).
Psalm 51 connects the well-known phrase "A pure (clean) heart create for me, Oh God" to the offering of sacrifices. "then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice, holocausts offered on your altar". How does that mesh with a verse that comes in between, "for in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering you would refuse, my sacrifice a contrite spirit, a contrite heart you will not spurn"? It seems like a contradiction, but in fact it is not. The Psalmist make a distinction here; burnt offering versus holocaust. In so doing, he prophesies Christ and the Church. Burnt offering are no longer accepted on the altar, but a holocaust. This holocaust (sacrifice offered whole) is none other than Jesus himself. We believe that Jesus is present to us in Communion, body, blood, soul and divinity, under the sign of bread and wine. Although He is multiplied to us, He is never divided. What does that mean for us? It means that we each receive all of Him, yet we are not complete in Him without each other. There is a profound union of all believers in the reception of Christ. He is truly All in All.
That also means that we are meant to live in love for one another, for we are truly one body in Jesus Christ. What I do to harm another Christian harms me, too. When I deny Christ by word or action, I harm the whole body of believers. I must always remain community with the Church, and I must care for all of her parts. If there is a wound, I should seek healing. If there is good, I should encourage it. I should speak the truth. I should act upon the teachings of the Church in how I live.
When we call ourselves Christian, we are taking on the name of God. It would do us well to remember that, as it says in Exodus 20, "the Lord will not leave unpunished him who takes His name in vain". If I take the name of Christ to myself, I must not let it be in vain. If I receive forgiveness by the holocaust of Jesus offered up, I must reciprocate by offering back the holocaust of my life devoted to Him. I cannot say I am devoted to Jesus without being devoted to His Church, in all its members.
What a profound mystery!
