Psalm Reflection: The Fifth Sunday of Lent - Cycle B

“Create a clean heart in me, O God.” - Psalms 51

In 1956, Horace Miner published an article in American Anthropologist about the unusual body rituals of the Nacirema tribe:

While each family has at least one such shrine, the rituals associated with it are not family ceremonies but are private and secret. The rites are normally only discussed with children, and then only during the period when they are  bring initiated into these mysteries. I was able, however, to establish sufficient rapport with the natives to examine these shrines and to have the rituals described to me. 

The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest which is built into the wall. In this chest are kept the many charms and magical potions without which no native believes he could live. These preparations are secured from a variety of specialized practitioners. The most powerful of these are the medicine men, whose assistance must be rewarded with substantial gifts. However, the medi­cine men do not provide the curative potions for their clients, but decide what the ingredients should be and then write them down in an ancient and secret language. This writing is understood only by the medicine men and by the herbalists who, for another gift, provide the required charm. 

The charm is not disposed of after it has served its purpose, but is placed in the charm-box of the household shrine. As these magical materials are specific for certain ills, and the real or imagined maladies of the people are many, the charm-box is usually full to overflowing. The magical packets are so numerous that people forget what their purposes were and fear to use them again. While the natives are very vague on this point, we can only assume that the idea in retaining all the old magical materials is that their presence in the charm-box, before which the body rituals are conducted, will in some way protect the worshipper. 

Can you imagine living in a world like the Nacirema? Well, you do. 

Nacirema spelled backwards is American. Miner wrote this as a commentary on American society from an outsider perspective, highlighting our obsession with physical appearance and health. Re-read the above section interpreting the “potion cabinet” as the modern medicine cabinet in most household bathrooms. 

Our focus on being hygienic, healthy, and clean is not bad, but one would argue that we have certainly gone overboard in many respects.

We have a myriad scrubs, exfoliators, and purifiers for our bodies.

We have filtered water, organic foods, and read labels looking for additives, chemicals and preservatives.

We are hyper-conscious of the need to preserve and take care of the environment.

We are highly concerned with the cleanliness of our appearance and of everything around us.

All of these are good things.

But what about our souls?

The hygiene of our souls is something we usually hide from or neglect. It tends to receive the last of our attention, if we prioritize it at all.

Psalm 51 reminds us that, no matter the outward appearance, wealth, power, or influence we may have, no one can ultimately disguise the stain of sin on the soul.

Psalm 51 has also been a favorite Psalm of many of the Saints, because it contains powerful words asking for God’s mercy. It is King David’s famous psalm of repentance, after the prophet Nathan calls him out for taking Bathsheba, a married woman, into his bed, and arranging to have her husband Uriah killed on the battlefield to cover up her resulting pregnancy.

When David is convicted of his sin, he does not rely on his outward power or appearance. He truly repents and acknowledges his sin before God. He does not make excuses for his actions. He accepts the consequences of God’s justice, and appeals to Him for mercy. David recognizes that he cannot make things right on his own, it is God who must create a clean heart in him. 

We are no different. This powerful Psalm is a reminder of the ways we have turned away from God, which we all have (Romans 3:23), and it is a reminder of the enduring mercy and faithfulness of God that awaits us when we come to Him with contrite hearts. 

Only God can satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts.

The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for - CCC 27

Only God can save us and give us the new hearts we need.

I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them. - Ezekiel 36:27-28

As we journey through this Lenten season, the practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are meant to reveal our attachments to sin and to the world. As these attachments rise to the surface, bring them to God and ask for His mercy. Pray through Psalm 51 with a humble and contrite heart, asking God to do what you cannot do for yourself: give you a clean heart.

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt

Read the full article on the Nacirema here: https://www.sfu.ca/~palys/Miner-1956-BodyRitualAmongTheNacirema.pdf 

This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, March 17th, 2024, which is the Fifth Sunday of Lent - Cycle B: Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15.