Praying the Communion Antiphon.
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Praying the Communion Antiphon series |
A Time Set Apart – Thursday after Ash Wednesday
A Clean Heart
Thinking About the Words
“Create.”
The
psalm does not say “improve” or “repair.”
It says create.
This
is the same verb used in Genesis — the divine act that only God performs. It
implies that some renewal is beyond self-effort. Lent is not self-improvement.
It is allowing God to do what only God can do.
“A
pure heart.”
In
Scripture, the heart is not merely emotion. It is the centre of decision,
desire, and direction. A pure heart is not a flawless one. It is an undivided
one. We can think of any scripture but we only need to revise readings from Ash
Wednesday to explore a pure heart.
What
competes within my heart?
Where is there mixture — love of God alongside lesser attachments?
“Renew
a steadfast spirit.”
Steadfastness
is endurance. Stability. A spirit that does not sway with mood or pressure. Not
dramatic enthusiasm — but rooted constancy.
Lent
is not asking for intensity. It is asking for steadiness.
And
notice: this antiphon is prayed at Communion.
As
we receive Christ, we ask for a heart that reflects Him.
Reflection
- Where do
I need God to create, not merely adjust?
- Is my
heart divided or undivided?
- What
would steadfastness look like in my daily reactions?
- Am I
willing to let God work at the level of the heart, not just behaviour?
There
is something deeply Lenten about antiphon.
Ash Wednesday marked us outwardly. Today the Church leads us inward.
And
this one — create — is such a perfect early-Lent movement.
Ashes mark. Psalm 50 cleanses. Communion
renews.
Prayer
Create
in me a pure heart, O God.
Renew in me a steadfast spirit.
Do in me what I cannot do alone.
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