If in verse 4 of Psalm 51 the penitent recognizes their responsibility, verse 5 is an outright declaration of it:
Psalm 51:5: “For I know my offense; my sin is always before me.”
(Via USCCB.)
The penitent fully admits and recognizes their sin. The penitent does not and cannot hide from it. No excuses, a straightforward and humble admission that the sin is theirs. Not only that it is theirs, but its commission is troubling to the conscience, “Is always before me.” And until there is reconciliation with God by asking forgiveness, the sin will be a hindrance to further progress in spiritual growth and holiness. No getting closer to God with this on the conscience.
How great is our desire for holiness. That is,how great is our desire to live as God wants us to live? How ready and willing are we to remove the obstacles that are in our path of getting closer to He who created us?
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Don't you love how scripture and the 12 steps are so in line w/ each other? Psalm 51 is my favorite psalm.
I resort to Psalm 51 a lot!!
I really need to memorize the entire thing. But, the older I get, the more difficult that is! I have a beautiful version of psalm 51 that I sing, which does help w/ the memorization a bit.
I probably should, too. But I doubt I'll get through it. Perhaps a sung version,though would help.