Psalm 51 (50):19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In doing this, you will be able to offer thanks to the Lord without ceasing. This practice represents the highest form of worship, a perfect offering, and it becomes our foundation for confidence before God—allow me to explain why. A heart that keeps these truths close, fully aware of its own insignificance, while simultaneously reflecting on the boundless compassion of God—how He orchestrates our lives not based on the severity of our sins but on His goodness—will humble his mind, subdue his thoughts, and temper any pride or arrogance. Such a person learns to act modestly, to dismiss the fleeting glories of this world, to disregard the trivial, and to focus on eternal rewards, on life everlasting and infinite. Someone who aligns his soul in this manner presents to God a true and pleasing offering, as the prophet states: “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humbled heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” It is not necessarily the punishment and suffering that corrects well-meaning servants, but rather recognizing the grace they have received and understanding that they have endured lesser trials than they truly deserve. Therefore, I implore you, let us break our spirits and humble our hearts, especially during this season of fasting that undeniably aids us. If we adopt this mindset, we will be able to pray fervently and receive exceptional grace from above through confessing our sins. Furthermore, we can be assured of our acceptance before the Lord, as He Himself declares: “On whom shall I look? On him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2). In the same vein, Christ instructed His disciples: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). A truly humble heart refrains from annoyance and anger towards neighbors, instead focusing inward. What could be more joyous than a soul in such a state! Such a person finds stillness, sheltered from storms and enjoying peace of mind. Thus, Christ promises: “And you will find rest for your souls.”

What, then, is the essence of virtue? It is humility. This is why Christ begins with humility, proclaiming, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3). Here lies the crux of virtue! It is not adorned with hair or curls but possesses a beauty that captivates God Himself. “On whom shall I look?” He asks, “On him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and on him who trembles before My word” (Isaiah 66:2). My gaze is upon the meek (faithful) of the earth (Psalm 75:10; Psalm 100:6). Furthermore, “The Lord is near to the broken-hearted” (Psalm 33:19). This essence, instead of hair or adornments, becomes a pleasing sacrifice to God: it serves as the golden and spiritual altar. “A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit.”

As Blessed Theodoret interpreted, humble thoughts are a delightful and acceptable sacrifice to God. He observes how greatly my heart has been troubled and shattered, and acknowledges this as an opportunity to present an offering of humility: simply granting me forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This offering of humility far surpasses not only the sacrifices of the Jewish faith but also held significant value in that time. The three young men in Babylon who triumphed over the flames, along with the young and old alike, demonstrated that a small group could conquer many; they were captives who preserved their faith despite losing their homeland, who remained steadfast even in destitution. These men transformed fire into dew, subdued the elements, and extinguished the ferocity of flames. Though bound by their captors, they sang, proclaiming: “We have sinned, and have acted wickedly, departing from Thee, and have sinned in all things; and we have at present no prince, no prophet, no leader, no burnt-offering, no sacrifice, no offering, no incense, no place, that we may sacrifice to Thee, and obtain Thy favour. But with a contrite heart and a humble spirit let us be accepted” (Daniel 3:29, 38, 39). “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humble heart God will not abhor.”

David exemplified this blessed humility, and it was this very disposition that cleansed his sins. Weep and mourn for your sins, not out of fear of punishment, which is inconsequential, but out of sorrow for having offended your gentle and loving Master. Confession embodies repentance! It is the ultimate sacrifice to offer enduring thanksgiving for all His favors, particularly those known to you alone, while recognizing your own need for His grace. The person who fully grasps their dependence on God's aid continually seeks Him in prayer, and as their prayers increase, so too does the humility of their heart. For anyone who prays and pleads cannot help but humble themselves. And one who truly humbles themselves will find no room for anger towards their neighbor nor the inclination to become irritable. The essence of a contrite heart is rooted in sorrow; a heart burdened by grief does not regard temporary possessions as valuable, placing all its trust in the Lord alone, continually crying out for help both night and day. In this spirit of brokenness, a person navigates the subtle deceptions of the proud adversary, whose sole aim is to disturb the human spirit and sow discord amidst them.

Hence, we refer to those who have fallen into corruption and lost their purity as humble. It is noted that Amnon violated Tamar and “humbled her” (2 Sam. 13:14). Those who have been stripped of the dignity and elevation of the soul, brought low by sin as if bound to the earth and bent over like a serpent, are indeed humble, yet not in spirit, for their humility lacks virtue. In contrast, those who are graced with the Holy Spirit willingly lower themselves before others, as the Apostle teaches, regarding themselves as “slaves” to everyone (cf. 2 Cor. 4:5). They strive to become “all things to all people” while expressing, “we have become like the scum of the world” (1 Cor. 4:13). Such individuals practice true humility and choose to be the least among all, so that they may be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord also refers to them as blessed, declaring, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3).

