|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INTRODUCTION:
The Psalter as Prayer;
Vespers;
Benedictus;
Magnificat;
PSALMS:
5;
8 ;
11;
15;
16;
19a;
20;
21;
24;
27;
29;
30;
32;
33;
36;
41;
42;
43;
45;
46;
47;
48;
49;
51;
57;
62;
63;
65;
67;
72;
77;
80;
81;
84;
85;
86;
87;
90;
92;
93;
96;
97;
98;
99;
100;
101;
108;
110; 111; 112;
113;
114;
115;
116;
117;
118;
121;
122;
123;
124;
125; 126;
127;
130;
131;
132;
135; 136;
137;
138;
139;
141;
142;
143;
144;
146;
147; 148;
149;
150
Psalter
is ideal source of Christian prayer
JOHN PAUL II General Audience Wednesday 28 March 2001
It is an
encouraging fact that many lay people in parishes and ecclesial associations
have learned to appreciate it. Nevertheless, it remains a prayer that
presupposes an appropriate catechetical and biblical formation, if it is to be
fully savoured.
To this end, we begin today
a series of catecheses on the Psalms and Canticles found in the morning prayer
of Lauds. In this way I would like to encourage and help everyone to pray with
the same words that Jesus used, words that for thousands of years have been
part of the prayer of
2. We could use various
approaches to understanding the Psalms. The first would consist in presenting
their literary structure, their authors, their formation, the
contexts in which they were composed. It would also be fruitful to read them in
a way that emphasizes their poetic character, which sometimes reaches the
highest levels of lyrical insight and symbolic expression. It would be no less
interesting to go over the Psalms and consider the various sentiments of the
human heart expressed in them: joy, gratitude, thanksgiving, love,
tenderness, enthusiasm, but also intense suffering, complaint, pleas for help
and for justice, which sometimes lead to anger and imprecation. In the Psalms,
the human being fully discovers himself.
Our reading will aim above
all at bringing out the religious meaning of the Psalms, showing how they can
be used in the prayer of Christ’s disciples, although they were written many
centuries ago for Hebrew believers. In this task we will turn for help to the
results of exegesis, but together we will learn from Tradition and will listen
above all to the Fathers of the Church.
3. The latter, in fact, were
able with deep spiritual penetration to discern and identify the great “key” to
understanding the Psalms as Christ himself, in the fullness of his mystery. The
Fathers were firmly convinced that the Psalms speak of Christ. The risen Jesus,
in fact, applied the Psalms to himself when he said to the disciples:
“Everything written about me in the law of Moses and
the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled” (Lk 24: 44). The Fathers add
that in the Psalms Christ is spoken to or it is even Christ who speaks. In
saying this, they were thinking not only of the individual person of Christ,
but of the Christus totus, the total Christ, composed of Christ the Head
and his members.
Christians were thus able to
read the Book of Psalms in the light of the whole mystery of Christ. This same
perspective also brings out the ecclesial dimension, which is particularly
highlighted when the Psalms are sung chorally. We can understand, then, how the
Psalms came to be adopted from the earliest centuries as the prayer of the
People of God. If in some historical periods there was a tendency to prefer
other prayers, it is to the monks’ great credit that they held the Psalter’s
torch aloft in the Church. One of them, St Romuald, founder of Camaldoli, at
the dawn of the second Christian millennium, even maintained, as his biographer
Bruno of Querfurt says, that the Psalms are the only way to experience truly
deep prayer: “Una via in psalmis” (Passio sanctorum Benedicti
et Johannis ac sociorum eorundem: MPH VI, 1893, 427).
4. With this assertion,
which seems excessive at first sight, he actually remained anchored to the best
tradition of the first Christian centuries, when the Psalter became the book of
Church prayer par excellence. This was the winning choice in view of the heretical tendencies that continuously
threatened the unity of faith and communion. Interesting in this regard is a
marvellous letter that St Athanasius wrote to Marcellinus in the first half of
the fourth century while the Arian heresy was vehemently attacking belief in
the divinity of Christ. To counter the heretics who seduced people with hymns
and prayers that gratified their religious sentiments, the great Father of the
Church dedicated all his energies to teaching the Psalter handed down by
Scripture (cf. PG 27, 12ff.). This is how, in addition to the Our
Father, the Lord’s prayer by antonomasia, the
practice of praying the Psalms soon became universal among the baptized.
5. By praying the Psalms as
a community, the Christian mind remembered and understood that it is impossible
to turn to the Father who dwells in heaven without an authentic communion of
life with one’s brothers and sisters who live on earth. Moreover, by being
vitally immersed in the Hebrew tradition of prayer, Christians learned to pray
by recounting the magnalia Dei, that is, the great marvels worked by God
both in the creation of the world and humanity, and in the history of
The Spirit prays through us in the Psalms
JOHN PAUL II General Audience Wednesday 4 April 2001
1. Before beginning the
commentary on the individual Psalms and Songs of Praise, let us complete today
the introductory reflection which we began in the last catechesis. We will do
so by starting with one aspect that is prized by our spiritual tradition:
in singing the Psalms, the Christian feels a sort of harmony between the Spirit
present in the Scriptures and the Spirit who dwells within him through the
grace of Baptism. More than praying in his own words, he echoes those “sighs
too deep for words” mentioned by
The ancient monks were so
sure of this truth that they did not bother to sing the Psalms in their mother
tongue. It was enough for them to know that they were in a way “organs” of the
Holy Spirit. They were convinced that their faith would enable the verses of
the Psalms to release a special “energy” of the Holy Spirit. The same
conviction was expressed in their typical use of the Psalms known as “ejaculatory
prayer” - from the Latin word “iaculum”, that is “a dart” - to
indicate concise phrases from the Psalms which they could “let fly” almost like
flaming arrows, for example, against temptations. John Cassian, a writer who
lived between the fourth and fifth centuries, recalls that monks discovered the
extraordinary efficacy of the short incipit of Psalm 69: “God,
come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help me,” which from that time on
became as it were the gate of entry to the Liturgy of the Hours (cf. Conlationes,
10, 10: CPL 512, 298ff.).
So then the Liturgy of
the Hours has the character of a public prayer in which the Church is
specifically involved. It is enlightening to rediscover how she gradually came
to shape her specific commitment of prayer to coincide with the various phases
of day. To do so we must go back to the apostolic community in the days when
there was still a close connection between Christian prayer and the so-called
“legal prayers”, that is, those prescribed by Mosaic Law - which were prayed at
specific hours of the day in the temple of Jerusalem. From the book of Acts, we
know that the Apostles were in the habit of “attending the temple together”
(Acts 2: 46), and “going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth
hour” (3: 1). Moreover, we also know that the “legal prayers par
excellence” were those of the morning and the evening.
3. Jesus’ disciples
gradually identified certain Psalms as particularly appropriate for specific
moments of the day, week or year, finding in them a deep sense of the Christian
mystery. An authoritative witness of this process is St Cyprian, who writes in
the first half of the third century: “We must also pray at the beginning
of the day that the Resurrection of the Lord may be celebrated by morning prayer. The Holy Spirit once set this forth, when he
said in the Psalms: “O my king and my God. For to you will I pray:
O Lord, in the morning you shall hear my voice. In the morning I will stand
before you, and will see you’ (Ps 5: 3-4).... For since Christ is the true
Sun and the true Day, as the sun and the day of the world recede, when we pray
and petition that the light come upon us again, we pray for the coming of
Christ to provide us with the grace of eternal light” (De oratione dominica,
35: PL 39: 655).
4. The Christian tradition
is not limited to perpetuating Jewish practice but made certain innovations
which end by giving a different character to the entire prayer experience lived
by Jesus’ disciples. In fact, in addition to reciting the Our Father in
the morning and evening, the Christians freely chose the Psalms with which to
celebrate their daily prayer. Down through history, this process suggested the
use of specific Psalms for certain particularly significant moments of faith.
Among these, pride of place was held by the prayer of vigils, which
were a preparation for the Lord’s Day, Sunday, on which the Resurrection was
celebrated.
Later, a typically Christian
characteristic was the addition at the end of each Psalm and Canticle of the
Trinitarian doxology, “Glory be to the Father and to
the Son and to the Holy Spirit”. Thus every Psalm and Canticle is illumined by
God’s fullness.
5. Christian prayer is born,
nourished and develops around the event of faith par excellence: Christ’s
paschal mystery. Thus Easter, the Lord’s passing from death to life, is
commemorated in the morning, in the evening, at sunrise and at sunset. The
symbol of Christ, “Light of the world”, can be seen in the lamp light during
the prayer of Vespers, which is consequently also called “lucernarium”.
The hours of the day, in turn, recall the events of the Lord’s Passion,
and the third hour, the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as well.
Lastly, prayer during the night has an eschatological character,
recalling the watching recommended by Jesus in expectation of his second coming
(cf. Mk 13: 35-37).
Giving their prayer this
rhythm, Christians responded to the Lord’s command “to pray always” (cf. Lk
18: 1; 21: 36; 1 Thes 5: 17; Eph 6: 18), but without
forgetting that their whole life must, in a certain way, become a prayer. In
this regard, Origen writes: “One who prays ceaselessly is one who
combines prayer with work and work with prayer” (On Prayer, XII,
2: PG 11,
The whole panorama
constitutes the natural habitat of the recitation of the Psalms. If heard and
lived in this way, the Trinitarian doxology that crowns every Psalm
becomes for the believer in Christ a continual immersion in the waters of the
Spirit and in communion with the People of God, in the ocean of life and of
peace in which that people was immersed through Baptism, that is, in the
mystery of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The origins of the Liturgy of Vespers and the
symbolism of light
General Audience of John Paul II Wednesday, 8 October 2003
1. Since “every day of our
pilgrimage on earth is a gift ever new” of God’s love (Preface for Sundays
in Ordinary Time, VI), the Church has always felt the need to devote the
days and hours of human life to divine praise. Thus, for Christians, sunrise and
sunset, characteristically religious moments for every people and formerly made
sacred in the biblical tradition of offering a burnt sacrifice in the morning
and evening (cf. Ex 29: 38-39) and of burning incense (cf. Ex
30: 6-8), have been two special times of prayer since the earliest
centuries.
Precisely because they are
associated with the memory of the death and Resurrection of Christ, the two
Hours, Lauds and Vespers, constitute, “by the venerable tradition
of the universal Church,... the two hinges on which
the daily office turns” (Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 89a).
Indeed, Christians also know
that at nightfall God brightens the darkness of night with the radiance of his
presence and the light of his teachings. In this regard, we should remember the
very ancient lamp-lighting hymn, Fôs Hilarón, that is part of the Armenian and
Ethiopian Byzantine liturgies: “Joyful light of the Holy Glory of the
Father, immortal, heavenly, holy, blessed, O Jesus Christ! Now that we have
reached the sunset and gazed upon the light of the evening, let us sing praises
to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, God. It is right to praise
you always and at all times with harmonious voices, O Son of God, you who give
life to us: thus, the universe proclaims your glory”. The West also
composed many hymns celebrating Christ the Light.
Drawing inspiration from the
symbolism of light, the prayer of Vespers developed as an evening
sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for the gift of physical and spiritual
light, and for the other gifts of the Creation and the Redemption. St Cyprian
writes: “The sun has set and, with the dying day, once again we need to
pray. Indeed, since Christ is the true Sun, let us pray while the sun sets and
the day fades in this world, imploring that the light shine on us anew; and let
us call for the coming of Christ who will bring us the grace of eternal light”
(De Oratione Dominica, 35: PL 4, 560).
3. The evening is a
favourable time for reviewing our day before God in prayer. It is the time “to
give thanks for what has been given to us or for what we have been able to do
with rectitude” (St Basil, Regulae Fusius Tractatae, Resp. 37, 3: PG
3, 1015). It is also the time to ask forgiveness for all the evil we have done,
imploring divine mercy to obtain that Christ return with his radiance to our
hearts.
Yet the arrival of evening
also suggests the “mysterium noctis”. Twilight is perceived as a time of
frequent temptations, of particular weakness and of succumbing to the onslaught
of the Evil One. Night, with its hazards, becomes the symbol par excellence of
all the wickedness from which Christ came to set us free. On the other hand, at every nightfall, prayer allows us to share in the Easter
mystery in which “night is clear as day” (Exultet). So it is that prayer
makes hope flourish, the hope of passing from our ephemeral day into the dies
perennis, from uncertain lamplight to the lux perpetua, from our
watchful expectation of dawn, to the encounter with the King of eternal glory.
4. For the ancients even
more than for us, the succession of night and day regulated life, generating
thought on the great problems of life. Modern progress has partly changed the
relationship between human life and cosmic time, but its rapid pace has not
completely removed the people of today from the rhythms of the solar cycle.
Consequently, the two fulcra
of daily prayer have kept their full value, for they are tied to unchanging
phenomena and vivid symbols. The morning and evening are always appropriate
times to devote to prayer, both in the company of others and in private. Linked
to the important moments of our life and work, the Hours of Lauds and
Vespers thus prove an effective orientation for our daily journey, guiding
it to Christ, “the light of the world” (Jn 8: 12).
Vespers,
Prayer of Sunset
Structure of Evening Prayer in the Roman rite
General Audience Of John
Paul II
Wednesday, 15 October 2003
1. We know from numerous
testimonies that from the fourth century onwards Lauds and Vespers
had become an established institution in all the great Eastern and
Just as Lauds is
prayed at daybreak, so Vespers is prayed close to sunset, at the hour
when, in the
The various Churches,
following their respective traditions, organized the Divine Office in
accordance with their own rites. Here, let us consider the Roman rite.
2. The invocation Deus in
adiutorium in the first verse of Psalm 69 opens the prayer that St Benedict
prescribes for every Hour. The verse recalls that the grace to praise
God as befits him can come only from God. The “Glory
be to the Father” follows, because the glorification of the Trinity expresses
the essential approach of Christian prayer. Finally, except in Lent, the
Alleluia is added. This Hebrew word means “Praise the Lord” and,
for Christians, it has become a joyful manifestation of faith in the protection
that God reserves for his people.
The singing of the Hymn
is vibrant with the reasons for the Church’s praise in prayer, evoking with
poetic inspiration the mysteries wrought for the salvation of man at the hour
of Vespers and, in particular, the sacrificial work of Christ on the
Cross.
3. The Psalmody of
Vespers consists of two Psalms suitable for this hour and of a canticle from
the New Testament. The typology of the Psalms for Vespers displays various
nuances. There are Psalms that deal with the ritual lighting of the lamp in
which “evening”, the “lamp” or “light” are explicitly mentioned; Psalms that
express trust in God, the stable refuge in the precariousness of human life;
Psalms of thanksgiving and praise; Psalms from which flow the eschatological
meaning suggested by the end of the day; and others with a sapiential character
or penitential tones. We also find Psalms of the Hallel, with a
reference to the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. In the Latin Church,
elements have been handed down that facilitate the understanding of the Psalms
and their Christian interpretation, such as the themes, the psalm prayers and
especially the antiphons (cf. Principles and Norms for the Liturgy of the
Hours, nn. 110-120).
The brief
4. The Gospel Canticle of
the Blessed Virgin Mary is chanted (cf. Lk 1: 46-55) with great honour and
introduced by the sign of the Cross. Already attested by the Rule of St
Benedict (chapters 12 and 17), the custom of singing the Benedictus at
Lauds and the Magnificat at Vespers “is confirmed by the age-old and
popular tradition of the Roman Church” (Principles and Norms for the Liturgy
of the Hours, n. 50). In fact, these Canticles are exemplary for their
expression of the sense of praise and thanksgiving to God for his gift of
Redemption.
In the community celebration
of the Divine Office, the gesture of incensing the altar, the priest and the
people while the Gospel Canticles are being sung, is reminiscent - in light of
the Hebrew tradition of offering incense morning and evening on the altar of
incense - of the sacrificial character of the “sacrifice of praise” expressed
in the Liturgy of the Hours. Surrounding Christ in prayer, may we be
able to live personally what is said in the Letter to the Hebrews:
“Through him, then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (13: 15; cf. Ps 50[49];
14: 23; Hos 14: 2).
5. After the Canticle, the Intercessions
addressed to the Father or, sometimes, to Christ, express the supplicant
voice of the Church which is mindful of God’s solicitude for humanity, the work
of his hands. The character of the Intercessions at Evening Prayer is, in fact,
a petition for divine help: for people of every class, for the Christian
community and for civil society. Lastly comes the
remembrance of deceased faithful.
The liturgy of Vespers is
crowned in Jesus’ prayer, the Our Father, which sums up all the praise
and all the petitions of God’s children, reborn from water and the Spirit. At
the end of the day, Christian tradition has connected the forgiveness implored
from God in the Our Father and the brotherly reconciliation of men with
one another: the sun must never go down on anyone’s anger (cf. Eph
4: 26).
The prayer of Vespers
concludes with a Prayer which, in harmony with the crucified Christ,
expresses the entrustment of our lives into the hands of the Father, knowing
that his blessing will never be lacking.
Benedictus
General Audience Of John
Paul II
Wednesday, 1 October 2003
1. Having reached the end of
our long journey through the Psalms and Canticles of the Liturgy of Lauds, let
us pause to consider the prayer that marks the Office of Lauds every morning.
It is the Benedictus, the Canticle
intoned by Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, when the birth of that
son changed his life, wiping away the doubt that caused him to go mute, a
serious punishment for his lack of faith and praise.
Now, instead, Zechariah can
celebrate God who saves him, and he does so with this hymn, set down by Luke
the Evangelist in a form that undoubtedly reflects the liturgical usage current
in the original Christian community (cf. Lk 1: 68-79).
The Evangelist himself
describes it as a prophetic hymn, inspired by the breath of the Holy Spirit
(cf. 1: 67). Indeed, we have before us a benediction proclaiming the
saving actions and liberation offered by the Lord to his people. Thus, it is a
“prophetic” interpretation of history, the discovery of the intimate, profound
meaning of all human events that are guided by the hidden but active hand of
the Lord which clasps the more feeble and hesitant hands of men and women.
2. The text is solemn and,
in the original Greek, is composed of only two sentences (cf. 68-75; 76-79).
After the introduction, marked by the benediction of praise, we can identify in
the body of the Canticle, as it were, three strophes that exalt the same number
of themes, destined to mark the whole history of salvation: the covenant
with David (cf. vv. 68-71), the covenant with Abraham (cf. vv. 72-75) and the
Baptist who brings us into the new Covenant in Christ (cf. vv. 76-79). Indeed,
the tension of the whole prayer is a yearning for the goal that David and
Abraham indicate with their presence.
It culminates in one of the
last lines: “The day shall dawn upon us from on high...” (v.
78). This phrase, which at first sight seems
paradoxical with its association of “dawn” and “on high”, is actually full of
meaning.
3. Indeed, in the original
Greek, the “rising sun” is anatolè, a word which in itself means both
the light of the sun that shines on our planet and a new shoot that sprouts.
Both these images have messianic value in the biblical tradition.
On the one hand, Isaiah
reminds us, speaking of the Emmanuel, that “the people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Is 9: 1). On the other, referring
once again to the king-Emmanuel, he describes him as the “shoot from the stump
of Jesse”, that is, from the house of David, a shoot upon which the Spirit of
the Lord was to rest (cf. Is 11: 1-2).
With Christ, therefore,
appears the light that enlightens every creature (cf. Jn 1: 9) and makes
life flourish, as John the Evangelist was to say, combining the two realities:
“in him was life, and the life was the light of men” (1: 4).
4. Humanity that was
engulfed “in darkness and in the shadow of death” is illumined by this dazzling
revelation (cf. Lk 1: 79). As the Prophet Malachi had announced: “For you
who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays”
(3: 20). This sun “guides our feet into the way of peace” (Lk 1: 79).
So let us move on, taking
that light as our reference point; and may our faltering steps which, during
the day, often stray to dark and slippery paths, be sustained by the light of
the truth that Christ spreads in the world and in history.
At this point, let us listen
to a teacher of the Church, one of her Doctors, the Englishman Venerable Bede
(seventh-eighth centuries). In his Homily for the Birth of St John the
Baptist he commented on the Canticle of Zechariah as follows: “The Lord...
has visited us as a doctor visits the sick, because to heal the deep-rooted
sickness of our pride, he gave us the new example of his humility; he redeemed
his people, for at the price of his blood he set us free when we had become
servants of sin and slaves of the ancient enemy.... Christ found us lying “in
darkness and in the shadow of death’, that is, oppressed by the long-lasting
blindness of sin and ignorance.... He brought to us the true light of his
knowledge, and banishing the darkness of error, he has shown us the sure way to
the heavenly homeland. He has directed the steps of our actions to make us walk
on the path of truth, which he has pointed out to us, and to enable us to enter
the home of eternal peace, which he has promised us”.
