Devotion for today: wash me from my iniquity

We now come to the part of the Mass where the priest steps to the side of the main altar and washes his hands. This is a practice steeped in Jewish tradition. Read the passages below and see how God ordered this practice for the Jewish priests:

Exodus 29:4"Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.

Numbers 8:7 "Thus you shall do to them, for their cleansing: sprinkle purifying water on them,

Exodus 30:17-21: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.  Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it.  Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”

Many people believe the priest washes his hands to cleanse them for the Consecration, but that is not entirely true. The rite of hand-washing is really a part of the priest’s prayer for the purification of his soul. He wishes to be freed from sin and iniquity. In the Sacramentary, the ritual book for the Mass, it clearly states that this prayer is to be inaudible, which suggests that it is intended for the priest alone:

"Lord, wash away my iniquity and cleanse me of my sins."

Psalm 51:2: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 24:3-4: Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
And who may stand in His holy place?
 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
And has not sworn deceitfully.

Edward Sri tells us in his book The Mass (Ascension Press, 2011): With this biblical background, we can see that the priest’s hand-washing at Mass indicates that he, like the Levitical priests of old, is about to stand in a most holy place – one that is even more awe-inspiring than the tabernacle or temple. God’s presence sometimes manifested itself visibly in the form of a cloud in the Old Testament sanctuaries (Ex 40:34; 1 Kings 8:10-11). But in the Mass, God is about to come to his people in an even more intimate way. On the altar before which the priest stands, the gifts of bread and wine will soon be changed into Christ’s very body and blood, and Our Lord will soon dwell within us as we receive him in Holy Communion. Jesus, the one true High Priest, will accomplish this through his priest’s hands. In preparation for this most sacred moment, the priest washes his hands like the priests of old as he approaches a new “holy of holies.” And he echoes David’s humble prayer of contrition to prepare his soul for this holy task: “Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin” (see Psalm 51:2).  The congregation sits silently in awe as they watch the priest prepare for his sacred role in word and ritual.

From now on, let us sit in “silent awe” at this part of the Mass as we ask God to prepare our hearts and souls  for the great mysteries which are about to unfold!