To those whom God regards with favor, desiring them to embrace a renewed life, He dismantles the old self within them. Thus, the offering to God is a contrite spirit, as it signifies the breaking of worldly desires that induce sin, allowing the righteous spirit to be rejuvenated from within. Individuals must humble their arrogant and conceited hearts, made proud by knowledge, so that their lowliness becomes an offering to God. The divine David recognized this when he heard the Lord say, “I will not take calves from your house, nor goats from your flocks,” and proclaimed, “The most excellent and favorable offering to You is the humility of spirit; therefore, having humbled and contrite my heart, I will present to You the greatest sacrifice.” The blessed young men in the furnace voiced similar sentiments, saying with a contrite heart and a humble spirit, “Let our offering be accepted by You, as with burnt offerings of sheep and the fat of bulls.” Isychius also asserts that here the spirit denotes that which is favored by God, which is humility, as “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” How then can we crush the spirit through humility? By doing good and not elevating ourselves, while continually recalling our sins. In the plea for mercy, “Have mercy on me, O God,” it is conveyed that although the contrite spirit and the humble heart may appear distinct, in the truly repentant, they are united, just as in the sinner, prideful spirit and hard heart coexist. For those who sin through the pride of their spirit also act due to the hardness of their heart. Notably, Blessed Augustine referred to tears as the sweat of the heart and the blood of the soul. Therefore, when one weeps for their sins, their tears become a pleasing offering to God, representing the sweat of the heart and the blood of the soul. A saint wisely noted that God values the repentance of one who approaches Him with humility and contrition more than the innocence of a complacent and weakened righteous individual.

He promises to reward everyone according to their deeds, while simultaneously instilling in us both the desire and the ability to act according to His goodwill (Phil. 2:13). As it is written, ‘and these things are not of yourselves, the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast’ (Eph. 2:8-9). It poses the question of why ‘no man can come to Me, unless the Father draw him’ (John 6:44), while also instructing us to create a new heart and spirit for ourselves (Ezek. 18:31). At the same time, it promises, ‘And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit; I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh,’ according to the Lord’s command to Jerusalem, to ‘Wash away the evil from your heart’ (Jer. 4:14). The prophet requests the Lord to create within him a pure heart, declaring, ‘wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow’ (Ps. 50:9). Furthermore, it states, ‘Be sensible, ye senseless people! When will ye be wise, ye ignorant?’ (Ps. 93:8), and, ‘The Lord opens the eyes of the blind’ (Ps. 145:8).

These perplexities become easier to navigate when we recognize that both God’s grace and our free will play crucial roles in our salvation. Even if one aspires to virtue, human beings always require God’s assistance to achieve their aspirations. Just as it is not sufficient for a sick person merely to wish for health, they must also receive strength from the giver of life, who is God. It is essential to grasp that even natural inclinations bestowed by the gracious Creator can only culminate in good outcomes with divine aid, as expressed by the Apostle: ‘the desire for good is in me, but to do it, I do not find it’ (Rom. 7:18).

Through this offering, all rulers, citizens, socialites, the common folk, the wise, the unlearned, the wealthy, the impoverished, beggars, thieves, wrongdoers, libertines, fornicators, murderers, and various sinners have been redeemed, are being redeemed, and will continue to be redeemed. The extent of humility—this salvific offering—should reflect the magnitude of one’s sins; thus, in proportion to his transgressions, each person should bear humility coupled with brokenness. Nevertheless, even the most righteous, venerable, pure-hearted, and all the redeemed are saved solely through this offering. Acts of charity, faith, separation from worldly pursuits, acts of great martyrdom, and all other offerings spring forth from the essence of this sacrifice, which is the brokenness of the heart. There is no sin capable of eclipsing the divinity of God that can surpass such an offering. For this single sacrifice, which must be honored and sustained, there exist illnesses, tribulations, hardships, trials, and all the passions of the soul and body—so that every God-fearing individual may present this offering to the divine. Anyone who combines this sacrifice of brokenness with humility secures himself from falling, as he considers himself lesser than all. God descended to earth and humbled Himself even unto death, with the sole intent of instilling within believers a broken and humble heart. There are two offerings that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ accepts, for which He bestows mercy on each person and the entire world: one is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the incarnate Son of God, and the other is the broken and humble heart of every believer. Thus, anyone who gives away all his possessions to the poor, fasts, keeps vigil, sleeps on the ground, and prays earnestly, yet fails to seek from God a broken and humble heart (for every good gift comes from above, from the Father of lights - James 1:17), will not gain any benefit from his efforts. Therefore, it is crucial to pursue that singular path leading to a broken and humble heart; whoever attains such a heart will walk on earth as if walking on a mountaintop—in the kingdom of heaven. In the final moments before death, those with broken and humble hearts receive assurance of forgiveness from the merciful God, leaving this world with joy and gladness. This gift from God is immeasurable. It lays the foundation for the climb up the ladder of virtues and the descent of miraculous gifts and signs; it signifies the resurrection of souls occurring in this life prior to the general resurrection of the bodies; it is the deliverance for which God the Father gave His Son, so that whoever believes will not perish but will receive everlasting life, and possessing this eternal life, come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3).

When a person endeavors to cultivate a humble heart and maintains thoughts that are not resentful but tranquil, the enemy's tactics become powerless, for in a serene mindset, the Lord dwells: "In the world," it is stated, "is His place" (Psalm 75:3).

God's original design did not intend for our birth to stem from human union and sin. However, the transgression committed by Adam and Eve led to the introduction of marriage, resulting in all descendants of Adam being conceived in sin. It is not the institution of marriage that the prophet denounces, but rather he highlights the wrongdoing of the ancestors. Through their sin, they became vulnerable to decay; having succumbed to corruption, they produced offspring who inherit this tendency toward evil.

In the idyllic garden of Eden, the earth yielded its bounty effortlessly, and animals were not carnivorous; there was tranquility and harmony. Adam, destined for divinization, was to extend the paradise experience to the entire world. The new Adam—Christ, both divine and human—arrived to initiate the restoration of creation.