5. Lastly, drawing from
other biblical texts, the Venerable Bede concluded, giving thanks for the gifts
received: “Given that we are in possession of these gifts of eternal
bounty, dear brethren... let us also praise the Lord at all times (cf. Ps
34[33]: 2), for “he has visited and redeemed his people’.
May praise be always on our
lips, let us cherish his memory and in turn, proclaim the virtue of the One who
has “called you [us] out of darkness into his marvellous light’ (I Pt
2: 9). Let us ceaselessly ask his help, so that he may preserve in us the
light of the knowledge that he brought to us, and lead us onwards to the day of
perfection” (Omelie sul Vangelo, Rome, 1990, pp. 464-465).
Magnificat
“My soul
glorifies the Lord’
BENEDICT XVI GENERAL
AUDIENCE Wednesday, 15 February 2006
1. We have now arrived at the final
destination of the long journey begun exactly five years ago in Spring 2001, by my beloved Predecessor, the unforgettable
Pope John Paul II. In his Catecheses, the great Pope wanted to cover the whole
sequence of the Psalms and Canticles that constitute the fundamental prayerful
fabric of the Liturgy of Lauds and Vespers. Having now reached the end of this
pilgrimage through the texts, similar to a stroll in a garden filled with
flowers of praise, invocation, prayer and contemplation, let us now make room
for that Canticle which seals in spirit every celebration
of Vespers: the Magnificat (Lk 1: 46-55).
It is a canticle that reveals in
filigree the spirituality of the biblical anawim, that is, of those
faithful who not only recognize themselves as “poor” in the detachment from all
idolatry of riches and power, but also in the profound humility of a heart
emptied of the temptation to pride and open to the bursting in of the divine
saving grace. Indeed, the whole Magnificat, which we have just heard the
Sistine Chapel Choir sing, is marked by this “humility”, in Greek tapeinosis,
which indicates a situation of material humility and poverty.
2. The first part of the Marian canticle
(cf. Lk 1: 46-50) is a sort of solo voice that rises to Heaven to reach
the Lord. The constant resonance of the first person should be noted: “My
soul... my spirit... my Saviour... has done great things for me... [they] will call me blessed...”. So it is that the soul of
the prayer is the celebration of the divine grace which has burst into the
heart and life of Mary, making her Mother of the Lord. We hear the Virgin’s own
voice speaking of her Saviour who has done great things in her soul and body.
The intimate structure of her prayerful
canticle, therefore, is praise, thanksgiving and grateful joy. But this
personal witness is neither solitary nor intimistic, purely individualistic,
because the Virgin Mother is aware that she has a mission to fulfil for
humanity and her experience fits into the history of salvation.
She can thus say: “And his mercy
is on those who fear him from generation to generation” (v. 50). With this
praise of the Lord, Our Lady gives a voice to all redeemed creatures, who find
in her “fiat”, and thus in the figure of Jesus, born of the Virgin, the mercy
of God.
3. It is at this point that the second
poetic and spiritual part of the Magnificat unfolds (cf. vv. 51-55). It
has a more choral tone, almost as if the voices of the whole community of the
faithful were associated with Mary’s voice, celebrating God’s amazing decision.
In the original Greek of Luke’s Gospel,
we have seven aorist verbs that indicate the same number of actions which the
Lord carries out repeatedly in history: “He has shown strength... he has
scattered the proud... he has put down the mighty... he has exalted those of
low degree... he has filled the hungry with good things... the rich he has sent
empty away... he has helped...
In these seven divine acts, the “style”
that inspires the behaviour of the Lord of history stands out: he takes
the part of the lowly. His plan is one that is often hidden beneath the opaque
context of human events that see “the proud, the mighty and the rich” triumph.
Yet his secret strength is destined in
the end to be revealed, to show who God’s true favourites are: “Those who
fear him”, faithful to his words: “those of low degree”, “the hungry”,
“his servant Israel”; in other words, the community of the People of God who,
like Mary, consist of people who are “poor”, pure and simple of heart. It is
that “little flock” which is told not to fear, for the Lord has been pleased to
give it his Kingdom (cf. Lk 12: 32). And this Canticle invites us to join
the tiny flock and the true members of the People of God in purity and
simplicity of heart, in God’s love.
4. Let us therefore accept the
invitation that St Ambrose, the great Doctor of the Church, addresses to us in
his commentary on the text of the Magnificat: “May Mary’s soul be
in each one to magnify the Lord, may Mary’s spirit be in each one to rejoice in
God; if, according to the flesh, the Mother of Christ is one alone, according
to the faith all souls bring forth Christ; each, in fact, welcomes the Word of
God within.... Mary’s soul magnifies the Lord and her spirit rejoices in God
because, consecrated in soul and spirit to the Father and to the Son, she
adores with devout affection one God, from whom come all things and only one
Lord, by virtue of whom all things exist” (Exposition of the Holy Gospel
according to Saint Luke, 2: 26-27: SAEMO, XI, Milan-Rome,
1978, p. 169).
In this marvellous commentary on the Magnificat
by St Ambrose, I am always especially moved by the surprising words:
“If, according to the flesh the Mother of Christ is one alone, according to the
faith all souls bring forth Christ: indeed, each one intimately welcomes
the Word of God”. Thus, interpreting Our Lady’s very words, the Holy Doctor
invites us to ensure that the Lord can find a dwelling place in our own souls
and lives. Not only must we carry him in our hearts, but we must bring him to
the world, so that we too can bring forth Christ for our epoch. Let us pray the
Lord to help us praise him with Mary’s spirit and soul, and to bring Christ
back to our world.
PSALM 5:2-10,12-13
Wednesday
30 May 2001
1. “In the morning you hear
me; in the morning I offer you my prayer watching and waiting” (v. 4). These words make Psalm
“No one except the Church
possesses such confidence” (Jerome, 59th Treatise on the Psalms, 5,27: PL 26,829). St Augustine, calling our attention to the
title given the Psalm, which reads in the Latin version: For her who
receives the inheritance, says: “It refers to the Church who receives
the inheritance of eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, so that she
possesses God himself, adheres to him, and finds her happiness in him, in
keeping with what is written: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit
the earth’ (Mt 5,5)”, (Enarr. in ps. 5: CCL 38,1,
2-3).
2. As often happens in the
Psalms of “supplication” addressed to the Lord to be freed from evil, three
persons come into the picture in the Psalm. Above all, God appears (vv.
2-7), he is the real You to whom the person
praying turns with confidence. A certainty emerges in the face of the worries
of a tiring and perhaps dangerous day. The Lord is a God who is consistent,
just in the face of injustice, far removed from any compromise with evil:
“You are not a God who delights in wickedness” (v. 5).
A long list of evil persons
the boastful, the foolish, evildoers, the liar, the bloodthirsty, the deceitful pass before the Lord’s gaze. He is the holy
and just God and he is on the side of the one who follows his way of truth and
love, opposing the one who “chooses the paths which lead to the kingdom of
shadows” (cf. Prv 2,18). The faithful person will not
feel alone and abandoned when he will confront the city, taking his part in
society and in the tangled web of daily affairs.
From his morning prayer in
the temple, the faithful one receives the interior energy to face an often
hostile world. The Lord himself will take him by the hand and lead him through
the streets of the city, even more, he “will make straight his way” before him,
as the Psalmist says with a simple but provocative image. In the orginal Hebrew
text such serene confidence is based on two terms (hésed and sedaqáh):
“mercy or fidelity” on the one hand, and “justice or salvation” on the other.
They are the typical words to celebrate the covenant that unites the Lord with
his people and with each believer.
4. Finally, we see outlined
on the horizon the dark figure of the third character of the daily drama:
they are the enemies, the evil ones, who were already in the
background in the preceding verses. After the “You” of God and the “I” of the
person who prays, there is now a “They” that indicates a hostile group, symbol
of the evil of the world (vv. 10-11). Their physiognomy is sketched on the
basis of the word, the fundamental element in social communication. Four
elements mouth, heart, throat and tongue express the radical nature of the
inner malice of their choices. Their mouth is full of falsehood, their heart
constantly plots perfidy, their throat is like an open tomb, quick to wish only
death, their seductive tongue is “full of deadly poison” (Jas 3,8).
5. After such a bitter and
realistic picture of the perverse person who attacks the just one, the Psalmist
invokes the divine condemnation in a verse (v. 11) which the Christian use of
the Psalm omits, since the Church wants to be conformed to the New Testament
revelation of merciful love, which offers to the evil one the possibility of
conversion.
The prayer of the Psalmist
at this point comes to an end full of light and peace (vv. 12-13) after the
dark profile of the sinner just drawn. A wave of serenity and joy wraps the one
who is faithful to the Lord. The day which now begins, opens up before the
believer. Even though it may be marked by effort and anxieties, it will always
have over it the sun of divine blessing. The Psalmist, who knows the heart and
style of God profoundly, has no doubt: “Lord, you bless the just; you
cover him with benevolence as with a shield” (v. 13).
Wednesday 26 June 2002
How Great Is Your Name through all the earth
Psalm 8, Lauds on Saturday of the second week of the year
1.
“Man ..., at the heart of this enterprise, is revealed to us as gigantic.
He seems to be divine, not in himself, but in his beginning and his end.
Honour, therefore, to man, honour to his dignity, to his spirit, to his life”.
With these words, in July 1969, Paul VI entrusted to the American astronauts
leaving for the moon the text of Psalm 8, just proclaimed for us, so that it
might enter into the cosmic spaces (cf. Insegnamenti, [1969], pp.
493-494, ORE, 17 July 1969, p. 1).
In
fact, this hymn celebrates the human person, a minute creature when compared to
the immensity of the universe, a fragile “reed” to use a famous image of the
great philosopher Blaise Pascal (Pensieri, n. 264). And yet he is a
“thinking reed” who can understand creation, insofar as he is the lord of
creation, “crowned” by God himself (cf. Ps. 8,6). As
is often the case with hymns exalting the Creator, Psalm 8 begins and ends with
a solemn antiphon addressed to the Lord, whose magnificence is disseminated in
the universe: “O Lord, our God, how great is your name through all the
earth” (cf. vv. 2,10).
2.
The body of the canticle itself seems to assume a nocturnal atmosphere, with
the moon and the stars that light up in the sky. The first strophe of the hymn
(cf. vv. 2-5) is dominated by the comparison between God, the human being and
the cosmos. First of all, the Lord appears on the scene, whose glory is sung by
the heavens, but also by the lips of humanity. The praise that rises
spontaneously on the lips of children cancels and confounds the presumptuous
discourses of those who deny God (cf. v. 3). They are described as “foes,
enemies, avengers”, because they delude themselves by challenging and opposing
the Creator with their reason and their actions (cf. Ps. 13 [14],1).
Then,
right afterwards, the impressive scene of a starry night opens. In the face of
such an infinite horizon, the eternal question arises, “What are human beings”
(Ps 8,5). The first and immediate answer speaks of
nullity, either in relation to the immensity of the heavens or, above all, with
regard to the majesty of the Creator. In fact, the Psalmist says, the heavens
are “yours”, you set the moon and the stars, they are “the work of your
fingers” (cf. v. 4). This last expression is beautiful, rather than the more
common “works of your hands” (cf. v. 7): God has created this colossal
reality with the ease and refinement of an embroidery or chisel, with the light
touch of a harpist who glides his fingers over the cords.
3.
The first reaction, there, is of dismay: how can God “remember” and be
“mindful” of this creature who is so fragile and so
little (cf. v. 5)? But here is the great surprise: God has given the
human person, the weak creature, a wonderful dignity: he has made him a
little less than the angels or, as the original Hebrew can be translated, a
little less than a god (cf. v. 6).
Thus
we enter the second strophe of the Psalm (cf. vv. 6-10). Man is seen as the
royal lieutenant of the Creator himself. God, indeed, has “crowned” him as a
viceroy, giving him a universal lordship. “You have ... put all things under
his feet” and the adjective “all” resounds while the various creatures file
past (cf. vv. 7-9). However, this dominion is not conquered by man’s capacity,
fragile and limited reality, nor is it obtained either by a victory over God,
as the Greek myth of Prometheus intended. It is a dominion given by God:
to the fragile and often egotistic hands of man God entrusts the entire range
of creatures so that he will preserve them in harmony and beauty, use them but
not abuse them, reveal their secrets and develop their potential.
As
the Pastoral Constitution
Gaudium et spes of the Second Vatican
Council states, “man was created in the image of God, is capable of knowing and
loving his Creator, and was appointed by him as master of all earthly creatures
that he might subdue them and use them for God’s glory” (n. 12).
4. Unfortunately, the
selfish person, often revealed to be a mad tyrant and not a wise and
intelligent ruler, can misunderstand and deform the dominion of the human
person, affirmed in Psalm 8. The Book of Wisdom warns against deviations of
this kind, when it specifies that God has “established man to rule the
creatures produced by you, to govern the world in holiness and justice” (Wis 9,2-3). Although in a different context, Job also refers to
our Psalm to recall in particular human weakness, which does not merit so much
attention from God: “What is man, that you make much of him, or pay him
any heed? You observe him with each new day” (Jb 7,17-18).
History documents the evil that human freedom disseminates in the world with
environmental disasters and the most awful social injustices.
As opposed to human beings
who humiliate their own and creation, Christ appears as the perfect man (si
presenta come l’uomo perfetto), “crowned with glory and honour because he
suffered death ... that by the grace of God he might taste death for the good
of all” (Heb 2,9). He reigns over the universe with
that dominion of peace and love that prepares the new world, the new heavens
and the new earth (cf.
Christ is not a sovereign
who makes himself be served, but who serves and consecrates himself for
others: “The Son of man came not be served but to serve and give his life
as a ransom for the many” (Mk 10,45). In this way, he
recapitulates in himself “all things ... in heaven and on earth” (Eph 1,10). In this Christological light, Psalm 8 reveals all the
force of its message and of its hope, inviting us to exercise our sovereignty
over creation not as dominion but as love.
Wednesday,
24 September 2003
Psalm 8
O Lord, our Lord!
Indeed, the Bible invites us
to start our day with a hymn that not only proclaims the marvels wrought by God
and our response of faith, but celebrates them with “music” (cf. Ps
47[46]: 8), that is, in a beautiful, luminous way, gentle and strong at
the same time.
Psalm 8 is the most splendid
example of all; in it, man, engulfed in night, feels like a grain of sand
compared to infinity and the boundless space that arches above him, when the
moon rises and the stars begin to twinkle in the vast expanse of the heavens
(cf. v. 4).
Yet on the other hand, God
bends down to man and crowns him as his viceroy: “you crown him with glory and
honour” (v. 6). Indeed, he entrusts the whole universe to this frail creature,
so that he may draw from it knowledge and the means for his survival (cf. vv.
7-9).
The horizon of man’s
dominion over the other creatures is specified, as it were, recalling the
opening page of Genesis: flocks, herds, the beasts of the field, the
birds of the air, the fish of the sea were entrusted to man so that in giving
them a name (cf. Gn 2: 19-20), he might discover their profound reality,
respect it and transform it through work, perfecting it so that it might become
a source of beauty and of life. The Psalm makes us aware of our greatness, but
also of our responsibility for creation (cf.
3. Reinterpreting Psalm 8,
the author of the Letter to the Hebrews discovered in it a deeper
understanding of God’s plan for humankind. The human vocation cannot be
restricted to the “here and now” of the earthly world; if the Psalmist says
that God has put all things under man’s feet, this means that he also
wants him to subdue “the world to come” (Heb 2: 5), the “kingdom that
cannot be shaken” (12: 28). In short, man’s call is a “heavenly call”
(3: 1). God wants “[to bring] to glory” in heaven “many sons”
(2: 10). In order for this divine plan to take place, God had to trace out
the life of “a pioneer” (cf. ibid.), in which the human vocation could
find its first complete fulfilment. This pioneer is Christ.
The author of the Letter
to the Hebrews remarked on this subject that the Psalm’s words apply in a
privileged way to Christ, that is, more specifically to him than to other men.
In fact, the Psalmist uses the verb “to make less”, saying to God: “you made
him for a little while lower than the angels, you crowned him with glory and
honour” (cf. Ps 8: 6; Heb 2: 6). For ordinary people this verb is
inappropriate: they have not been “made lower” than the angels since they were
never above them.
Instead, for Christ it is
the right verb, because he was above the angels as the Son of God, and was made
lower when he became man; then he was crowned with glory in his Resurrection.
Thus, Christ fulfilled completely the vocation of man and, the author explains,
he has done this “for every one” (Heb 2: 9).
These are the words of this
great Father of the Church in his Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam [Exposition
of the Gospel according to Luke]: “The Lord has also crowned his beloved with
glory and magnificence. That God who desires to
distribute crowns, procures temptations: thus, when you are tempted, know that
he is preparing a crown for you. Abolish the heroic fight of the martyrs and
you will abolish their crowns; abolish their suffering and you will abolish
their blessedness” (cf. IV, 41: SAEMO 12, pp. 330-333).
God weaves that “crown of
righteousness” for us (II Tm 4: 8) as the reward for our fidelity to him
which we were able to preserve, even when storms batter our heart and mind. But
in all seasons he is attentive to his beloved creature and wants the divine
“image” to shine perpetually in him (cf. Gn 1: 26), so as to radiate a sign of
harmony, light and peace in the world.
PSALM 11
Psalm 11[10]
A prayer of trust to the
Lord
who is not indifferent to right
and wrong
1. We continue our
reflection on the Psalms, which comprise the essential element of the Liturgy
of Vespers. We have just made ring out in our hearts Psalm 11[10], a brief
prayer of trust that, in the original Hebrew, is studded with the holy name ‘Adonaj,
the Lord. This name echoes at the beginning (cf. v. 1), is found three
times at the heart of the Psalm (cf. vv. 4-5), and returns at the end (cf. v.
7).
The spiritual key of the
entire psalm is well-expressed in the concluding verse: “For the Lord is
just, he loves just deeds”. This is the root of all trust and the source of all
hope on the day of darkness and trial. God is not indifferent to right and
wrong: he is a good God and not a dark, incomprehensible, mysterious
destiny.
2. The psalm unfolds
substantially in two scenes: in the first (cf. vv. 1-3), the wicked man is
described in his apparent victory. He is portrayed in the guise of a warrior or
hunter: the evildoer bends his long or hunter’s
bow to violently strike his victim, that is, the just one (cf. v. 2). The
latter, therefore, is tempted by the thought of escape to free himself from such a merciless fate. He would rather flee “to
the mountain like a bird” (v. 1), far from the vortex of evil, from the
onslaught of the wicked, from the slanderous darts launched by treacherous
sinners.
There is a kind of
discouragement in the faithful one who feels alone and powerless before the
irruption of evil. The pillars of a just social order seem shaken, and the very
foundations of human society undermined (cf. v. 3).
3. Now, the turning point
comes in sight, outlined in the second scene (cf. vv. 4-7). The Lord, seated on
the heavenly throne, takes in the entire human horizon with his penetrating
gaze. From that transcendent vantage point, sign of the divine omniscience and
omnipotence, God is able to search out and examine every person, distinguishing
the righteous from the wicked and forcefully condemning injustice (cf. vv.
4-5).
The image of the divine eye
whose pupil is fixed and attentive to our actions is very evocative and
consoling. The Lord is not a distant king, closed in his gilded world, but
rather is a watchful Presence who sides with goodness and justice. He sees and
provides, intervening by word and action.
The righteous person
foresees that, as happened in
4. The Psalm, however, does
not end with this tragic image of punishment and condemnation. The final verse
opens onto a horizon of light and peace intended for the righteous one who
contemplates his Lord, a just Judge, but especially a merciful liberator:
“the upright shall see his face” (Ps 11[10]: 7). This is an experience of
joyful communion and of serene trust in God who frees from evil.
Down through history,
countless righteous people have had a similar experience. Many stories tell of
the trust of Christian martyrs during torment and their steadfastness that kept
them firm in trial.
In the Atti de Euplo,
the deacon martyr from
PSALM 15
To dwell on “your holy
mountain’
1. Psalm 15[14] that is
presented for our reflection is often classified by biblical scholars as part
of an “entrance” liturgy. Like several other compositions in the Psaltery (cf.,
for example, Psalms 23; 25; 94), it prompts us to imagine a sort of procession
of the faithful jostling to pass through the door of the Temple of Zion to have
access to worship. An ideal dialogue between the faithful and the Levites
outlines the indispensable conditions for admittance to the liturgical
celebration, hence, to intimacy with God.
