Let’s wrap up the 139th Psalm.
How precious to me are your designs, O God;
how vast the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sands;
when I complete them, still you are with me.
We ponder all of God’s plans, and if we decide to dwell too much on the immensity of God, he remains waiting for us at the end of it all.
Verses 19 through 22 are skipped in the rite, bringing us to this conclusion:
Probe me, God, know my heart;
try me, know my thoughts.
See if there is a wicked path in me;
lead me along an ancient path.
A final petition to steer us to virtue. So we come to the end of one of the longest texts in the Rite of Penance. We’ve been reminded of God’s omnipotence, but also his unlimited capacity for mercy, no matter where we might wander.
Catholic Sensibility 