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Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
While I kept silence,
my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"
and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress,
the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
else it will not stay near you.
Many are the torments of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Alternate Image
The Singer returns to her apartment and surprises her niece
who is going through her personal belongings. Her niece starts
making excuses for her actions and with each excuse turns

redder in the face and looks more and more guilty, which, of
course, she is. The Singer takes her niece by the hand and leads
her into the living room, gives her a cup of tea and tells her a
story. She tells her of a time when she was about her niece's age
and she had engaged in shoplifting. Her friends had been taking
jewelry and clothes at a local department store and bragging
about their exploits. Her friends dared her to go with them and
to do the same, and she did. She took a scarf and a string of
imitation pearls. Although she was not caught, she could not
bring herself to wear either the scarf or the pearls. Each time
she tried to put them on she felt incredibly guilty; and she was.
Finally, she could not take the guilt any more. She took the
pearls and scarf back to the store and told the manager what she
had done and paid for the items. The manager accepted her
restitution and did not press charges. She was forgiven -- it was
a wonderful feeling.
Her niece looked at her with tears welling up in her eyes and
said, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me." The Singer said, "I forgive
you." They held each other in their arms and felt the joy of
forgiveness.

Reflection
Practically every time we feel guilty it is because we are
guilty. Our sins may vary in magnitude in the eyes of our fellow
human beings, but they are still sins, and sins produce guilt.
Strangely it seems our preferred way of dealing with guilt is to
ignore it, explain it away or deaden our feelings. Those are all
coping mechanisms but they are not very effective and we still
feel guilty. David had committed a sin that ranks as a real
"biggy" in our eyes. He had caused the death of one of his
soldiers because he wanted that soldier's wife. To feel right, to
feel good again, to return to a state of physical well-being,
David needed forgiveness. To obtain that forgiveness David needed
to actively confess his sin to God. And when he confessed his sin
he was renewed, he was forgiven. What a powerful thing is guilt,
but even more powerful is forgiveness.