Indeed, on the one hand is
raised the question: “O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell
on your holy mountain?” (Ps 15[14]: 1). On the other, there follows a list of
qualities required to cross the threshold that leads to the “tent”, that is,
the temple on the “holy mountain” of Zion. Eleven qualities are listed that
make up an id
2. The conditions required
for entering the sacred hall were sometimes engraved on the façades of Egyptian
and Babylonian temples. But there is a significant difference compared to those
suggested by our Psalm. Many religious cultures require above all for
admittance to the divinity an external ritual purity which entails special
ablutions, gestures and garb.
Psalm 15[14], instead,
demands a clear conscience so that the person’s decisions may be devoted to
love of justice and of one’s neighbour. Therefore, we can feel in these verses
the vibrant spirit of the prophets who continually invite people to combine
faith and life, prayer and existential commitment, adoration and social justice
(cf. Is 1: 10-20; 33: 14-16; Hos 6: 6; Mi 6: 6-8; Jer 6: 20).
Let us listen, for example,
to the admonition of the Prophet Amos who in God’s name denounces worship that
is detached from daily history: “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no
delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt
offerings... I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted
beasts I will not look upon.... But let justice roll down like waters, and
righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Am 5: 21-22, 24).
3. We now come to the 11
requirements listed by the Psalmist, which can constitute the basis for a
personal examination of conscience every time we prepare ourselves to confess
our sins in order to be admitted to communion with the Lord in the liturgical
celebration.
The first three conditions
are of a general kind and express an ethical choice: to follow the path of
moral integrity, to do what is right and, lastly, to speak with perfect
sincerity (cf. Ps 15[14]: 2).
Three duties follow. We
could describe them as relations with our neighbour: to abstain from slander,
to avoid every action that could harm our brethren and to refrain every day
from reproaching those who live beside us (cf. v. 3). Then comes the request
for a clear choice of position in the social context: to despise the reprobate,
to honour those who fear God. Finally, a list follows of the last three
precepts on which to make an examination of conscience: to keep one’s word or
an oath faithfully, despite damaging consequences for ourselves; not to
practise usury, a scourge that is also a reality in our time and has a
stranglehold on many peoples’ lives; and lastly, to avoid all forms of
corruption in public life, another commitment that we should also be able to
practise rigorously today (cf. v. 5).
4. Following this path of
authentic moral choices means being ready to meet the Lord. In his Sermon on
the Mount, Jesus also proposed his essential “entrance” liturgy: “If you
are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has
something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be
reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5: 23-24).
Those who act in accordance
with the Psalmist’s instructions, our prayer concludes, “shall never be moved”
(Ps 15[14]: 5). In his Tractatus super Psalmos St Hilary of
PSALM 16
Psalm 16[15]
My happiness lies in you
alone
1. After hearing it and
making it a prayer, we have the opportunity to meditate on a Psalm that is
charged with strong spiritual tension. Despite the difficulties the original
Hebrew text presents, especially in the first verses, Psalm 16[15] is a
luminous canticle with a mystical dimension, as the profession of faith at the
beginning immediately suggests: “You are my God. My happiness lies in you
alone” (v. 2). Thus, God is seen as the only good, and so the person of prayer
chooses to rank himself with the community of all those who are faithful to the
Lord: “He has put into my heart a marvellous love for the faithful ones who
dwell in his land” (v. 3). This is why the Psalmist radically rejects the
temptation of idolatry with its offerings of blood and its blasphemous
invocations (cf. v. 4).
It is a clear and decisive
choice of sides that seems to echo the choice expressed in Psalm 72, another
hymn of trust in God acquired through a strong and deeply-felt moral choice.
“What else have I in heaven but you? Apart from you I want nothing on earth....
To be near God is my happiness. I have made the Lord God my refuge” (Ps 73[72]:
25, 28).
2. Our Psalm develops two
themes that are expressed through three symbols.
First of all, there is the
symbol of the “heritage”, a term that serves as the framework of verses 5 and
6: indeed, the Psalm speaks of “heritage”, “cup”, “lot”. These words were used
to describe the gift of the Promised Land to the People of Israel. We now know
that the Levites were the only tribe that did not receive a portion of land
because the Lord himself constituted their heritage. Indeed, the Psalmist
declares: “O Lord, it is you who are my portion.... The lot marked out for me
is my delight” (Ps 16[15]: 5, 6). Thus, he gives us the impression that he is a
priest proclaiming his joy in being dedicated to serving God without reserve.
3. Perfect and continuous
communion with the Lord constitutes the second theme. The Psalmist expresses
the firm hope that he will be preserved from death and be able to stay close to
God, something that is no longer possible in death (cf. Ps 6: 6; 88[87]: 6).
Yet, his words set no limits on this preservation; on the contrary, they can be
understood along the lines of a victory over death that is an assurance of
eternal intimacy with God.
Two symbols are used by the
person of prayer. In the first place it is the body he calls to mind: exegetes
tell us that the original Hebrew (cf. Ps 16[15]: 7-10) refers to “loins”, a
symbol of the most secret passions and hidden inner feelings, to the “right
hand”, a sign of strength, to the “heart”, the seat of the conscience, even to
the “liver” that expresses emotionality, to “flesh” that points to the frail
existence of human beings and lastly, to the “breath of life”.
This is consequently a
representation of the “whole being” of the person who is not absorbed or
annihilated in the corruption of the grave (cf. v. 10), but is kept fully alive
and happy with God.
4. Here, then, is the second
symbol of Psalm 16[15]: the “path”: “you will show me the path of life” (v.
11). It is the way that leads to “fullness of joy in your [the divine]
presence”, “at your [the Lord’s] right hand, happiness for ever”. These words
fit perfectly into an interpretation that broadens the prospect to the hope of
communion with God beyond death, in eternal life.
At this point it is easy to
perceive that the New Testament incorporated this Psalm in connection with the
Resurrection of Christ. In his discourse on Pentecost, St Peter quotes
precisely from the second part of the hymn with an enlightening paschal and
Christological application: “God raised him [Jesus of Nazareth] up, having
loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by
it” (Acts 2: 24).
PSALM 19a
Psalm 18, God Creator
creates brilliance of Sun
1. The sun, with its
increasing brilliance in the heavens, the splendour of its light, the
beneficial warmth of its rays, has captivated humanity from the outset. In many
ways human beings have shown their gratitude for this source of life and well-being,
with an enthusiasm that often reaches the peaks of true poetry. The wonderful
psalm, 18[19], whose first part has just been proclaimed, is not only a
prayerful hymn of extraordinary intensity; it is also a poetic song addessed to
the sun and its radiance on the face of the earth. In this way the Psalmist
joins the long series of bards of the ancient
But, for the man of the
Bible, there is a radical difference in regard to these hymns to the sun:
The sun is not a god but a creature at the service of the one God and Creator.
It is enough to think of the words of Genesis: “God said, “Let there be
lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and
let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.... God made the
two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to
rule the night.... And God saw that it it was good” (Gn 1, 14,16,18).
2. Before examining the
verses of the Psalm chosen by the liturgy, let us take a look at it as a whole.
Psalm 18[19] is like a diptych: in the first part (vv. 2-7) - that has
today become our prayer - we find a hymn to the Creator, whose mysterious
greatness is manifest in the sun and in the moon. In the second part of the
Psalm (vv. 8-15), instead, we find a sapiential hymn to the Torah, the
Law of God.
A common theme runs through
both parts: God lights the world with the brilliance of the sun and
illuminates humanity with the splendour of his word contained in biblical
Revelation. It is almost like a double sun: the first is a cosmic
epiphany of the Creator; the second is a free and historical manifestation of
God our Saviour. It is not by chance that the Torah, the divine Word, is
described with “solar” features: “The commandment of the Lord is
pure, enlightening the eyes” (v. 9).
3. But let us now examine
the first part of the Psalm. It begins with a wonderful personification
of the heavens, that to the sacred author appear as
eloquent witnesses to the creative work of God (vv. 2-5). Indeed, they
“narrate”, or “proclaim” the marvels of the divine work (cf. v. 2). Day and
night are also portrayed as messengers that transmit the great news of
creation. Their witness is a silent one, but makes itself forcefully felt, like
a voice that resounds throughout the cosmos.
With the interior gaze of
the soul, men and women can discover that the world is not dumb but speaks of
the Creator when their interior spiritual vision, their religious intuition, is
not taken up with superficiality. As the ancient sage says: “from the
greatness and beauty of created things their original author is seen by
analogy” (Wis 13,5).
4. The hymn then yields
place to the sun. The shining globe is depicted by the inspired poet as a
warrior hero who emerges from the marital chamber where he spent the night,
that is, he comes forth from the heart of darkness and begins his unwearying
course through the heavens (vv. 6-7). The sun is compared to an athlete, who
does not know rest or fatigue, while our entire planet is enveloped in its
irresistible warmth.
So the sun is compared to a
bridegroom, a hero, a champion, who, by divine command, must perform a daily
task, a conquest and a race in the starry spaces. And here the Psalmist points
to the sun, blazing in the open sky, while the whole earth is wrapped in its heat, the air is still, no point of the horizon can escape
its light.
5. The solar imagery of the
Psalm is taken up by the Christian liturgy of Easter to describe Christ’s
triumphant exodus from the dark tomb and his entry into the fullness of the new
life of the Resurrection. At Matins for Holy Saturday, the Byzantine liturgy
sings: “As the sun rises after the night in the dazzling brightness of
renewed light, so you also, O Word, will shine with new brightness, when after
death, you leave your nuptial bed”. An Ode (the first) for Matins of Easter
links the cosmic revelation with the Easter event of Christ: “Let
the heavens rejoice and the earth exult with them
because the whole universe, visible and invisible, takes part in the
feast: Christ, our everlasting joy, is risen”.
And another Ode (the third) adds: “Today the whole universe, heaven,
earth, and abyss, is full of light and the entire creation sings the
resurrection of Christ our strength and our joy”. Finally, another (the
fourth), concludes: “Christ our Passover is risen from the tomb like a
sun of justice shining upon all of us with the splendour of his charity”.
The Roman liturgy is not as
explicit as the Eastern in comparing Christ to the sun. Yet it describes the
cosmic repercussions of his Resurrection, when it begins the chant of Lauds on
Easter morning with the famous hymn: “Aurora lucis rutilat, caelum
resultat laudibus, mundus exultans iubilat, gemens infernus ululat” - “The
dawn has spread her crimson rays, And heaven rings with shouts of praise; The
glad earth shouts her triumph high, And groaning hell makes wild reply”.
6. The Christian
interpretation of the Psalm, however, does not invalidate its basic message,
that is an invitation to discover the divine word present in creation. Of
course, as stated in the second half of the Psalm, there is another and more
exalted Word, more precious than light itself, that of biblical Revelation.
Anyway, for those who have
attentive ears and open eyes, creation is like a first revelation that has its
own eloquent language: it is almost another sacred book whose letters are
represented by the multitude of created things present in the universe. St John
Chrysostom says: “The silence of the heavens is a voice that resounds
louder than a trumpet blast: this voice cries out to our eyes and not to
our ears, the greatness of Him who made them” (PG 49, 105). And St
Athanasius says: “The firmament with its magnificence, its beauty, its
order, is an admirable preacher of its Maker, whose eloquence fills the
universe” (PG 27, 124).
PSALM 20
“Grant victory, O Lord!’
1. The final invocation:
“Give victory to the king, O Lord, give answer on the day we call” (Ps 20[19]: 10), reveals to us the origin
of Psalm
20[19] that we have just heard and
upon which we will now meditate. We are looking, therefore, at a royal Psalm of
ancient
It is easy to understand how
Christian tradition transformed this Psalm into a hymn to Christ the King, the
“consecrated one” par excellence, “the Messiah” (cf. v. 7). He comes
into the world without armies, but with the strength of the Spirit. He launches
the definitive attack against evil and guile, against arrogance and pride,
against lies and egoism. The words Christ addressed to Pilate, emblem of
sovereign earthly power, reverberate in our ears: “I am a king. For this I was
born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.
Every one who is of the truth hears my voice” (Jn 18: 37).
The prayer is deeply marked
by the conviction that the Lord is the source of security: he goes to meet the
confident desire of the king and of the entire community, bound by the terms of
the covenant. The threat of war hangs in the air, with all the fears and risks
to which it gives rise. The Word of God does not appear as an abstract message,
but rather a voice that adapts to humanity’s miseries, great and small. It is
for this that the Psalm uses military language and reflects the oppressive
climate of war in
However, it clearly
expresses a contrast between the position of the enemies, who depend on the
material strength of their chariots and horses, and that of the Israelites, who
place their trust in God; for this they are victorious. Immediately the mind’s
eye sees the famous scene of David and Goliath: against the weapons and the
arrogance of the Philistine warrior, the young Hebrew calls upon the name of
the Lord, who defends the weak and defenceless. In fact, David says to Goliath:
“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin; but I come to
you in the name of the Lord of hosts... the Lord saves not with sword and
spear; for the battle is the Lord’s” (I Sam 17: 45, 47).
4. Although tied to the
logic of battle in its historical reality, the Psalm can be taken as an
invitation never to allow oneself to be attracted by violence. Isaiah himself
exclaimed: “Woe to those who... rely on horses, who trust in chariots because
they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to
the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord” (Is 31: 1).
The righteous one
counteracts every form of evil with faith, goodness, forgiveness, the offering
of peace. The Apostle Paul will advise Christians: “Repay no one evil for evil,
but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all” (Rom 12: 17). When commenting on our Psalm, Eusebius of
Caesarea, a Church historian of the early centuries (3rd-4th centuries), will
extend his gaze even to the evil of death that the Christian knows he is able
to overcome by Christ’s doing: “All evil powers and the enemies of God, hidden
and invisible, who have turned their backs and fled from the same Saviour, will
fall. Instead, all those who have received salvation will rise from their
ancient ruin. For this, Simeon said: He “is set for the fall and rising of
many’ (Lk 2: 34): that is, for the
destruction of his enemies and for the resurrection of those who have fallen
but through him have risen” (PG 23, 197).
PSALM 21:2-8,14
Wednesday,
17 March 2004
Psalm 21[20]
“For the king trusts in the
Lord!’
1. At the heart of Psalm
21[20], the Liturgy of Vespers has left out the part we have just heard and omitted
another section with an imprecatory tone (cf. vv. 9-13). The remaining
preserved part speaks in the past and in the present of the favours God has
granted the king, while the omitted part speaks of his future victory over his
enemies.
The text that is the subject
of our meditation (cf. vv. 2-8, 14) belongs to the category of the royal
Psalms. It is therefore centred on God’s work for the Hebrew sovereign, perhaps
portrayed on the solemn day of his enthronement. At the beginning (cf. v. 2)
and at the end (cf. v. 14), the acclamation of the entire gathering almost
seems to ring out, whereas the heart of the canticle has the tone of a
thanksgiving hymn which the Psalmist addresses to God for the favours he has
granted the king: “goodly blessings” (v. 4), “length of days” (v. 5), “glory”
(v. 6) and “joy” (v. 7).
It is easy to perceive that
this hymn, as occurred with other royal Psalms in the Psaltery, was given a new
interpretation when the monarchy in
2. However, let us first
take a look at the original meaning of the text. Given the solemnity of the
event, we breathe a joyful atmosphere in which songs ring out: ”In
your strength the king rejoices, O Lord; and in your help how greatly he
exults!... We will sing and praise your power” (vv. 2, 14).
Then comes
a reference to God’s gifts to the sovereign: God has heard his prayers
(cf. v. 3), sets a crown of gold upon his head (cf. v. 4). The splendour of the
king relates to the divine light that enfolds him like a protective mantle:
“Splendour and majesty do you bestow upon him” (v. 6).
In the ancient Near East, it
was believed that kings were encircled by a luminous halo that testified to
their participation in the very essence of divinity. Of course, for the Bible
the sovereign is indeed a “son” of God (cf. Ps 2: 7), but only in the
metaphorical and adoptive sense. Thus, he must be the lieutenant of the Lord
who safeguards justice. It is for this very mission that God surrounds him with
his beneficial light and blessing.
3. The blessing is an
important subject in this brief hymn: “You meet him with goodly
blessings... you make him most blessed for ever (Ps 21[20]: 4, 7). The blessing
is a sign of the divine presence active in the king, who thereby becomes a
reflection of God’s light in humanity’s midst.
The blessing in the biblical
tradition also includes the gift of life, which is precisely poured out upon
the consecrated person: ”He asked life of you;
you gave it to him, length of days for ever and ever” (v. 5). The Prophet
Nathan had also assured David of this blessing, a source of stability, support
and safety, and David had prayed in these words: “May it please you to bless
the house of your servant, that it may continue for ever before you; for you, O
Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant
be blessed for ever!” (II Sam 7: 29).
4. As we recite this Psalm,
we can discern behind the portrait of the Hebrew king the silhouette of the
face of Christ, the Messianic King. He “reflects the glory” of the Father (Heb
1: 3). He is the Son in the full sense of the word, and therefore, the perfect
presence of God in humanity’s midst. He is light and life, as
Along these lines, St
Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, commenting on this Psalm, was to apply the theme of
life (cf. Ps 21[20]: 5) to Christ’s Resurrection: “Why does the Psalmist
say: ”Life you have asked for’, since Christ was about to die? In this
way, the Psalmist proclaims his Resurrection from the dead and his immortality
after rising from th dead. In fact,
he entered life in order to rise again, and through the space of time in
eternity, so as to be incorruptible” (Esposizione della Predicazione
Apostolica, 72, Milan, 1979, p. 519).
It is also on the basis of
this certitude that Christians foster their hope in the gift of eternal life.
PSALM 24
Psalm 23 (24)
The Lord enters his
temple!
(Lauds on Tuesday of the
first week of the four week psalter)
1. The ancient chant of the
People of God that we just heard, resounded in the
The first is the truth of
creation: God has created the world and is its Lord. The second is the
judgement to which he submits his creatures: we must appear before him
and be questioned about what we have done. The third is the mystery of God’s
coming: he comes into the universe and into history and desires to be
free to establish a relationship of intimate communion with human beings. A
modern commentator said: “These are the three elementary forms of the
experience of God and of our relationship with God; we live by the work of God,
we live before God and we can live with God” (G. Ebeling, On the Psalms, [see
in the Italian text Sui Salmi, Brescia, 1973, p. 97]).
2. The three parts of Psalm
23 correspond to these three basic premises that we will now examine,
considering them as three successive scenes of a poetic triptych for our
prayer. The first is a brief acclamation of the Creator, to whom belong the
earth and all who dwell in it (vv. 1-2). It is a profession of faith in the
Lord of the cosmos and of history. In the ancient vision of creation, the earth
is conceived as an architectural work: God lays the foundations of the
earth on the sea, the symbol of the chaotic and destructive waters, in turn the
sign of creaturely limitation, conditioned by nothingness and evil. Creation is
suspended over the watery abyss and God’s creative and providential hand keeps
it in being and in life.
3. From
the cosmic horizon the Psalmist’s perspective narrows down to the microcosm of
The priests as happens in
some other biblical texts called by the experts “liturgy of entrance” (cf. Ps
14; Is 33,14-16; Mi 6,6-8) respond by listing the conditions that enable one to
enter into communion with the Lord in worship. They are not merely ritual or
external norms to be observed, but moral and existential requisites to be
lived. It is an examination of conscience or penitential act that precedes the
liturgical celebration.
4. The priests lay down
three requisites. Above all, one must have “clean hands and a pure heart”.
“Hands” and “heart” refer to both action and
intention, the whole of the human being who should basically turn toward God
and his law. The second requisite calls for one “not to tell lies”, in biblical
language it entails sincerity, but even more, the struggle against idolatry,
for idols are false gods, that is “lies”. The precept
confirms the first commandment of the Decalogue, the purity of religion and of
worship. The third and last requisite deals with relations with our
neighbour: “Do not swear so as to deceive your neighbour”. In an oral
culture like that of ancient
5. So we reach the third
scene of our triptych which describes indirectly the joyful entry of the
faithful into the temple to meet the Lord (vv. 7-10). With a thought-provoking
exchange of appeals, questions and answers, God reveals himself progressively
with three of his solemn titles: “the King of Glory, the Lord Mighty and
Valiant, the Lord of Armies”. The gates of the
The triumphal scene,
described by the Psalm in the third poetic picture, has been applied by the
Christian liturgy of the East and of the West to the victorious Descent of
Christ to the Limbo of the fathers, spoken of in the First Letter of Peter (cf.
I Pet 3,19), and to the Risen Lord’s Ascension into
heaven (cf. Acts 1,9-10). Even today, in the Byzantine Liturgy, the Psalm is
sung by alternating choirs on Holy Saturday night at the Easter Vigil, and in
the Roman Liturgy it is used on the second Sunday of the Passion at the end of
the procession of palms. The Solemn Liturgy of the opening of the Holy Door at
the beginning of the Jubilee Year allowed us to relive with great interior
emotion the same sentiments the Psalmist felt as he crossed the threshold of
the ancient
6. The last title, “Lord of
Armies”, is not really a military title as may appear at first sight even if it
does not exclude a reference to
PSALM 27 (I) (II)
Psalm
27[26]: 1-6
“The Lord is my light and my
help!’
1. Today we continue on our
journey through Vespers with Psalm 27[26], which the
liturgy separates into two different passages. Let us now follow the first part
of this poetical and spiritual diptych (vv. 1-6) whose background is the Temple
of Zion, Israel’s place of worship. Indeed, the Psalmist speaks explicitly of
the “house of the Lord”, his “temple” (v. 4) of “safety, a dwelling, a house” (cf. vv. 5-6). Indeed, in the original Hebrew, a
more precise meaning of these terms is “tabernacle” and “tent”, that is, the
inner sanctuary of the temple where the Lord reveals himself with his presence
and his words. The “rock” of
If, therefore, the liturgy
is the spiritual atmosphere in which this Psalm is steeped, the guiding thread
of prayer is trust in God, both on the day of rejoicing and in time of fear.
2. The first part of the
Psalm we are now meditating upon is marked by a deep tranquillity, based on
trust in God on the dark day of the evildoers’ assault. Two types of images are
used to describe these adversaries, symbols of the evil that contaminates
history. On the one hand, we seem to have the imagery of a ferocious hunt; the
evildoers are like wild beasts stalking their prey to pounce on it and tear
away its flesh, but they stumble and fall (cf. v. 2). On the other hand, there
is the military symbol of an assault by a whole army: a raging battle is
waged, sowing terror and death (cf. v. 3).
The believer’s life is often
subjected to tension and disputes, sometimes also rejection and even
persecution. The conduct of the righteous person is troubling, for it conveys
tones of reproof to the arrogant and the perverse. The ungodly described in the
Book of Wisdom recognize this without mincing their words: “He
became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight of him is a burden to
us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are
strange” (
3. The faithful know that
being consistent creates ostracism and even provokes contempt and hostility in
a society that often chooses to live under the banner of personal prestige,
ostentatious success, wealth, unbridled enjoyment. They are not alone, however,
and preserve a surprising interior peace in their hearts because, as the
marvellous “antiphon” that opens the Psalm says, “the Lord is light and
salvation... the stronghold of life” (cf. Ps 27[26]: 1) of the just. He
continuously repeats: ”Whom shall I fear?”, “Of
whom shall I be afraid?”, “My heart shall not fear”, “Yet I will trust” (cf.
vv. 1, 3).
It almost seems as though we
were hearing the voice of
4. Indeed, the person
praying entrusts himself to God’s embrace, and another Psalm also expresses
that person’s dream: ”I shall dwell in the house
of the Lord for ever” (cf. Ps 23[22]: 6). There he will be able to “savour
the sweetness of the Lord” (Ps 27[26]: 4), to contemplate and admire the
divine mystery, to take part in the sacrificial liturgy and sing praise to God
who sets him free (cf. v. 6). The Lord creates around his faithful a horizon of
peace that blocks out the clamour of evil. Communion with God is a source of
serenity, joy and tranquillity; it is like reaching an oasis of light and love.
5. To conclude our
reflection, let us now listen to the words of the Syrian monk Isaiah who lived
in the Egyptian desert and died in
“If we see our foes
surrounding us with their cunning, their spiritual sloth, weakening our souls
with pleasure, or failing to contain our anger against our neighbour when he
acts contrary to his duty, or tempting our eyes with concupiscence, or if they
want to entice us to taste the pleasures of gluttony, if they make our
neighbour’s words to us like poison, if they incite us to belittle what others
say or if they induce us to distinguish between our brethren by saying:
“This one is good, this one is bad’; therefore, even if all these things
surround us, let us not lose heart but cry out bravely like David: “The
Lord is the stronghold of my life!’ (Ps 27[26]: 1)” (Recueil Ascétique,
Bellefontaine, 1976, p. 211).
Confidence in God in times
of tribulation
1. The Liturgy of Vespers
has divided Psalm 27[26] into two parts, following the text’s structure
which is similar to a diptych. We have just proclaimed the second part of this
hymn of trust that is raised to the Lord on the dark day of the assault of
evil. Verses 7 to 14 of the Psalm open with a cry directed to the Lord: “Have
mercy [on me] and answer” (v. 7), and then express an anxious search for the
Lord with the heart-rending fear of being abandoned by him (cf. vv. 8-9).
Lastly, a moving horizon unfolds before our eyes, where family affections
themselves fail (cf. v. 10) as “enemies” (v. 11), “adversaries” and “false
witnesses” (cf. v. 12) advance.
However, even now, as in the
first part of the Psalm, the decisive element is the trust of the person of
prayer in the Lord, who saves in time of trial and is a refuge during the
storm. Very beautiful, in this respect, is the appeal the Psalmist addresses to
himself at the end: “Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!”
(v. 14; cf. Ps 42[41]: 6, 12; 43[42]: 5).
In other Psalms too, there
was living certainty that one obtains strength and hope from the Lord: “He
guards his faithful, but the Lord will repay to the full those who act with
pride. Be strong, let your heart take courage, all who hope in the Lord” (Ps
31[30]: 24-25). The prophet Hosea also exhorts
2. We will limit ourselves
now to highlighting three symbolic elements of great spiritual intensity. The
first, a negative one, is the nightmare of enemies (cf. Ps 27[26]: 12), looked
upon as wild animals who “eagerly await” their prey and then, in a more direct
way, as “false witnesses” who seem to blow violence from their nostrils, just
like wild beasts before their victims.
Therefore, there is an
aggressive evil in the world which is led and inspired by Satan, as St Peter
reminds us: “Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking
for someone to devour” (I Pt 5: 8).
3. The second image
illustrates clearly the serene trust of the faithful one, despite being
abandoned even by his parents. “Though father and mother forsake me, the Lord
will receive me” (Ps 27[26]: 10).
Even in solitude and the
loss of the closest ties of affection, the person of prayer is never completely
alone since the merciful God is bending over him. Our thought goes to a
well-known passage from the prophet Isaiah, who attributes to God sentiments of
compassion and tenderness that are more than maternal: “Can a mother forget her
infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she
forget, I will never forget you” (Is 49: 15).
Let us remind all elderly
persons, the sick, those neglected by everyone, to whom no one will ever show
tenderness, of these words of the Psalmist and the prophet, so that they may
feel the fatherly and motherly hand of the Lord silently and lovingly touch
their suffering faces, perhaps furrowed with tears.
4. And so we come to the
third and final symbol, repeated more than once in the Psalm: ““Seek his face’.
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your
face [from me]” (vv. 8-9). Therefore, God’s face is the point of arrival on the
spiritual quest of the person of prayer. At the end an unspoken certainty
surfaces: that of being able to “contemplate the Lord’s goodness” (cf. v. 13).
In the language of the
Psalms, to “seek the face of the Lord” is often synonymous with entering into the
temple to celebrate and experience communion with the God of Zion. However, the
expression also includes the mystical need of divine intimacy through prayer.
In the liturgy, then, and in personal prayer we are given the grace to look
upon that face which we could otherwise never see directly during our earthly
life (cf. Ex 33: 20). But Christ has revealed the
divine face to us in an accessible way and has promised that in the final
encounter of eternity, as St John reminds us, “We shall see him as he is” (I Jn
3: 2). And
5. Commenting on this Psalm,
Origen, the great Christian writer of the third century, noted: “If a man seeks
the face of the Lord, he will see the glory of the Lord unveiled and, having
been made similar to the angels, he will continually behold the face of the
Father who is in heaven” (PG, 12, 1281).
PSALM 29
Wednesday
13 June 2001
Psalm 28 (Lauds, Monday, first week)
The Lord solemnly proclaims
his word
1. Some experts consider
Psalm 28 that we have just heard as one of the most ancient texts of the
Psalter. A powerful image unifies it in its poetic and prayerful
unfolding: in fact, we face the progressive unleashing of a storm. The
Hebrew term qol, which signifies both “voice” and” thunder”, repeated at
the beginning of key verses creates the mounting tension of the psalm. For this
reason commentators call our Psalm the “Psalm of seven thunders”, for the
number of times in which the word resounds. In fact, one can say that the
Psalmist thinks of thunder as a symbol of the divine voice, with its
transcendent and unattainable mystery, that breaks into created reality in
order to disturb and terrify it, but which in its innermost meaning is a word
of peace and harmony. One thinks of chapter 12 of the Fourth Gospel, where the
voice that responds to Jesus from heaven is perceived by the crowd as thunder
(cf. Jn 12,28-29).
In proposing Psalm 28 for
the prayer of Lauds, the Liturgy of the Hours invites us to assume an attitude
of profound and trusting adoration of the divine Majesty.
2. The Biblical cantor takes
us to two moments and two places. At the centre (vv. 3-9) we have the account
of the storm which is unleashed from the “immensity of the waters” of the
3. After this picture of
strong movement and tension, by contrast, we are invited to contemplate another
scene, portrayed at the beginning and the end of the Psalm (vv. 1-2 and
9b-11). Distress and fear are now countered by the adoring glorification
of God in the
There is almost a channel of
communication that links the sanctuary of
4.
Before these two antithetical scenes, the praying person is
invited to have a twofold experience.
First of all he must
discover that God’s mystery, expressed in the symbol of the storm, cannot be
grasped or dominated by man. As the Prophet Isaiah sings, the Lord, like
lightning or a storm, bursts into history sowing panic among the perverse and
oppressors. With the coming of his judgement, his proud adversaries are
uprooted like trees struck by a hurricane or like the cedars shattered by the
divine thunderbolts (cf. Is 14,7-8).
What becomes evident in this
light is what a modern thinker (Rudolph Otto) has described as the tremendum
of God: his ineffable transcendence and presence as a just judge in the
history of humanity. The latter is vainly deluded in opposing his sovereign
power. In the Magnificat Mary was also to exalt this aspect of God’s
action: “He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud
in the imagination of their hearts; he has put down the mighty from their
thrones” (Lk 1,51-52a).
5. However, the Psalm gives
us another aspect of God’s face, the one that is discovered in the intimacy of
prayer and in the celebration of the liturgy. According to the above-mentioned
thinker, it is the fascinosum of God, that is
the fascination that emanates from his grace, the mystery of love that is
poured out upon the faithful, the serene certainty of the blessing reserved for
the just. Even facing the chaos of evil, the storms of history, and the wrath
of divine justice itself, the one who prays feels at peace, enfolded in the
mantle of protection which
In the temple, our anxiety
is soothed and our terror wiped out; we participate in the heavenly liturgy
with all “the children of God”, angels and saints. And following the storm,
image of the destruction of human malice like the deluge, there now arches in
the heavens the rainbow of divine blessing, reminiscent of “the everlasting
covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the
earth” (Gn 9,16).
The Father’s exalted voice
resounds at the Son’s Baptism blessing the waters of the earth
This message stands out
above all in the “Christian” rereading of the Psalm. If the seven “thunders” of
our Psalm represent God’s voice in the cosmos, the loftiest expression of this
voice is the one in which the Father, in the theophany of Jesus’ Baptism,
revealed his deepest identity as the “beloved Son” (Mk 1,11 and paragraph). St
Basil wrote: “Perhaps, and more mystically, “the voice of the Lord on the
waters resounded when a voice came from on high at the baptism of Jesus and
said: This is my beloved Son. Indeed the Lord then breathed upon
many waters, sanctifying them with baptism. The God of glory thundered from on high
with the strong voice of his testimony.... Then you
can also understand by “thunder’ that
change which, after Baptism, takes place through the great
“voice’ of the Gospel” (Homily on the Psalms: PG 30,359).
PSALM 30
Wednesday,
12 May 2004
Psalm 30[29]
A hymn of thanksgiving for
deliverance from death
and from the experience of
trial and crisis
1. From the heart of the
person of prayer, thanksgiving rises to God, profound and sweet after the
nightmare of death has been dispelled. This is the sentiment that emerges
forcefully from Psalm 30[29], which re-echoes at this moment not only in our
ears but certainly also in our hearts.
This hymn of thanksgiving
has a remarkable literary finesse; it relies on a series of contrasts that
express in symbols the liberation granted by the Lord. Thus, “sinking into the
grave” is offset by “raising my soul from the dead” (cf. v. 4); God’s “anger of
a moment” is replaced by “his favour all through life” (v. 6); the “tears”
during the night give way to the “joy” that comes with the dawn (ibid.);
“mourning” turns into “dancing”, the dress of “sackcloth” to that of “gladness”
(cf. v. 12).
After the night of death has
passed away, the dawn of the new day arises. Christian tradition has thus
interpreted this Psalm as an Easter hymn. This is testified to in the opening
words that the edition of the liturgical text for Vespers has taken from
a great fourth-century monastic writer, John Cassian: “Christ gives thanks to
the Father for his glorious Resurrection”.
2. The person of prayer turns
repeatedly to the “Lord”, addressing him no less than eight times to declare
that he will sing praises to him (cf. vv. 2 and 13), to remind him of how he
cried out to him when he was put to the test (cf. vv. 3 and 9) and of God’s
liberating intervention (cf. vv. 2-4, 8, 12), or to invoke his mercy again (cf.
v. 11). In another passage, the person of prayer invites the faithful to sing
praises to the Lord and give him thanks (cf. v. 5).
The mood constantly
oscillates between the terrible memory of the nightmare experienced and the joy
of liberation. Of course, the danger he had left behind him is grave and still
causes shuddering; the memory of past suffering is still clear and vivid; the
tears in his eyes have only just been wiped away. But now the dawn of a new day
has broken; death has given way to prospects of a life that continues.
3. So it is that the Psalm
shows us we must never let ourselves be ensnared by the dark confusion of
despair, when it seems that everything is already lost. Nor, of course, is
there any need to fall into the illusion that we can save ourselves with our
own resources. Indeed, the Psalmist is tempted by pride and self-sufficiency: ”I said to myself in my good fortune: ”Nothing
will ever disturb me’” (v. 7).
The Fathers of the Church
also reflected on this temptation that creeps in at times of prosperity and saw
the time of trial as a divine appeal for humility. This is what Fulgentius,
Bishop of Ruspe (467-532) said in his Epistle 3, addressed to the
Religious Proba and in which he comments on the passage of our Psalm: ”The Psalmist confessed that he was sometimes proud
of being healthy, as though this were one of his virtues, and that in this he
discovered the danger of a very grave illness.
In fact, he says: ”In my prosperity, “I shall never be moved”‘. And for
having said this he was abandoned by the support of divine grace and,
disturbed, having precipitated into his infirmity, continued saying: “In your
goodness, O Lord, you have placed me on a secure mountain, but when you hid
your face, I was disturbed’. Moreover, to show that the help of divine grace,
even though he already had it, must nevertheless be invoked humbly and without
interruption, he adds: ”To you I cry out, Lord, I ask my God for help’. No
one asks for help if he does not recognize his need, nor does he think he can
keep what he has by trusting only in his own virtue” (Fulgentius of Ruspe, Le
Lettere, Rome, 1999, p. 113).
4. After confessing his
temptation to pride during the time of his prosperity, the Psalmist recalls the
trial that followed, saying to the Lord: “You hid your
face and I was put to confusion” (v. 8).
The person of prayer then
remembers how he prayed to the Lord (cf. vv. 9-11): he cried out,
beseeched him for help, begged to be saved from death, justifying his plea by
the fact that death brings no profit to God since the dead cannot praise him,
nor have they any reason to proclaim their fidelity to God since he has
abandoned them.
We find the same argument in
Psalm 88[87], in which the one praying, who is close to death, asks God: ”Is your love proclaimed in the grave, your fidelity
in the tomb?” (v. 12). Likewise, King Hezekiah, who
had been gravely ill and then cured, said to God: ”For
it is not the nether world that gives you thanks, nor death that praises
you.... The living, the living give you thanks” (Is 38: 18-19).
In this way, the Old
Testament expresses the intense human longing for God’s victory over death and
cites many cases in which God is victorious: people threatened by dying of
starvation in the desert, prisoners who escaped the death penalty, sick people
who were healed and sailors at sea saved from shipwreck (cf. Ps
107[106]: 4-32). However, these victories were not definitive. Sooner or
later, death always managed to get the upper hand.
Yet the aspiration to
victory has always existed in spite of all, and in the end it became a hope of
resurrection. The satisfaction of this powerful aspiration was fully assured by
the Resurrection of Christ, for which we can never thank God enough.
PSALM 32
Wednesday,
19 May 2004
Psalm 32[31]
Happy those who are
forgiven!
1. “Happy is the man whose
offence is forgiven, whose sin is remitted”! This beatitude
that opens Psalm 32[31], just read, allows us to understand immediately why it
was welcomed by Christian tradition into the series of the seven penitential
Psalms. Following the introductory twofold beatitude (cf. vv. 1-2), we
do not discover a generic reflection on sin and forgiveness, but the personal
witness of one who has converted.
The composition of the
Psalm is rather complex: after the personal witness (cf. vv. 3-5), two
verses follow, speaking of distress, prayer and deliverance (cf. vv. 6-7); then
follows a divine promise of counsel (cf. v. 8) and an exhortation (cf. v. 9).
In closing, there is an antithetical “proverb” (cf. v. 10) and an invitation to
rejoice in the Lord (cf. v. 11).
2. Now, let us review some
of the elements of this composition. Above all, the person praying describes
his very distressful state of conscience by keeping it “secret” (cf. v.
3): having committed grave offences, he did not have the courage to
confess his sins to God. It was a terrible interior torment, described with
very strong images. His bones waste away, as if consumed by a parching fever;
thirst saps his energy and he finds himself fading, his groan constant. The
sinner felt God’s hand weighing upon him, aware as he was that God is not
indifferent to the evil committed by his creature, since he is the guardian of
justice and truth.
3. Unable to hold out any
longer, the sinner made the decision to confess his sin with a courageous
declaration that seems a prelude to that of the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable
(cf. Lk 15: 18). Indeed, he said with a sincere heart: “I will
confess my offence to the Lord”. The
words are few but born from conscience: God replies
immediately to them with generous forgiveness (cf. v. 5).
The prophet Jeremiah made
this appeal to God: ”Return, faithless
In this way, a horizon of
security, trust and peace unfolds before “every believer” who is repentant and
forgiven, regardless of the trials of life (cf. Ps 32[31]: 6-7). The time
of distress could come again, but the high tide of fear will not prevail
because the Lord leads his faithful to a place of security: “You are my hiding
place, O Lord; you save me from distress. You surround me with cries of
deliverance” (v. 7).
4. At this point it is the
Lord who speaks in order to promise to guide the now converted sinner. Indeed,
it is not sufficient to have been purified; it is necessary to walk on the
right path. Therefore, as in the Book of Isaiah (cf. Is 30: 21),
the Lord promises: ”I will instruct you... the
way you should go” (Ps 32[31]: 8), and invites docility. The appeal
becomes solicitous, “streaked” with a bit of irony using the lively comparison
of a mule and horse, symbols of stubbornness (cf. v. 9). Indeed, true wisdom
leads to conversion, leaving vice and its dark power of attraction behind.
Above all, however, it leads to the enjoyment of that peace which flows from
having been freed and forgiven.
In the Letter to the Romans
St Paul refers explicitly to the beginning of our Psalm to celebrate Christ’s
liberating grace (cf. Rom 4: 6-8). We could apply this to the sacrament of
Reconciliation.
In light of the Psalm, this
sacrament allows one to experience the awareness of sin, often darkened in our
day, together with the joy of forgiveness. The binomial “sin-punishment” is
replaced by the binomial “sin-forgiveness”, because the Lord is a God who
“forgives iniquity and transgression and sin” (cf. Ex 34: 7).
PSALM 33
Wednesday
8 August 2001
Psalm 32 [33]
Hymn of joy and acclamation
to God’s Providence
1. Psalm 32 [33], which has
22 verses, the same number as the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, is a hymn of
praise to the Lord of the universe and of history. A quiver of joy runs through
it from the very first lines: “Rejoice, in the Lord, you just! Praiie
from the upright is fitting. Praise the Lord with the lyre,
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to the Lord a new song, play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts” (vv.
1-3). This acclamation (tern’ah) is accompanied by music and expresses
an interior voice of faith and hope, of joy and trust. The hymn is “new,” not
only because it renews the certainty of the divine presence within creation and
human events, but also because it anticipates the perfect praise that will be
intoned on the final day of salvation, when the Kingdom of God will have
attained its glorious realization.
St Basil looks longingly
toward this final fulfilment in Christ when he explains this passage: “In
general, “new’ means something unusual or which has only recently come into
existence. If you think of the astounding, unimaginable way of the Incarnation
of the Lord, you would have to sing a new and unheard of song. And if you
review the regeneration and renewal of all humanity, surrendered of old to sin,
and proclaim the mysteries of the Resurrection, then you too would sing a new
and unusual canticle” (Homily on Psalm 32,2; PG 29, 327). In short,
according to St Basil, the Psalmist’s invitation: “Sing to God a new
song” means for believers in Christ: “Do not honour God ccording to the
ancient custom of the “letter’, but in the newness of the “spirit’. Indeed, he
who does not understand the Law externally but recognizes the “spirit’ in it
sings a “new song’ (ibid.)
The man of prayer gives
special importance to control of the sea waters, since in the Bible they are
the sign of chaos and evil. Despite its limits, the world is preserved in being
by the Creator who, as mentioned in the Book of Job, commands the sea to halt
at the seashore: “Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall
your proud waves be stayed” (Jb 38,11).
3. The Lord is also the
sovereign of human history, as stated in the second part of Psalm 32 [33], in
verses 10-15. With vigorous antithesis, the plans of terrestrial powers are
opposed to the wonderful design that God is tracing in history. Human
programmes, intended as alternatives, introduce injustice, evil and violence,
rising up against the divine plan of justice and salvation. And, despite
short-lived and apparent successes, they are reduced to mere machinations,
destined to dissolution and failure. It is summed up in the biblical Book of
Proverbs: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the purpose of
the Lord that will be established” (Prv 19,21).
Similarly, the Psalmist reminds us that, from heaven, his transcendent
dwelling, God follows all humanity’s ways, even the foolish and the absurd, and
intuits all the secrets of the human heart.
“Wherever you go, whatever
you do, whether in darkness, or in the light of day, God’s eye sees you,” St Basil
comments (Homily on Psalm 32,8
PG 29, 343). Happy will be the people who, accepting the divine
revelation, observes its instructions for life, following its paths through
history. In the end, only one thing endures: “The plan of the Lord stands
for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations” (Ps 32,11).
4. The third and last part
of the Psalm (cf. vv. 16-22) takes up again, from two new angles, the topic of
the unique lordship of God over human affairs. On one hand, he invites the
powerful not to be deluded by the military force of armies and cavalry. Then he
invites the faithful, often oppressed, starving and on the brink of death to
hope in the Lord who will not let them fall into the abyss of destruction. In
this way, the “catechetical” function of the Psalm is also revealed. It is
transformed into a call to faith in a God who is not indifferent to the
arrogance of the powerful and is close to the weakness of humanity, raising it
and sustaining it if it is confident, if it entrusts itself to him, if it
raises its prayer and praise to him.
“The humility of those who
serve God” - St Basil further explains - “shows that they hope in his mercy.
Indeed, anyone who does not trust his own great enterprises or expect to be
justified by his own works, sees in God’s mercy his only hope for salvation” (Homily
on Psalm 32,10; PG 29,347).
5. The Psalm ends with an
antiphon that has become part of the well-known Te Deum hymn: “May
your kindness always be upon us Lord, for we have hoped in you” (v. 22). Divine
grace and human hope meet and embrace. Indeed, God’s loving faithfulness
(according to the meaning of the original Hebrew word used here, hésed),
envelops, warms and protects us like a mantle, offering serenity and giving our
faith and hope a sound foundation.
PSALM 36
Wednesday
22 August 2001
Psalm 35 (36)
Malice of Sinner vs.
Goodness of Lord
Lauds on Wednesday of Week
One
1. There are two fundamental
attitudes that every man can adopt every time that a new day of work and human
relations begins: we can choose good or give way to evil. Psalm 35 (36),
which we have just heard, draws up the two opposing views. On the one hand,
there is the person who plots iniquity on the “bed” he is about to rise from;
on the other hand, instead, is the upright person who seeks the light of God,
“source of all life” (see v. 10). The abyss of the goodness of God, a
living fountain that quenches our thirst and a light that enlightens our
hearts, is opposed to the abyss of malice of the wicked person.
There are two types of men
described in the prayer of the Psalm just recited, which the Liturgy of the
Hours prescribes for Lauds of Wednesday of the First Week.
2. The first portrait
presented by the Psalmist is that of the sinner (cf. vv. 2-5). As the original
Hebrew says, “transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart” for in his
heart there is “the oracle of sin” (v. 2). This expression is forceful. It
makes us think that a Satanic word, as opposed to a
divine word, resounds in the heart and words of the wicked.
Evil seems to be innate to
him, to the point that it flows out in word and deed (cf. vv. 3-4). He spends
his days choosing “evil ways”, from early morning when he is still “on his bed”
(v. 5), until evening when he is ready to fall asleep. The sinner’s constant
choice derives from an option that involves his whole life and generates death.
3. However the Psalmist
tends completely toward the other portrait in which he desires to be
reflected: that of the man who seeks the face of God (cf. vv. 6-13). He
raises a true and proper chant to divine love (cf. vv. 6-11), which he follows
in the end, with a humble prayer to be delivered from the dark fascination of
evil and to be enlightened forever with the light of grace.
The prayer articulates a
true and proper litany of terms, which express in images the God of love:
grace, faithfulness, justice, judgement, salvation, protective shadow,
abundance, delight, and life. In particular, it underlines four of the divine
traits; they are expressed with Hebrew terms which have a more intense value
than can be appreciated in the terms we use in modern languages.
4. There is above all the
term, hésed, “grace”, which is at once
faithfulness, love, loyalty and tenderness. It is one of the basic ways to
express the covenant between the Lord and his people. It is important to note
that it can be found 127 times in the Psalter, more than half of all the times
it occurs in the rest of the Old Testament. Then there is the term ‘emunáh,
coming from the root of amen, the word of faith, and meaning stability,
security, unconditional fidelity. Sedeqáh follows, “justice”, which has
a salvific meaning: it is the holy and provident attitude of God, who
through his interventions in history, frees the
faithful from evil and from injustice. Last of all, we find mishpát, the
“judgement” with which God governs his creatures, caring for the poor and the
oppressed and humbling the arrogant and the overbearing.
Four theological terms,
which the person who prays repeats in his profession of faith, while he steps
out on the paths of the world, with the certainty of having with him a loving,
faithful, just and saving God.
5. To the various titles
with which we exalt God, the Psalmist adds two powerful images. On the one
hand, the abundance of food: it makes us think above all
of the sacred banquet, which was celebrated in the
The symbol of light provides
another image: “in your light we see the light” (v. 10). It is a
brightness that radiates almost as “a cascade” and is a sign of God’s unveiling
his glory to the faithful. This is what happened to Moses on Sinai (cf. Ex
34,29-30) and it takes place for the Christian to the
degree that “with unveiled face reflecting the glory of the Lord, [we] are
being transformed in the same likeness” (II Cor 3,18).
In the language of the
Psalms, “to see the light of the face of God” means concretely to meet the Lord
in the temple, whenever the liturgical prayer is celebrated and the word of God
is proclaimed. The Christian also shares the same experience when he celebrates
the praise of the Lord at the beginning of the day, before he goes out to face
the challenges of daily life that are not always straightforward.
PSALM 41
Wednesday,
2 June 2004
Psalm 41[40]
Prayer of a sick man
betrayed by his friends
1. One reason that impels us
to understand and love Psalm 41[40] which we have just heard is the fact that
Jesus himself quoted it: ”I am not speaking of
you all; I know whom I have chosen; it is so that the Scripture may be
fulfilled, “He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me’” (Jn
13: 18).
It was the last evening of
his earthly life and in the Upper Room, Jesus was about to offer the best
morsel to Judas, the traitor. He thought back to this phrase in the Psalm,
which is indeed the supplication of a sick man, abandoned by his friends. In
this ancient prayer, Christ found the words and sentiments to express his own
deep sorrow.
We will now attempt to
follow and to elucidate the whole plot of this Psalm, uttered by a person who
was certainly suffering an illness, but especially from the cruel irony of his
“enemies” (cf. Ps 41[40]: 6-9) and his betrayal by a “friend” (cf. v. 10).
2. Psalm 41[40] begins with a beatitude. It is addressed to the true friend, the one who
“considers the poor” [weak]: he will be rewarded by the Lord on the day of his
suffering, when he is lying “on his sickbed” (cf. vv. 2-4).
The heart of this
supplication, however, lies in the following section where it is the sick person
who speaks (cf. vv. 5-10). He begins his discourse by asking God’s forgiveness,
in accordance with the traditional Old Testament concept of a pain
corresponding to every sin: ”O Lord, be gracious
to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!” (v. 5; cf. Ps 38[37]). For the
Jew of ancient times sickness was an appeal to the conscience to begin to
convert.
Even if it is an outlook
surpassed by Christ, the definitive Revealer (cf. Jn 9: 1-3), which is in
question, suffering in itself can conceal a secret value and become a path of
purification, interior liberation and enrichment of the soul. It is an
invitation to overcome superficiality, vanity, selfishness and sin, and to
trust more intensely in God and his saving will.
3. At this point, however,
the wicked enter the scene: they have come to visit the sick person, not
to comfort but to attack him (cf. vv. 6-9). Their words are cruel and wound the
heart of the person praying, who senses their merciless wickedness. The same
experience will be the lot of many humiliated poor people, condemned to
loneliness and the feeling that they are a burden even to their own relatives.
And if they occasionally hear some words of consolation, they immediately
discern the false and hypocritical tones in which they are spoken.
So, as was said, the person
praying experiences indifference and even harshness on the part of his friends
(cf. v. 10), who are transformed into hostile, hateful figures. To them the
Psalmist applies the gesture of “lifting the heel”, the threatening act of
those on the point of trampling upon the defeated foe or the impulse of the
horseman prodding his horse on with his heal to make him ride over his
adversary.
Our bitterness is profound
when it is the “friend” we trusted, literally in Hebrew: the “man of
peace”, who turns against us. We are reminded of Job’s friends: from being
his companions in life, they become indifferent and hostile presences (cf. Jb
19: 1-6). In our prayer resounds the voices of a
crowd of people forgotten and humiliated in their sickness and weakness, even
by those who should have stood by them.
4. Yet the prayer of Psalm
41[40] does not end in this gloomy setting. The person praying is sure that God
will appear on his horizon, once again revealing his love (cf. vv. 11-14). He
will offer his support and gather in his arms the sick person, who will once
again be “in the presence” of his Lord (v. 13) or, to use biblical language,
will relive the experience of the liturgy in the temple.
The Psalm, streaked by pain,
thus ends in a glimpse of light and hope. In this perspective, we can
understand how St Ambrose, commenting on the initial beatitude of the Psalm
(cf. v. 2), saw in it prophetically an invitation to meditate on the saving
passion of Christ that leads to the Resurrection.
Indeed, this Father of the
Church suggests introducing into the reading of the Psalm: “Blessed are those
who think of the wretchedness and poverty of Christ, who though he was rich
made himself poor for us. Rich in his Kingdom, poor in the flesh, because he
took this poor flesh upon himself.... So he did not suffer in his richness, but
in our poverty.
Therefore, it was not the
fullness of divinity that suffered... but the flesh.... So endeavour to
penetrate the meaning of Christ’s poverty if you want to be rich! Seek to
penetrate the meaning of his weakness if you want to obtain salvation! Seek to
penetrate the meaning of his crucifixion if you do not want to be ashamed of
it; the meaning of his wounds, if you want yours to heal; the meaning of his
death, if you want to gain eternal life; and the meaning of his burial, if you
want to find the Resurrection” (Commento a dodici salmi: SAEMO, VIII, Milan-Rome, 1980,
pp. 39-41).
PSALM 42
Wednesday
16 January 2002
Psalm 41[42], Liturgy of
Lauds for Monday of the second week
The thirsting deer longs for
streams of living water
A deer with a parched throat
cries out its lament in an arid desert longing for the fresh waters of a
flowing stream. Psalm 41[42] that has just been sung opens
with this famous image. We can see in it the symbol of the deep
spirituality of this composition, a real pearl of faith and poetry. Indeed,
according to experts in the Psalter, our psalm is closely linked with the one
following, Psalm 42[43], from which it was separated when the psalms were put
in order to form the prayer book of the People of God. In fact, in addition to
being united by their topic and development, both psalms are dramatically
interrupted by the same antiphon: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and
why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall
again praise him, my help and my God” (Ps 41[42],6,12; 42[43],5). This appeal, repeated twice in our psalm
and a third time in the one that follows, is an
invitation the person praying addresses to himself, with a view to banishing melancholy by trusting in
God who will certainly manifest himself again as Saviour.
2. But let us return to the
image at the beginning of the Psalm; it would be pleasant to meditate upon it
with the musical background of Gregorian chant or with the polyphonic
masterpiece of Palestrina, Sicut cervus. In fact, the thirsting deer is
the symbol of the praying person who tends with his whole being, body and soul,
towards the Lord, who seems distant and yet very much needed: “My soul
thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps 41[42],3). In
Hebrew a single word, nefesh, means both “soul” and “throat”.
Therefore we can say that the body and soul of the person praying are absorbed
by the primary, spontaneous and substantial desire for God (cf. Ps 62[61],2). It is no accident that a long tradition describes
prayer as a type of “breathing”: it is as primeval, necessary and basic
as life-giving breathing.
Origen, the great Christian
author of the third century, explained that the human search for God is a
never-ending venture because progress is ever possible and necessary. In one of
his homilies on the Book of Numbers he writes: “Those who
make their journey on the road to seek God’s wisdom do not build permanent
homes but mobile tents, for they are in constant movement covering new ground,
and the further they go, the more the road that lies ahead of them opens up,
presenting a horizon lost in immensity” (Homily XVII, In Numeros
[on Numbers] GCS VII, 159-160).
3. Let us now try to set out
the basic design of this supplication. We can think of it as composed of three
actions, two of them belong to our psalm, while we find the third in the one
that follows, Psalm 42[43], to be considered later. The first scene (cf. Ps
41[42], 2-6) expresses deep longing, kindled by the memory of a past made happy
by beautiful liturgical celebrations to which the one praying no
longer has access: “These things I remember, as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng and led them in procession to the house of God, with
glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival” (v. 5).
“The house of God” with its
liturgy, is that
4. Unfortunately, a
sorrowful present is contrasted with the serene and joyful past. The Psalmist
now finds himself far from
5. The symbolic value of
this irruption is defined later on. It stands for the perverse, the adversaries
of the person praying, perhaps even the pagans who dwell in this remote region
to which the faithful one has been banished. They despise the righteous person
and deride him for his faith, asking him ironically: “Where is your God?”
(v. 11; cf. v. 14). And to God he raises his anguished question: “Why
have you forgotten me?” (v. 10). The “why” addressed
to the Lord, who seems absent on the day of trial, is typical of Biblical
supplications.
Can God remain silent in the
face of these parched lips that cry out, this tormented soul, this face that is
about to be submerged in a sea of mud? Of course not! Hence once again, the
person praying is encouraged to hope (cf. vv. 6, 12). The third act, found in
the next Psalm 42[43], will be a trusting invocation addressed to God (Ps
42[43], 1, 2a, 3a, 4b) using words of joy and gratitude: “I will go to
the altar of God, to God my joy, my delight”.
PSALM 43
Wednesday
6 February 2002
Psalm 42[43]
With confidence on road
toward the heavenly “
These words, that have the
form of a soliloquy, lay bare the psalmist’s innermost sentiments. He was far
from
In Psalm 42[43], instead of
speaking only to himself as in the previous psalm, the
Psalmist turns to God and entreats him to defend him against his adversaries.
Taking up, almost literally, an invocation announced in the other psalm (cf.
41[42],10), the praying person this time effectively
addresses his desolate cry to God “Why then do you spurn me? Why must I go about
in sadness, with the enemy oppressing me?” (Ps 42[43],2).
2. Yet he feels at this
point that the the dark period of distance is about to end, and expresses the
certainty of his return to
St Ambrose’s reading of the
Psalmist’s experience is significant, applying it to Jesus praying at
3. Now, continuing with
Psalm 42[43], the solution he longs for is about to open before the eyes of the
Psalmist: his return to the fountain of life and communion with God.
“Truth”, that is loving fidelity of the Lord, and the “light”, that is the
revelation of his goodness, are represented as messengers that God himself will
send from heaven to take the faithful one by the hand and lead him to the
desired goal (cf. Ps 42[43],3).
Very eloquent is the
sequence of stages of his drawing closer to
4. At this point everything
becomes song, joy and celebration (cf. v. 4). The original Hebrew speaks of
“God who is the joy of my jubilation”. This is a Semitic form of speech that
expresses the superlative: the Psalmist wants to stress that the Lord is
the source of all happiness, he is supreme joy, he is
the fullness of peace. The Greek translation of the Septuagint had recourse, it
seems, to an equivalent Aramaic term that means “youth”, and translated it “to
God the joy of my youth”, thus introducing the idea of the freshness and
intensity of joy that the Lord gives. Thus the Latin Psalter of the Vulgate, a
translation made from the Greek, says: “ad Deum qui laetificat
juventutem meam” (To God who gives joy to my youth). In this form the Psalm
was recited at the foot of the altar, in the preceding Eucharistic liturgy, as
an introductory invocation to the encounter with the Lord.
5. The initial lament of the
antiphon of Psalms 41[42]-42[43] resounds for the last time at the end (cf. Ps
42[43], 5). The person praying has not yet reached the
The Psalm then becomes the
prayer of the one who is a pilgrim on earth and still finds himself in contact
with evil and suffering, but has the certainty that the endpoint of history is
not an abyss of death, but rather a saving encounter with God. This certainty is
even stronger for Christians, to whom the Letter to the Hebrews
proclaims: “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless angels in festal gathering, and
to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the
judge of all, and to the spirits of the just made perfect, and to Jesus, the
mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more
eloquently than that of Abel” (Heb 12,22-24).
PSALM 45 (I) (II)
Wednesday,
29 September 2004
Psalm 45[44]
My heart overflows
1. “To the king I must speak
the song I have made” (Ps 45[44]): these words at the beginning of the Psalm
give the reader an idea of the basic character of this hymn. The court scribe
who composed it reveals to us straightaway that it is a song in honour of the
Jewish sovereign. Indeed, glancing through the verses of this composition, we
realize that we are in the presence of an epithalamium, a nuptial song.
Scholars have endeavoured to
identify the historical coordinates of the Psalm on the basis of certain clues,
such as the linking of the queen with the Phoenician city of
2. The Liturgy of Vespers
treats this Psalm as a prayer, dividing it into two parts. We have just heard
the first part (cf. vv. 2-10) which, after the introduction of the scribe who
wrote the text already mentioned (cf. v. 2), presents a splendid portrait of
the sovereign who is about to celebrate his wedding.
This is why Judaism has
recognized Psalm 45[44] as a nuptial song that exalts the beauty and intensity
of the gift of love between the bride and the bridegroom. Women, in particular,
can repeat with the Song of Songs: “My beloved is mine and I am his” (2: 16).
“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (6: 3).
3. The traits of the royal
bridegroom are outlined solemnly, with recourse to all the pomp of a court
scene. He bears the military emblems (cf. Ps 45[44]: 4-6), to which are added
sumptuous, scented robes, while music resounds in the background of the
spacious ivory halls of shimmering palaces (vv. 9-10). The throne is set in the
centre, and there is also a reference to the sceptre, both insignia of power
and royal investiture (cf. vv. 7-8).
At this point we would like
to highlight two elements. First of all, the beauty of the bridegroom, a sign
of inner splendour and divine blessings: “You are the fairest of the children
of men” (v. 3). On the very basis of this verse, Christian tradition pictures
Christ in the form of a perfect and attractive man. In a world that is all too
often marred by ugliness and ugly deeds, this image is an invitation to
rediscover the “via pulchritudinis” in faith, in theology and in social
life, in order to ascend to the beauty of the divine.
4. Beauty, however, is not
an end in itself. The second point we would like to make concerns the encounter
between beauty and justice. Indeed, the sovereign “rides on in triumph for the
cause of truth and goodness and right” (v. 5); his “love is for justice; [his]
hatred for evil” (v. 8), and the sceptre of his kingdom is “a sceptre of
justice” (v. 7). Beauty must be combined with goodness and holiness of life so
as to make the luminous face of God who is good, admirable and just shine out
in the world.
In v. 7, experts have
supposed that the name “God” is addressed to the king himself because he is
consecrated to the Lord and therefore in a certain way belongs to the sphere of
the divine: “Your throne, O God, shall endure for ever”. Or it might be an
invocation to the one supreme king, the Lord, who bends down to the
Messiah-King. It is certain that the Letter to the Hebrews, in applying
the Psalm to Christ, has no hesitation in recognizing the full and not merely
symbolic divinity of the Son who has entered into his glory (cf. Heb 1: 8-9).
5. Following this
Christological interpretation, let us conclude by referring to the voice of the
Fathers of the Church, who attribute further spiritual values to each verse.
Thus, St John Chrysostom interweaves this Christological application with the
sentence of the Psalm in which it says that “God has blessed” the Messiah-King
“for ever more” (cf. Ps 45[44]: 3).
“The first Adam was
subjected to an overwhelming curse, whereas the second Adam was filled with the
greatest blessing. The former had heard: “cursed is the ground because of you’
(Gn 3: 17), and again: “cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with
slackness’ (Jer 48: 10), “cursed be he who does not confirm the words of this
law by doing them’ (Dt 27: 26), and “a hanged man is
accursed by God’ (Dt 21: 23). You see how many curses? Christ has set you free
from all these curses, “having become a curse for us’ (cf. Gal 3: 13). Indeed,
just as he humbled himself to lift you up and died to make you immortal, so he
became a curse in order to crown you with blessings. Can anything ever compare
to this blessing, when due to a curse he lavishes a blessing upon you? Indeed,
he himself had no need of blessing, but he gives it to you” (Expositio in
Psalmum XLIV, 4: PG 55, 188-189).
Wednesday,
6 October 2004
Psalm 45[44]
“Listen,
O daughter!’
1. The sweet feminine
portrait that the liturgy has offered us forms the second scene of the diptych
which makes up Psalm 45[44]. It is a serene and joyful nuptial song that we
read in the Liturgy of Vespers. Thus, after meditating on the king who is
celebrating his wedding (cf. vv. 2-10), our gaze now shifts to the figure of
the queen, his bride (cf. vv. 11-18). This nuptial perspective enables us to
dedicate the Psalm to all couples who live their marriage with inner intensity
and freshness, a sign of a “great mystery”, as St Paul suggests: the mystery of
the Father’s love for humanity and Christ’s love for his Church (cf. Eph 5:
32). However, the Psalm unfolds a further horizon.
In fact, the Jewish king is
in the limelight and in view of this the subsequent Judaic tradition saw in him
the features of the Davidic Messiah, whereas Christianity transformed the hymn
into a song in honour of Christ.
2. Now, however, our
attention is held by the profile of the queen which the court poet, the author
of the Psalm (cf. Ps 45[44]: 2), paints with great delicacy and feeling. The
reference to the Phoenician city of
The vocation to marriage is
a turning point in life and changes a person’s existence, as has already
emerged in the Book of Genesis: “Therefore, a man leaves his father and his
mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Gn 2: 24). The
queen-bride, with her wedding procession that is bearing gifts, now advances towards
the king who is entranced by her beauty (cf. Ps 45[44]: 12-13).
3. The Psalmist’s insistence
in exalting the woman is important: she is “clothed with splendour” (v. 14),
and this magnificence is illustrated by her wedding robes, woven of gold and richly
embroidered (cf. vv. 14-15).
The Bible loves beauty as a
reflection of God’s splendour; even clothing can be raised to a sign of
dazzling inner light and purity of soul.
The thought runs parallel,
on the one hand, to the marvellous pages of the Song of Songs (cf. vv. 4
and 7), and on the other, to the echo in the Book of Revelation that portrays
the “marriage of the Lamb”, that is, of Christ, with the community of the
redeemed, focusing on the symbolic value of the wedding robes: “The marriage of
the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to
be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the
righteous deeds of the saints” (Rv 19: 7-8).
4. Besides beauty, the joy
is exalted that transpires from the festive procession of “maiden companions”,
the bridesmaids who accompany the bride “with joy and gladness” (Ps 45[44]:
15-16). True joy, far deeper than mere merriment, is an expression of love that
shares with a serene heart in the good of the beloved.
Now, according to the
concluding hopes expressed, another reality radically inherent in marriage is
also described: fertility. Indeed, “sons” are mentioned, and “peoples” (cf. vv.
17-18). The future, not only of the dynasty but of humanity, is brought about
precisely because the couple offers new creatures to the world.
In our time, this is an
important topic in the West, which is often unable to entrust its existence to
the future by begetting and protecting new creatures who
will continue the civilization of peoples and realize the history of salvation.
5. Many Fathers of the
Church, as is well known, interpreted the portrait of the queen by applying it
to Mary, from the very first words of the appeal: “Listen, O daughter, give
ear...” (v. 11). This also happens, for example, in
the Homily on the Mother of God by Chrysippus of Jerusalem. He was a
Cappadocian who was part of the monks who founded the monastery of St Euthymius
in
“My discourse is addressed
to you”, he says, turning to Mary, “to you who must go as bride to the great
sovereign; to you I address my discourse, to you who are about to conceive the
Word of God in the way that he knows.... “Listen, O daughter, give ear to my words’; indeed, the auspicious announcement
of the world’s redemption is coming true. Listen, and
what you will hear will gladden your heart.... “Forget your own people and your
father’s house’: pay no attention to your earthly parents, for you will be
transformed into a heavenly queen. And “listen’, he says, “to how much the One
who is Creator and Lord of all things loves you’. Indeed, the “king’, he says,
“will desire your beauty’; the Father himself will take you as bride; the Holy
Spirit will arrange all the conditions that are necessary for these
nuptials.... Do not believe you will give birth to a human child, “for he is
your Lord and you will adore him’. Your Creator has become your child; you will
conceive and with all the others, you will worship him as your Lord” (Marian
texts of the first millennium, I, Rome, 1988, pp. 605-606).
PSALM 46
Wednesday,
16 June 2004
Psalm 46[45]
God “our refuge and
strength”
1. We have just heard the
first of the six hymns to
Our thoughts turn to the
oracle of the Prophet Zephaniah who says, addressing
2. Psalm 46[45] is divided
into two major parts by a sort of antiphon that rings out in verses 8 and 12:
“The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge”. God’s title,
“the Lord of hosts”, is typical of the Hebraic cult in the
Hence, this title is a
source of confidence, for the whole world and all its vicissitudes are under
the supreme governance of the Lord. This Lord is therefore “with us”, as the
antiphon says once again with an implicit reference to the Emmanuel, the
“God-with-us” (cf. Is 7: 14; Mt 1: 23).
3. The first part of the
hymn (cf. 46 [45]: 2-7) focuses on the symbol of the waters and presents a
twofold, contrasting meaning. Indeed, on the one hand, the foaming waters are
unleashed; in biblical language this symbolizes devastation, chaos and evil.
They cause the trembling of the structure of the being and of the universe,
symbolized by the mountains shaken by the roaring outburst of some sort of
destructive floodwaters (cf. vv. 3-4). On the other hand, however, there are
the thirst-quenching waters of
Therefore, despite the
upheavals of history that cause people to tremble and kingdoms to shake (cf. Ps
46[45]: 7), the faithful find in
4. So it is that the second
part of the Psalm (cf. vv. 9-11) can outline a transfigured world. The Lord
himself from his throne in
The Prophet also sang of the
end of weaponry and the transformation of weapons of war into a means for the
development of peoples: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and
their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more” (Is 2: 4).
5. With this Psalm,
Christian tradition has sung the praise of Christ “our peace” (cf. Eph 2: 14)
and, through his death and Resurrection, our deliverer from evil. The
Christological commentary that St Ambrose wrote on v. 6 of Psalm 46[45] that
describes the “help” offered to the city of
In fact, he explains: “The
Resurrection at break of day procures the support of heavenly help for us, the
Resurrection that put an end to night has brought us day; as Scripture says:
“Awakened and arisen and raised from the dead! And the light of Christ will
shine for you’.
Note the mystical
significance! At nightfall Christ’s passion occurred... at dawn, the
Resurrection.... In the evening of the world he is killed, while the light is
dying, for this world was shrouded in total darkness and would have been
plunged into the horrors of even grimmer shadows had Christ, the light of
eternity, not come down from heaven for us to bring the age of innocence back
to the human race. The Lord Jesus, therefore, suffered and with his blood he
redeemed our sins, the light of a clearer knowledge was radiant, and the day
shone with spiritual grace” (cf. Commento a Dodici Salmi: SAEMO,
VIII, Milan-Rome, 1980, p. 213).
PSALM 47
Wednesday
5 September 2001
Praise the Lord, King of all
the earth
Psalm 46 (47)
1. “The Lord, the most
high, is a great King over all the earth!”. This initial acclamation is
repeated in different tones in Psalm 46 (47), which we just prayed. It is
designed as a hymn to the sovereign Lord of the universe and of history:
“God is king over all the earth ... God rules over all nations” (vv. 8-9).
Like other similar
compositions in the Psalter (cf. Ps 92; 95-98), this hymn to the Lord, the king
of the world and of mankind presumes an atmosphere of liturgical celebration.
For that reason, we are at the heart of the spiritual praise of
2. We will follow this
canticle of joyful praise in its fundamental moments like two waves of the sea
coming toward the shore. They differ in the way they consider the relationship
between
In the first part (cf. vv.
2-6) it says, “All you peoples clap your hands, shout to God with joyful
cries!” (v. 2). The centre of this festive applause is
the grandiose figure of the supreme Lord, to whom the psalm attributes three
glorious titles: “most high, great and terrible” (v. 3). They exalt the
divine transcendence, the absolute primacy of being, omnipotence. The Risen
Christ will also exclaim: “All power in heaven and on earth has been
given to me” (Mt 28,18).
4. The second part of the
Psalm (cf. vv. 7-10) opens with another wave of praise and festive chant:
“Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praises ...
sing hymns of praise!” (vv. 7-8). Even now one sings
to the Lord seated on his throne in the fullness of his sovereignty (cf. v. 9).
The royal seat is defined as “holy”, because it is unapproachable by the finite
and sinful human being. But the
5. The psalm finishes on a
surprising note of universalist openness: “the
princes of the peoples are gathered with the people of the God of Abraham” (v.
10). One goes back to Abraham the patriarch who is at the root, not only of
6. The Letter to the
Ephesians sees the realization of this prophecy in the mystery of Christ
the Redeemer when it affirms, addressing Christians who did not come from
Judaism: “Remember, that one time you pagans by birth,... were without
Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, extraneous to the covenant of
the promise, without hope and without God in this world. Now instead, in Christ
Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near thanks to the blood of
Christ. In fact, he is our peace, he who made of the two one people, destroying
the dividing wall of enmity” (Eph 2,1-14).
In Christ then, the kingship
of God, sung by our psalm, is realized on earth in the meeting of all people.
This is the way an anonymous 8th century homily commented on this
mystery: “Until the coming of the Messiah, hope of the nations, the
Gentiles did not adore God and did not know who he is. Until the Messiah
redeemed them, God did not reign over the nations through their obedience and
their worship. Now instead, with his Word and his Spirit, God
reigns over them because he saved them from deception and made them his
friends” (Anonymous Palestinian, Arab-Christian Homily of the Eighth
Century, Rome 1994, p. 100).
PSALM 48
Wednesday
17 October 2001
Psalm 47 (48)
O God we ponder your love
within your temple
1. The Psalm just proclaimed
is a canticle in honour of
The liturgical tone of this
hymn, which evokes a festive procession (cf. vv. 13-14), the peaceful vision of
To appreciate the meaning of
the Psalm, three helpful acclamations are placed at the beginning, the middle
and the end, almost as though offering the spiritual key of the composition and
introducing us to its interior atmosphere. The three invocations are:
“The Lord is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God” (v. 2); “O
God we ponder your love within your temple” (v. 10); “Such is our God, our God
forever and always, it is he who leads us” (v.
15).
2. These three acclamations,
which exalt the Lord but also “the city of our God” (v. 2), frame two great
parts of the Psalm. The first is a joyful celebration of the holy city,
3. Indeed, the powerful of
the earth, by assaulting the holy city, also provoked its king, the Lord. The
Psalmist shows the dissolution of the pride of a powerful army with the
thought-provoking image of the pains of childbirth: “A trembling seized
them there like the pangs of birth” (v. 7). Arrogance is transformed into
feebleness and weakness, power into collapse and rout.
Another image expresses the
same idea: the routed army is compared to an invincible naval fleet, on
which a typhoon is unleashed caused by a violent East wind (cf. v. 8). What
remains is an unshaken certainty for the one who stands within the shadow of
divine protection: the last word is not in the hands of evil, but of
good; God triumphs over hostile powers, even when they seem great and
invincible.
4. The faithful one
celebrates his thanksgiving to God the deliverer in the temple itself. His is a
hymn to the merciful love of the Lord, expressed with the Hebrew word hésed,
typical of the theology of the covenant. We come now to the second part of
the psalm (cf. vv. 10-14). After the great canticle of praise to the faithful,
just and saving God (cf. vv. 10-12), there is a sort of procession around the
temple and the holy city (cf. vv. 13-14). The towers of the sure protection of
God, are counted, the ramparts are observed, expressions of the stability
offered to
As he rereads these
expressions, the Christian moves to the contemplation of Christ, the new and
living temple of God (cf. Jn 2,21), and he turns to
the heavenly Jerusalem, which no longer needs a temple or an external light,
because “its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.... the glory of God
is its light and its lamp is the Lamb” (Apoc 21,2-23). St Augustine invites us
to this “spiritual” rereading because he was convinced that in the Books of the
Bible “there is nothing that only concerns the earthly city, because all that
is said about it refers to her, or what is realized by her, symbolizes
something that by allegory can also be referred to the heavenly Jerusalem” (City
of God, XVII, 3,2). St Paulinus of Nola echoes
him, because commenting on the words of the Psalm he exhorts us to pray so that
“we can be found to be living stones in the walls of the heavenly and free
PSALM 49 (I) (II)
Wednesday,
20 October 2004
First section of Psalm 49[48]: 1-13
“In his riches, man lacks
wisdom!’
1. Our meditation on Psalm
49[48] will be divided into two parts, just as it is proposed on two separate
occasions by the Liturgy of Vespers. We will now comment in detail on the first
part in which it is hardship that inspires reflection, as in Psalm 72[71]. The
just man must face “evil days” since he is surrounded by “the malice of [his]
foes”, who “boast of the vastness of their riches” (cf. Ps 49[48]: 6-7).
The conclusion that the just
man reaches is formulated as a sort of proverb, a refrain that recurs in the
finale to the whole Psalm. It sums up clearly the predominant message of this
poetic composition: ”In his riches, man lacks
wisdom: he is like the beasts that are destroyed” (v. 13). In other
words, untold wealth is not an advantage, far from it! It is better to be poor
and to be one with God.
2. The austere voice of an
ancient biblical sage, Ecclesiastes or Qoheleth, seems to ring out in this
proverb when it describes the apparently identical destiny of every living
creature, that of death, which makes frantic clinging to earthly things
completely pointless: ”As he came from his
mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for
his toil.... For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the
same; as one dies, so dies the other.... All go to one place” (Eccl 5: 14;
3: 19, 20).
The topic, however, was to
be explored by all cultures and forms of spirituality and its essence was
expressed once and for all by Jesus, who said: ”Take heed, and beware of
all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his
possessions” (Lk 12: 15). He then recounts the famous Parable of the Rich
Fool who accumulated possessions out of all proportion without a thought of the
snare that death was setting for him (cf. Lk 12: 16-21).
4. The first part of the
Psalm is wholly centred on this illusion that has the rich man’s heart in its
grip. He is convinced that he will also even succeed in “buying off” death,
attempting as it were to corrupt it, much as he had to gain possession of
everything else, such as success, triumph over others in social and political
spheres, dishonest dealings, impunity, his satisfaction, comforts and
pleasures.
But the Psalmist does not
hesitate to brand this excess as foolish. He uses a word that also has
financial overtones: ”ransom”: ”No man can
buy his own ransom, or pay a price to God for his life. The ransom of his soul
is beyond him. He cannot buy life without end, nor avoid coming to the grave”
(Ps 49[48]: 8-10).
5. The rich man, clinging to
his immense fortune, is convinced that he will succeed in overcoming death,
just as with money he had lorded it over everything and everyone. But however
vast a sum he is prepared to offer, he cannot escape his ultimate destiny.
Indeed, like all other men and women, rich and poor, wise and foolish alike, he
is doomed to end in the grave, as happens likewise to the powerful, and he will
have to leave behind on earth that gold so dear to him and those material
possessions he so idolized (cf. vv. 11-12).
Jesus asked those listening
to him this disturbing question: “What shall a man give in return for his
life?” (Mt 16: 26). No exchange is possible, for life is a gift of God,
and “in his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all
mankind” (Jb 12: 10).
6. Among the Fathers who
commented on Psalm 49[48], St Ambrose deserves special attention. He extends
its meaning to a broader vision, starting precisely with the Psalmist’s initial
invitation: “Hear this, all you peoples, give heed, all who dwell in the
world”.
The Bishop of Milan commented
in ancient times: ”Let us recognize here, from
the outset, the voice of the Lord our Saviour who calls the peoples to the
Church in order to renounce sin, to become followers of the truth and to
recognize the advantage of faith”. Moreover, “all the hearts of the various
human generations were polluted by the venom of the serpent, and the human
conscience, enslaved by sin, was unable to detach itself from it”. This is why
the Lord, “of his own initiative, in the generosity of his mercy promised
forgiveness, so that the guilty would be afraid no longer and with full
awareness rejoice to be able to offer their offices as servants to the good
Lord who has forgiven sins and rewarded virtues” (Commento a Dodici Salmi, n.
1: SAEMO, VIII, Milan-Rome, 1980, p. 253).
Wednesday,
27 October 2004
Second part of Psalm 49[48]:
14-21
“God will ransom me!’
1. As it gradually develops,
the Liturgy of Vespers presents to us the sapiential Psalm 49[48], whose second
part has just been proclaimed (cf. vv. 14-21). This section of the Psalm, like
the previous part (cf. vv. 1-13) on which we have already reflected, also
condemns the illusion to which idolizing riches gives rise. This is one of
humanity’s constant temptations: clinging to money as though it were endowed
with some invincible power, we allude ourselves that we can even “buy off
death” and keep it at bay.
We often seek to ignore this
reality in every possible way, distancing the very thought of it from our
horizons. This effort, however, apart from being useless, is also
inappropriate. Reflection on death is in fact beneficial because it relativizes
all the secondary realities that we have unfortunately absolutized, namely,
riches, success and power. Consequently, Sirach, an Old Testament sage,
warns us: “In all you do, remember the end of your life, and then you will
never sin” (7: 36).
3. However, here comes a
crucial turning point in our Psalm. If money cannot “ransom” us from death (cf.
Ps 49[48]: 8-9), yet there is One who can save us from that dark, traumatic
shadow on the horizon. In fact, the Psalmist says: “God will ransom me from
death and take my soul to himself” (v. 16).
Thus, a horizon of hope and
immortality unfolds before the just. The response to the question asked in the
first part of the Psalm, “why should I fear”, (v. 6) is: “do not fear when a
man grows rich” (v. 17).
4. When the just person,
poor and humiliated in history, reaches the ultimate boundary of life, he has
no possessions, he has nothing to pay as a “ransom” to stave off death and
remove himself from its icy embrace. Here is the great
surprise: God himself pays the ransom and snatches his faithful from the hands
of death, for he is the only One who can conquer death that human creatures
cannot escape.
The Psalmist therefore
invites us “not to fear” nor to envy the rich who grow ever more arrogant in
their glory (cf. ibid.) since, when death comes, they will be stripped
of everything and unable to take with them either gold or silver, fame or
success (cf. vv. 18-19). The faithful, instead, will not be abandoned by the
Lord, who will point out to him “the path of life, the fullness of joy in your
presence, at your right hand happiness for ever” (cf. Ps 16[15]: 11)
5. And then, at the
conclusion of the sapiential meditation on Psalm 49[48], we will be able to
apply the words of Jesus which describe to us the true treasure that challenges
death: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do
not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also” (Mt 6: 19-21).
6. As a corollary to
Christ’s words, in his Comment on Psalm 49[48], St Ambrose reasserts
firmly and clearly the inconsistency of riches: “They are all perishable and go
faster than they came. A treasure of this kind is but a dream. On waking, it
has disappeared, for the person who rids himself of the intoxication of this
world and acquires the sobriety of virtue will despise all these things and
attach no importance whatsoever to money” (Commento a Dodici Salmi, n.
23: SAEMO, VIII, Milan-Rome, 1980, p. 275).
7. The Bishop of
PSALM 51 (alt 1) (alt 2) (alt 3)
Wednesday
24 October 2001
Psalm 50 (51), the Miserere
Against you alone have I sinned
1. We have just heard the Miserere,
one of the most famous prayers of the Psalter, the most intense and commonly
used penitential psalm, the hymn of sin and pardon, a profound meditation on
guilt and grace. The Liturgy of the Hours makes us pray it at Lauds every
Friday. For centuries the prayer has risen to heaven from the hearts of many
faithful Jews and Christians as a sigh of repentance and hope poured out to a
merciful God.
The Jewish tradition placed
the psalm on the lips of David, who was called to repentance by the severe
words of the prophet Nathan (cf. vv. 1-2; 2 Sam 11-12), who rebuked him for his
adultery with Bathsheba and for having had her husband Uriah killed. The psalm,
however, was enriched in later centuries, by the prayer of so many other
sinners, who recovered the themes of the “new heart” and of the “Spirit” of God
placed within the redeemed human person, according to the teaching of the
prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel (cf. v. 12; Jer 31,31-34; Ez 11,19. 36,24-28).
2. Psalm 50 (51) outlines
two horizons. First, there is the dark region of sin (cf. vv. 3-11) in which
man is placed from the beginning of his existence: “Behold in guilt I was
born, a sinner was I conceived” (v. 7). Even if this declaration cannot be
taken as an explicit formulation of the doctrine of original sin as it was
defined by Christian theology, undoubtedly it corresponds to it: indeed,
it expresses the profound dimension of the innate moral weakness of the human
person. The first part of the Psalm appears to be an analysis of sin, taking
place before God. Three Hebrew terms are used to define this sad reality, which
comes from the evil use of human freedom.
3. The first term, hattá, literally
means
“falling short of the target”: sin is an
aberration which leads us far from God, the fundamental goal of our relations,
and, consequently, also from our neighbour.
The second Hebrew term is “awôn,
which takes us back to the image of “twisting” or of “curving”.
Sin is a tortuous deviation
from the straight path; it is an inversion, a distortion, deformation of good
and of evil; in the sense declared by Isaiah: “Woe to those who call good
evil and evil good, who change darkness into light and light into darkness” (Is
5,20). Certainly, for this reason in the Bible
conversion is indicated as a “return” (in Hebrew shûb) to the right way,
correcting one’s course.
The third term the psalmist
uses to speak of sin is peshá. It expresses the rebellion of the subject
toward his sovereign and therefore an open challenge addressed to God and to
his plan for human history.
4. If, however, man
confesses his sin, the saving justice of God is ready to purify him radically.
Thus we come to the second spiritual part of the psalm, the luminous realm of
grace (cf. vv. 12-19). By the confession of sins, for the person who prays
there opens an horizon of light where God is at work.
The Lord does not just act negatively, eliminating sin, but recreates sinful
humanity by means of his life-giving Spirit: he places in the human
person a new and pure “heart”, namely, a renewed conscience, and opens to him
the possibility of a
limpid faith and worship pleasing to God.
Origen spoke of a divine therapy,
which the Lord carries out by his word and by the healing work of Christ:
“As God prepares remedies for the body from therapeutic herbs wisely mixed
together, so he also prepared for the soul medicines with the words he infused,
scattering them in the divine Scriptures.... God gave yet another medical aid
of which the Lord is the Archetype who says of himself: “It is not the healthy who have need of a physician
but the sick’. He is the excellent physician able to heal
every weakness, and illness” (Origen, Homilies on the Psalms, From the
Italian edition, Omelie sui Salmi, Florence, 1991, pp. 247-249).
5. The richness of Psalm 50
(51) merits a careful exegesis of every line. It is what we will do when we
will meet it again at Lauds on successive Fridays. The overall view,
which we have taken of this great Biblical supplication, reveals
several fundamental components of a spirituality which should permeate the
daily life of the faithful. There is above all a lively sense of sin, seen as a
free choice, with a negative connotation on the moral and theological
level: “Against you, you alone, have I sinned, I have done what is evil
in your sight” (v. 6).
There is also in the psalm a
lively sense of the possibility of conversion: the sinner, sincerely repentant,
(cf. v 5), comes before God in his misery and nakedness, begging him not to
cast him out from his presence (v. 13).
Finally, in the Miserere,
a rooted conviction of divine pardon “ cancels, washes, cleanses” the sinner
(cf. vv. 3-4) and is able to transform him into a new creature who has a
transfigured spirit, tongue, lips and heart (cf. 4-19). “Even if our sins were
as black as the night, divine mercy is greater than our misery. Only one thing
is needed: the sinner has to leave the door to his heart ajar.... God can
do the rest.... Everything begins and ends with his mercy”, so writes St
Faustina Kowalska (M. Winowska, The Ikon of
Divine Mercy, the Message of Sister Faustina, from the Italian version, L’Icona
dell’Amore Misericordioso. Il messaggio di Suor
Faustina,
Wednesday
8 May 2002
Psalm 50[51]
Where sin abounded, grace
was more abundant!
1. Every week, in the
Liturgy of Lauds for Friday, we pray Psalm 50, the Miserere, the
pentitential Psalm, that is so much beloved, sung and
meditated upon. It is a hymn raised to the merciful God by the repentant
sinner. We have already had the chance in a previous catechesis to give a
general overview of this great prayer. First of all, the Psalmist enters the
dark region of sin to bring into it the light of human repentance and divine
forgiveness (cf. vv. 3-11). Then he goes on to exalt the gift of divine grace, that transforms and renews the repentant sinner’s
spirit and heart: this is a place of light, full of hope and confidence (cf.
vv. 12-21).
In our reflection, we will
comment on the first part of Psalm 50[51] selecting a few key items for
comment. Right from the beginning, we want to present the marvellous
proclamation of Sinai that is the perfect portrait of God who is praised in the
Miserere: “The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for
thousands of generations, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Ex
34,6-7).
2. The person praying prays
to God first of all for the gift of purification that, as the Prophet Isaiah
said, makes “white as snow” “like wool” our sins even though they are more like
“scarlet” and “red as crimson” (cf. Is 1,18). The Psalmist confesses his sin
candidly, without hesitation: “I know my transgressions.... Against you, you
only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in your sight” (Ps 50[51],5-6).
Now there comes into play
the personal conscience of the sinner who is ready to perceive his wrongdoing
honestly. This experience involves freedom and responsibility, and leads him to
admit that he has broken a bond and has preferred to build a life different
from that of the divine Word. The result is a radical decision to change. All
this is contained in the verb “recognize”, that in
Hebrew implies not just an intellectual agreement but also a vital choice.
Unfortunately, many do not
make this step as Origen warns: “There are some who after sinning are
absolutely at peace and give no further thought to their sin; nor are they
troubled by the knowledge of the evil they have committed but live as though
nothing had happened. Such people would certainly not be able to say: my sin
is ever before me. Instead, when, after committing a sin, one feels
miserable and troubled by it, nagged by remorse, tormented without respite and
undergoing inner revolt in his spirit when he tries to deny it, one rightly
exclaims: my sins give my bones no peace.... Thus when we set before the
eyes of our heart the sins we have committed, when we look at them one by one,
recognize them, blush and repent for what we have done, then, overcome with
remorse and terrified, we can rightly say that there is no peace in our bones
on account of our sins ...” (Origen, Omelie sui Salmi, Florence, 1991,
p. 277-279 [Homilies on the Psalms]). The admission and consciousness of sin
are the fruit of a sensitivity acquired through the light of God’s Word.
Sin is not just a
psychological and social matter, but an event that corrodes the relationship
with God, violating his law, refusing his plan in history and overturning his
set of values, “putting darkness for light and light for darkness”, in other
words, “calling evil good and good evil” (cf. Is 5,20).
Before finally injuring man,
sin is first and foremost a betrayal of God. The words the prodigal son says to
his father, whose love is so abundant, capture it well: “Father, I have sinned
against Heaven (that is, against God) and before you” (Lk 15,21).
4. At this point the
Psalmist introduces an angle that is more directly connected with human
reality. It is a sentence that has given rise to many interpretations and has
been linked with the doctrine of original sin: “Behold, I was brought forth in
iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps 50[51],7).
The praying person wants to indicate the presence of evil in our whole being,
as is evident in his mention of conception and birth, as a way of expressing
the entirety of existence, beginning with its source. However, the Psalmist
does not formally connect his state with the sin of Adam and Eve; he does not
speak explicitly of original sin.
It is still clear, according
to the text of our Psalm, that evil is rooted in man’s innermost depths, it is inherent in his historical reality, so the request for
the mediation of divine grace is crucial. The power of God’s love exceeds that
of sin, the forceful river of evil is less powerful than the fruitful water of
forgiveness: “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5,20).
As we will have the chance
to discover later on, when we return to this Psalm and the later verses, the
confession of sin and the consciousness of one’s misery do not lead to terror
or the nightmare of judgement, but indeed, to the hope of purification,
liberation and the new creation.
In fact God saves us, “not
because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy,
by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit, whom he poured
out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Ti 3,5-6).
Wednesday
4 December 2002
Psalm 50[51]
Take not your Holy Spirit
from me
Brothers and Sisters,
1. Every week the Liturgy
of Lauds repeats Psalm 50[51], the famous Miserere. We have already
reflected on sections of it on other occasions. Now also, we will reflect in a
particular way on a section of this grandiose plea for forgiveness: verses
12-16.
First of all, it is
important to note that in the original Hebrew the word “spirit” is repeated
three times, invoked of God as a gift and received by the human creature who
has repented of his sin: “Renew in me a steadfast spirit.... Do not deprive
me of your holy spirit.... Sustain in me a generous spirit”
(vv. 12.13.14). One could say, taking recourse to a liturgical term,
that it is an “epiclesis”, that is, a triple invocation of the Spirit who, as
in creation hovered over the waters (cf. Gn 1,2), now
penetrates the soul of the faithful, infusing it with new life and raising it
from the kingdom of sin to the heaven of grace.
2. The Church Fathers, in
the “spirit” invoked by the Psalmist, see the effective presence of the Holy
Spirit. Thus, St Ambrose is convinced that it is about the Holy Spirit, who is
one “who was active in the prophets, was breathed upon the Apostles and was
joined with the Father and the Son in the sacrament of Baptism” (Lo Spirito
Santo I, 4, 55: SAEMO 16, p. 95; The Holy Spirit in St
Ambrose, Theological and Dogmatic Works, CUA Press, reprinted 1977). The
same conviction is expressed by other Fathers, such as Didymus the Blind of
Alexandria, Egypt, and Basil of Caesarea in their respective treatises on the
Holy Spirit (Didymus the Blind, Lo Spirito Santo, Rome 1990, p. 59;
Basil of Caesarea, Lo Spirito Santo, X, 24, Rome 1993).
Again, St Ambrose, observing
that the Psalmist speaks of the joy that invades the soul once it has received
the generous and powerful Spirit of God, comments: “Joy and delight are
fruits of the Spirit and really the sovereign Spirit is the one on whom we are
founded. Thus whoever is brought to life by the sovereign Spirit is not subject
to slavery, is not enslaved by sin, is not indecisive, does not wander here and
there, is not uncertain in his choices, but standing on the rock, he is firm
with feet that do not waver” (Apologia del profeta David a Teodosio Augusto,
15,72 [Defence of the Prophet David for the
Emperor Theodosius]: SAEMO 5, 129).
3. With this triple mention
of the “spirit”, after describing in the preceding verses the dark prison of
guilt, Psalm 50[51] opens onto the bright realm of grace. It is an important
turning point, comparable to a new creation. As in the beginning God breathed his
spirit into matter and created the human person (cf. Gn 2,7), so now the same
divine Spirit recreates (cf. Ps. 50[51],12), renews, transfigures and
transforms the repentant sinner, embraces him again (cf. v. 13) making him
share in the joy of salvation (cf. v. 14). Now the human being, animated by the
divine Spirit, sets out on the path of justice and love, as is said in another
Psalm: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good spirit
guide me on a level path!” (cf. Ps 142[143],10).
4. Having experienced this
inner rebirth, the person praying becomes a witness; he promises God to “teach
the erring your ways” of good (Ps 50[51], 15), so that, like the Prodigal Son,
they may be able to return to the house of the Father. In the same way,
Whoever has experienced
God’s merciful love, becomes a passionate witness of
it, especially in dialogue with those who are still caught in the nets of sin.
Let us think of the person of Paul, dazzled by Christ on the road to
5. For one last time, the
person praying looks at his dark past and cries out to God: “Free me from
blood guilt, O God, my saving God (cf. NAB version of v. 16). The “blood”, to
which he refers is variously interpreted in Scripture.
Here on the lips of King David, it refers to the killing of Uriah, the husband
of Bathsheba, the woman who was the object of the king’s passion. In a more
general sense, the invocation indicates the desire for purification from evil,
violence and hatred always present in the human heart with dark and malicious
force. Now the lips of the faithful person, purified from sin, sing praise to
the Lord.
In fact, the passage of
Psalm 50[51] which we have just commented on ends with the promise to proclaim
the “justice” of God. The term “justice” in this context, as so often in
biblical language, does not actually indicate God’s punitive action of evil by
God, but rather indicates the sinner’s rehabilitation, since God reveals his
justice by making sinners just (cf. Rom 3,26). God derives no pleasure from the
death of the wicked, but only that he give up his behaviour and live (cf. Ez 18,23).
Wednesday,
30 July 2003
Psalm 51[50]
“Have mercy on me, O God!’
1. For the fourth time
during our reflections on the Liturgy of Lauds, we hear
proclaimed Psalm 51[50], the famous Miserere. Indeed, it is presented
anew to us on the Friday of every week, so that it may become an oasis of
meditation in which we can discover the evil that lurks in the conscience and
beg the Lord for purification and forgiveness. Indeed, as the Psalmist
confesses in another supplication, “O Lord... no man living is righteous before
you” (Ps 143[142]: 2). In the Book of Job we read: “How can man be righteous
before God? How can he who is born of woman be clean? Behold, even the moon is
not bright, and the stars are not clean in his sight; how much less man, who is
a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!” (25: 4-6).
These are strong, dramatic
words that are intended to portray the full seriousness and gravity of the
limitations and frailty of the human creature, his perverse capacity to sow
evil and violence, impurity and falsehood. However, the message of hope of the Miserere
which the Psalter puts on the lips of David, a converted sinner, is this: God
can “blot out, wash and cleanse” the sin confessed with a contrite heart (cf.
Ps 51[50]: 2-3). The Lord says, through the voice of Isaiah, even if “your sins
are scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool” (Is 1: 18).
2. This time we will reflect
briefly on the end of Psalm 51[50], a finale that is full of hope, for the
person praying knows that God has forgiven him (cf. vv. 17-21). On his lips is
praise of the Lord, which he is on the point of proclaiming to the world,
thereby witnessing to the joy felt by the soul purified from evil, hence, freed
from remorse (cf. v. 17).
The person praying witnesses
clearly to another conviction, making a link with the teaching reiterated by
the prophets (cf. Is 1: 10-17; Am 5: 21-25; Hos 6: 6): the most pleasing
sacrifice that rises to the Lord like a fragrance, a pleasant odour (cf. Gn 8:
21), is not the holocaust of bulls and lambs, but rather of “the broken and
contrite heart” (Ps 51[50]: 19).
The Imitation of Christ,
a text so dear to the Christian spiritual tradition, repeats this same
recommendation of the Psalmist: “Humble repentance for sins is the sacrifice
that pleases you, its fragrance far sweeter than the smoke of incense.... It is there that one is purified and every evil washed away” (cf.
III 52, 4).
3. The Psalm ends on an
unexpected note in an utterly different perspective that even seems
contradictory (cf. vv. 20-21). From the final supplication of a single sinner,
it becomes a prayer for the rebuilding of the city of
It is clear that the last
passage is a later addition, made at the time of the Exile and intended, in a
certain sense, to correct or at least to complete the perspective of the
Davidic Psalm on two points: on the one hand, it was not deemed fit that the
entire Psalm be restricted to an individual prayer; it was also necessary to
think of the grievous situation of the whole city. On the other hand, there was
a desire to give a new dimension to the divine rejection of ritual sacrifices;
this rejection could be neither complete nor definitive, for it was a cult that
God himself had prescribed in the Torah. The person who completed the
Psalm had a valid intuition: he grasped the needy state of sinners, their need
for sacrificial mediation. Sinners cannot purify themselves on their own; good
intentions are not enough. An effective external mediation is required. The New
Testament was to reveal the full significance of this insight, showing that
Christ, in giving his life, achieved a perfect sacrificial mediation.
Here are the words of that
great Pontiff: “Holy Church has two lives: one that she lives in time, the
other that she receives eternally; one with which she struggles on earth, the
other that is rewarded in heaven; one with which she accumulates merits, the
other that henceforth enjoys the merits earned. And in both these lives she
offers a sacrifice: here below, the sacrifice of compunction, and in heaven
above, the sacrifice of praise. Of the former sacrifice it is said: “The
sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit’ (Ps 51[50]: 19); of the latter
it is written: “Then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt
offerings and in whole burnt offerings’ (Ps 51[50]: 21).... In both, flesh is
offered, since the sacrifice of the flesh is the mortification of the body, up
above; the sacrifice of the flesh is the glory of the resurrection in praise to
God. In heaven, flesh will be offered as a burnt holocaust when it is
transformed into eternal incorruptibility, and there will be no more conflict
for us and nothing that is mortal, for our flesh will endure in everlasting
praise, all on fire with love for him” (Omelie su Ezechiele/2, Rome
1993, p. 271).
PSALM 57
Wednesday
19 September 2001
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. It is a dark night;
devouring wild beasts are perceived in the surroundings. The one who prays is
waiting for the coming of dawn so that the light will dispel the darkness and
fear. This is the background of Psalm 56 (57) on which we reflect today. It is
a night prayer made by the one who prays at the break of day, anxiously
awaited, in order to be able to praise the Lord with joy (cf. vv. 9-12). In
fact, the psalm passes from dramatic lament addressed to God to serene hope and
joyful thanksgiving, the latter using words that resound again in another psalm
(cf. Ps 107 [108],2-6).
In reality, one assists at
the passage from fear to joy, from night to day, from nightmare to serenity,
from supplication to praise. It is an experience that is often described in the
Psalter: “You changed my mourning into dancing, you
took off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. With my whole being I sing
endless praise to you. Lord, my God, forever will I will give you thanks” (Ps
29,12-13).
Fear
2. Psalm 56 (57) that we are
meditating on has two parts. The first part is the experience of fear before
the assault of the evil which tries to strike the just one (cf. vv. 2-7). At
the centre of the scene there are lions poised to attack. In no time this image
is transformed into a picture of war, complete with spears, arrows, and swords.
The one who prays feels assailed by a kind of death squadron. Around him there
is a band of hunters, setting traps and digging pits to capture their prey. But
this tense atmosphere is suddenly dissolved. In fact, already at the beginning
(cf. v. 2), the protective symbol of the divine wings appears which refer,
specifically, to the Ark of the Covenant with the winged cherubim, sign of the
presence of God among the faithful in the holy temple on Mt Zion.
3. The one who prays asks
God insistently to send from heaven his messengers to whom he assigns the
symbolic names of “Faithfulness” and “Grace” (v. 4), the qualities proper to the
saving love of God. For that reason, even if he shudders at the terrible
roaring of the wild beasts and the perfidy of his persecutors, the faithful one
remains serene and confident within, like Daniel in the lions’ den (cf. Dn 6,17-25).
Confidence
The presence of the Lord
does not delay in showing its efficacy by means of the self inflicted
punishment of his adversaries: they tumble into the pit which they had dug for
the just one (cf. v. 7). Such confidence in divine justice,
which is always expressed in the Psalter, wards off discouragement and
surrender to the power of evil. Sooner or later, God sides with the
faithful one upsetting the manoeuvres of the wicked, tripping them up in their
own evil plots.
4. Now we reach the second
part of the Psalm, that of thanksgiving (cf. vv. 8-12). There is a passage
which shines because of its intensity and beauty: “My heart is steadfast, O
God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody. Awake my soul. Awake O harp and lyre. I will awake the
dawn” (vv. 8-9). Now the darkness has been dispelled: the dawn of
salvation has coloured the song of the one who prays.
Applying this image to
himself, the Psalmist seems to translate into terms that belong to the
religious imagery of the Bible, which is rigorously monotheistic, the custom of
the Egyptian or Phoenician priests who were in charge of “awakening the dawn”,
of making the sun reappear, since it was considered a beneficent god. He also
alludes to the use of hanging up musical instruments and covering them in a
time of mourning and trial (cf. Ps 136 [137],2), and
of “reawakening” them to a festive sound in times of liberation and joy. Hope
blossoms from the liturgy: one turns to God asking him to draw near to his
people again and to hear their prayer. In the Psalter, dawn is often the moment
when God grants a favour after a night of prayer.
Divine
Intervention
5. The Psalm closes with a
hymn of praise to the Lord, who works with his two great saving qualities, that already appear with different names in the
first part of the supplication (cf. v. 4). Now virtually personified, divine
Goodness and Faithfulness enter the scene. They flood the heavens with their
presence and are like light that shines in the darkness of trials and persecutions
(cf. v. 11). For this reason the Christian tradition has used Psalm 56 (57) as
a canticle of awakening to Easter light and joy, which shines out to the
faithful removing the fear of death and opening the horizon of heavenly
glory.
6. Gregory of Nyssa
discovers in the words of the Psalm a kind of typical description of what
happens in every human experience open to the recognition of the wisdom of God.
“Indeed, He saved me – he exclaims – by shading me with the cloud of the
Spirit, and those who trampled me underfoot were humiliated” (From the Italian
translation of On the Titles of the Psalms, Rome, 1994, p.
183).
Later, quoting the
expressions at the end of the Psalm, where it says, “Be exalted, O God, above
the heavens. Let your glory be above the earth”, he concludes, “To the degree
that the glory of God is extended on earth, increased by the faith of those who
are saved, the heavenly powers extol God, exulting for our salvation” (ibid.
p. 184).
PSALM 62
Wednesday,
10 November 2004
Psalm 62[61]
“In
God alone be at rest!’
1. The gentle words of Psalm
62[61] have just resounded; it is a hymn of trust that opens with what appears
to be an antiphon, repeated halfway through the text. It is like a peaceful and
strong ejaculatory prayer, an invocation that also becomes a programme of life:
“In God alone is my soul at rest; my help comes from him. He alone is my rock,
my stronghold, my fortress: I stand firm” (vv. 2-3, 6-7).
2. As the Psalm continues,
however, two types of trust are compared. They are two fundamental choices, one
good and the other perverse, which involve two types of moral behaviour. Above
all, there is trust in God, exalted in the opening invocation where there
enters into the picture a symbol of stability and of security, like the rock,
the “fortress”; that is, a stronghold and bulwark of protection.
The Psalmist repeats: “In
God is my safety and glory, the rock of my strength; my sure “refuge’“ (cf. v. 8). He affirms this after having called to mind
the hostile conspiracies of his enemies who try to “thrust him down from his
eminence” (cf. vv. 4-5).
3. There is then another
trust of an idolatrous nature, upon which the person of prayer insistently
directs his critical eye. It is a trust that searches for security and
stability in violence, plunder and riches.
The appeal now becomes
crystal clear: “Do not put your trust in oppression nor vain hopes on plunder.
Do not set your heart on riches, even when they increase” (v. 11).
Here, three idols are evoked
and rejected as contrary to human dignity and to social coexistence.
4. The first false god is
the violence that humanity unfortunately still continues to resort to in our
blood-stained days. Marching alongside this idol is the vast procession of
wars, oppression, prevarication, torture and abominable assassinations
inflicted without a moment’s remorse.
The second false god is
plunder, manifested in extortion, social injustice, usury and political and
economic corruption. Too many people cultivate the “illusion” of satisfying their
own greed in this way.
Finally, riches are the
third idol upon which man sets his heart with the false hope of being rescued
from death (cf. Ps 49[48]), and assuring himself of prestige and power of the
first order.
5. Serving this diabolical
triad, man forgets that idols are unreliable: they are, indeed, harmful. By
taking refuge in things and in himself, man tends to forget that he is “a
breath... an illusion”; what is more, weighed on a scale he is “less than a
breath” (Ps 62[61]: 10; cf. Ps 39[38]: 6-7).
If we were more aware of our
fallen nature and of the limits to which creatures are subject, we would shun
the path of trust in idols and would not programme our lives based on a scale
of fragile and inconsistent pseudo-values. Instead, we would be oriented toward
the “other trust”, which finds its centre in the Lord, source of eternity and
peace. Indeed, to God alone “belongs power”; only he is the source of grace; he
alone is the author of justice, “repaying each man according to his deeds” (cf.
Ps 62[61]: 12-13).
6. The Second Vatican
Council applied to priests the invitation of Psalm 62[61] to “not set your
heart on riches” (v. 11b). The Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests
exhorts: “Priests, far from setting their hearts on riches, must always avoid
all avarice and carefully refrain from all appearance of trafficking” (Presbyterorum Ordinis, n. 17).
And yet, this appeal to
reject misplaced trust and to choose that which leads us to God is relevant to
everyone and must become our guiding star in our daily behaviour, moral
decisions and lifestyle.
7. Undeniably, this is a
difficult road that entails trial for the righteous and courageous
decision-making, always marked, however, by trust in God (cf. Ps 62[61]: 2). In
this light the Fathers of the Church have looked upon the man of prayer in
Psalm 62[61] as the prefiguration of Christ and have placed the opening
invocation of complete trust in and adherence to God on his lips.
St Ambrose elaborates on
this subject in the Commento al Salmo 61 [Comment on Psalm 61]: “What
must our Lord Jesus have done first, in taking upon himself the flesh of man to
purify it in his own body, if not to cancel the evil influence of original sin?
By means of disobedience, that is, violating the divine prescriptions, sin
became permeated. Before all else, then, he had to restore obedience to prevent
the hotbed of sin from spreading.... He took obedience upon
himself in order to pour it out upon us” (Commento a Dodici Salmi 61, 4:
SAEMO, VIII, Milan-Rome, 1980, p. 283).
PSALM 63:2-9
Wednesday
25 April 2001
My soul is thirsting for
you, O Lord (Comment on Psalm 62)
1. Psalm 62 on which we are
reflecting today is the Psalm of mystical love, which celebrates total
adherence to God based on an almost physical yearning and reaching its fullness
in a close and everlasting embrace. Prayer becomes longing, thirst and hunger,
because it involves the soul and the body.
As St
Teresa of
Believers long to be filled
with God, the source of living water
2. Let us begin our
meditation with the first song, that of the thirst for God (cf.
vv. 2-4). It is dawn, the sun is rising in the clear blue sky of the
The prophet Jeremiah had
already proclaimed: the Lord is the “source of living waters”, and had
reproached the people for building “broken cisterns, that can hold no water”
(2: 13). Jesus himself would exclaim aloud: “If anyone thirsts, let
him come to me; let him drink who believes in me” (Jn 7: 37-38). At high
noon on a quiet, sunny day, he promises the Samaritan woman: “whoever
drinks of the water that I shall give will never thirst; the water that I shall
give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn
4: 14).
3. The prayer of Psalm 62 is
interwoven with the song of the wonderful Psalm 42: “as the deer longs
for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.... When shall I come and
behold the face of God?” (vv. 2-3). Now in Old
Testament language the Hebrew “soul” is indicated by the term nefesh,
which in some texts means “throat” and whose meaning in many others is
broadened to encompass the whole of the person. Taken in these dimensions, the
word helps us to realize how essential and profound our need for God is;
without him we lack breath and even life itself. For this reason the Psalmist
comes to the point of putting physical existence itself on the second level, if
union with God should be lacking: “for your steadfast love is better than
life” (Ps 62: 3). In Ps 73 he will also repeat to the Lord: “There
is nothing upon earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may
fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.... for me it
is good to be near God” (Ps 73: 25-28).
4. After
the song about thirst, the Psalmist sings a song about hunger (cf. Ps
62: 5-8). With the images of “the soul feasting as with marrow and fat”
and of being filled, the person praying is probably referring to one of the
sacrifices that were celebrated in the
5. Through the mystical food
of communion with God, “the soul clings to him” as the Psalmist says. Once
again the word “soul” suggests the whole human being. Here one rightly finds
the mention of an embrace, an almost physical clinging; henceforth God and man
are in full communion and on the lips of his creature only joyful and grateful
praise can bloom. Even during the dark night we feel protected by God’s wings,
just as the ark of the Covenant is covered by the
wings of the cherubim. And then the ecstatic expression of jubilation
blossoms: “In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy”. Fear is
dispelled, the embrace does not cling to emptiness but to
God himself, our souls are upheld by the power of his right hand (cf.
Ps 62: 7-8).
St John Chrysostom reminds
us in commenting on the Johannine phrase: from his side “flowed blood and
water” (cf. Jn 19: 34), he says “that baptism and the mysteries [that is,
the Eucharist] were symbolized in that blood and water”. And he
concludes: “Have you seen how Christ has united his bride to himself?
Have you seen with what kind of food he feeds us all? By the same food we are
formed and are fed. As a woman feeds her child with her own blood and milk, so
too Christ himself continually feeds those whom he has begotten with his own
blood” (Homily III address to catechumens, 16-19 passim: SC 50
bis, 160-162).
PSALM 65
Wednesday
6 March 2002
Psalm 64[65] “To you all flesh shall come with its burden of sin’
1. Our journey through the Psalms
of the Liturgy of Lauds leads us now to a hymn that captivates us with the
fascinating spring scene of the last part (cf. Ps 64[65]10-14), a scene full of
freshness, ablaze with colours and pervaded by joyful voices.
In fact Psalm 64[65] has a
broader structure, the result of the interlacing of two different tones:
first, the historical theme of the forgiveness of sins and God’s closeness
emerges (cf. vv. 2-5), then the cosmic subject of God’s action in the
confrontation of seas and mountains (cf. vv. 6-9a); lastly, the description of
spring is developed (cf. vv. 9b-14): in the sun-baked, arid panorama of
the Middle East, the rain that brings fruitfulness expresses the Lord’s
fidelity toward creation (cf. Ps 103[104],13-16). For the Bible, creation is
the home of humanity and sin an attack on the order and perfection of the world.
Thus conversion and forgiveness restore integrity and harmony to the cosmos.
The Lord who rises in the
temple is then represented with a glorious, cosmic profile. Indeed, he is
called “the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of the farthest seas ... who
by [his] strength has established the mountains ... girded with might ...
stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves and the tumult of
the peoples, so that those who dwell at farthest bounds of the earth are afraid
at [his] signs”, from east to west (vv. 6-9).
3. At the heart of this
celebration of God the Creator, we would like to highlight one event: The
Lord is also able to dominate and silence the tumult of the ocean waters, which
in the Bible are the symbol of chaos, opposed to the order of creation (cf. Jb
38,8-11). This is a way of exalting the divine
victory, not only over nothingness, but also over evil: this is why the
“tumult of the peoples” (cf. Ps 64[65],8), that is,
the rebellion of the proud is also associated with the motif of the “roaring of
the seas” and the “roaring of their waves”.
The conclusion the Psalm
suggests is an easy one: God, who imposes order on chaos and puts an end
to the evil in the world and in history, can overcome and forgive the malice
and sin that the praying person bears within and presents in the temple with
the certainty of divine purification.
4. At this point, the other
waters enter the scene: the waters of life and fruitfulness that in
spring drench the earth and spiritually represent the new life of the faithful
who have been pardoned. The last verses of the Psalm (cf. Ps 64[65],10-14), as has been said, are of great beauty and meaning.
God quenches the thirst of
the earth parched by drought and by the winter ice, by showering it with rain.
The Lord is like a farmer (cf. Jn 15,1) who with his
labour makes the wheat grow and the grass spring up. He prepares the ground, he
irrigates the furrows, he breaks up the clods, and
waters every part of his field.
The Psalmist uses 10 verbs
to describe the loving action of the Creator for the earth, transformed into a
kind of living creature. Indeed, all its parts “shout and sing together for
joy” (Ps 64[65],14).
The three verbs connected
with the symbol of clothing are thought-provoking in this regard: “The
hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain” (vv. 13-14). The
image is one of a meadow specked with the white of the sheep; perhaps the hills
are girded with vines, a sign of their product, wine, “to gladden the heart of
man” (Ps 103[104],15); the valleys put on the golden
mantle of the harvests. Verse 12 also recalls the crowns, perhaps reminiscent
of the garlands set upon the heads of the guests at festive banquets (cf. Is 28,1.5).
5. As though in a sort of
procession all the creatures together turn to their
Creator and Sovereign, dancing and singing, praising and praying. Once again nature
becomes an eloquent sign of divine action; it is a page, open to all, ready to
express the message the Creator has written on it, so that “from the greatness
and beauty of created things their original author by analogy is perceived”
(Wis 13,5; cf. Rom 1,20). In this lyric, theological contemplation and poetic
abandon blend to become adoration and praise.
However, the most intense
meeting which the Psalmist looks forward to throughout his song is that which
unites creation and redemption. Just as in springtime the earth revives once
again through the action of the Creator, so man rises from his sin through the
action of the Redeemer. Creation and history thus are under the provident,
saving gaze of the Lord, who calms the tumultuous and destructive waters and
gives water that purifies, fertilizes, and quenches
thirst. The Lord, in fact, “heals the broken hearted and binds uptheir wounds”,
but also “covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes
grass grow on the mountains” (Ps 146[147],3.8).
Thus the Psalm becomes a
hymn to divine grace. Once again,
PSALM 67 (alt)
Wednesday,
17 November 2004
Psalm 67[66]: “the earth
has yielded its fruit” (v. 7)
1. “The earth has yielded
its fruit”, exclaims Psalm 67[66], one of the texts inserted into the Liturgy
of Vespers that we have just proclaimed. The sentence calls to mind a hymn of
thanksgiving to the Creator for the gifts of the earth, a sign of divine
blessing. This natural element, however, is closely interwoven with the
historical aspect: nature’s fruits are taken as an opportunity to ask God
again and again to bless his people (cf. vv. 2, 7, 8); thus, all the nations of
the earth address
So it is that the
composition has a universal and missionary outlook, in continuity with the
divine promise made to Abraham: “by you all the families of the earth shall
bless themselves” (Gn 12: 3; cf. 18: 18; 28: 14).
2. The divine blessing
implored for
The theme of blessing
re-echoes in the finale of the Psalm in which the fruit the earth has yielded
is mentioned (cf. Ps 67[66]: 7-8). And it is here that we find the universal
theme that gives the spiritual substance of the whole hymn surprisingly broad
horizons. This openness reflects the sensitivity of an
3. Thanks to the blessing
implored by
This is the great ideal to
which we aspire, the most involving announcement that emerges from Psalm 67[66]
and from so many of the Prophets’ writings (cf. Is 2: 1-5; 60: 1-22;
Jon 4: 1-11; Zep 3: 9-10; Mal 1: 11).
This was also to be the
Christian proclamation that St Paul described, recalling that the salvation of
all the peoples is the heart of the “mystery”, in other words, the divine plan
of salvation: ”the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and
partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (Eph 3: 6).
4. Henceforth,
The hope this Psalm
expresses heralds the event described by the Letter to the Ephesians, which
might be an allusion to the dividing wall in the
This message is for
us: we must pull down the walls of division, hostility and hate so that
the family of God’s children may once again live in harmony at the one table,
to bless and praise the Creator for the gifts he lavishes upon all without distinction
(cf. Mt 5: 43-48).
5. Christian tradition has
reinterpreted Psalm 67[66] in a Christological and
Mariological key. For the Fathers of the Church, “the earth has yielded its
fruit” is a reference to the Virgin Mary who brought forth Christ the Lord.
Thus, for example, in his Exposition
on the First Book of Kings St Gregory the Great comments on this verse,
interspersing his remarks with many other scriptural citations: ”Mary is
rightly called a “richly fruitful mountain’ because from her was born an
excellent fruit, that is, a new man. And the Prophet, seeing her beautiful,
decked out in the glory of her fruitfulness, exclaims: ”There
shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of
his roots’ (Is 11: 1).
David, exulting at the fruit
of this mountain, says to God, “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the
peoples praise you. The earth has yielded its fruit...’.
Yes, the earth has yielded its fruit, for the One whom
the Virgin brought forth was not conceived by a human act but by the Holy
Spirit who spread his shadow over her. Therefore, the Lord says to David,
Prophet and King: ”the fruit of your body will I
set upon your throne’ (Ps 132[131]: 11). Consequently, Isaiah says: “the
fruit of the land shall be honour and splendour’ (Is 4: 2). Indeed, the
One whom the Virgin conceived was not only a “human saint’ but also “Mighty
God’ (Is 9: 5)” (Marian Texts of the First Millennium, III, Rome,
1990, p. 625).
Wednesday
9 October 2002
Psalm 66 [67]
“God is offering His
salvation to the whole world”
1. Now we have just heard
the voice of the ancient Psalmist, who sang a joyful song of thanksgiving to
the Lord. It is a brief but compelling text, which opens out on an immense
horizon, to embrace in spirit all the peoples of the earth.
This universal openness
probably reflects the prophetic spirit of the age that followed the Babylonian
exile, when it was hoped that God would also lead foreigners to his holy
mountain to fill them with joy. Their sacrifices and burnt offerings would be
pleasing to him, for the temple of the Lord would become “a house of prayer for
all peoples” (Is 56,7).
In our Psalm, 66 [67] too,
the universal chorus of the nations is invited to join in the praise that
2. Even those who do not
belong to the community chosen by God receive a vocation from him:
indeed, they are called to know the “way” revealed to
3. At
the beginning and end of the psalm there is an insistent desire for the divine blessing:
“May God be gracious to us and bless us, may God’s face shed its light upon us
... God, our God, has blessed us. May God still give us his
blessing” (vv. 2.7-8).
In these words it is easy to
hear the echo of the famous priestly blessing which, in God’s name, Moses
taught Aaron and the descendants of the priestly tribe: “The Lord bless you and
keep you: The Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to
you: the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Nm 6,24-26).
Well, according to the
Psalmist, this blessing of
We turn in thought to the
promise the Lord made to Abraham on the day of his election: “I will make
of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so
that you will be a blessing ... and by you all the families of the earth shall
bless themselves” (Gn 12,2-3).
In our Psalm there is an
explict reference to this concrete reality, that is
precious for existence: “The earth has yielded its fruit” (v. 7). This
observation has led scholars to link the Psalm with the rite of thanksgiving
for an abundant harvest, the sign of divine favour and a witness for other
peoples of the Lord’s closeness to
The same sentence attracted
the attention of the Fathers of the Church, who moved from the agricultural
horizon to the symbolic perspective. Thus Origen applied the verse to the
Virgin Mary and the Eucharist, that is, to Christ who came from the flower of
the Virgin and becomes fruit that can be eaten. In this perspective, “the earth
is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who comes from our earth, from our seed, from this
mud, from this clay, from Adam”. This earth has borne its fruit: what it
lost in paradise, it has recovered in the Son. “The earth has borne its
fruit: first it produced a flower ... then, this flower became a fruit,
so that we could eat it, so that we could eat his flesh. Do you want to know
what this fruit is? It is the Virgin from the Virgin, the
Lord from the handmaid, God from man, the Son from the Mother, the fruit from
the earth” (74 Omelie sul libro dei Salmi,
5. Let us conclude with
Indeed, he describes “the
earth as full of thorns”. But “there came the hand of One rooting them up,
there came a calling by His majesty and mercy, the earth began to confess; now
the earth gives her fruit”. Certainly, would she give her fruit “unless first
she were rained on”, “unless first the mercy of God had come from above?” Now
we see a mature fruit in the Church thanks to the preaching of the Apostles:
Then “by his sending rain through the clouds, by the sending of the Apostles
and by their preaching the truth, “the earth has given her fruit’ more
abundantly, and that harvest has now filled the whole world” (Esposizioni
sui Salmi, II, Rome, 1970, p. 551 [Exposition on the Psalms by St
Augustine, Oxford 1849, vol. 3, pp. 308-309]).
PSALM 72 (I) (II)
Wednesday,
1 December 2004
First part of Psalm 72[71]
Justice shall flourish
1. The Liturgy of Vespers,
on whose psalms and canticles we are systematically commenting, presents in two
parts one of the Psalms dearest to Jewish and Christian tradition: Psalm
72[71], a royal hymn on which the Fathers of the Church meditated,
reinterpreting it in a Messianic key.
We have just heard the first
great movement of this solemn prayer (cf. vv. 1-11). It opens with an intense,
choral entreaty to God to grant the sovereign the gift that is fundamental to
good government: justice. It is expressed above all in dealing with the poor,
who instead are usually oppressed by the authority.
You will note the special
insistence with which the Psalm emphasizes the moral commitment to ruling the
people in accordance with justice and law: “O God, give your judgment to the
king, to a king’s son your justice, that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgment” (vv. 1-2, 4).
Just as the Lord rules the
world with justice (cf. Ps 36[35]: 7), so the king, who in the ancient biblical
conception is his visible representative on earth, must conform to the action
of his God.
2. If the rights of the poor
are violated, this is not only the perpetration of a politically incorrect and
morally evil act. In the perspective of the Bible this is also an act against
God, a religious crime, for the Lord is the custodian and defender of the poor
and the oppressed, of widows and of orphans (cf. Ps 68[67]: 6), that is, of
those who have no human protectors.
It is easy to perceive how,
after the collapse of the monarchy of Judah (sixth century B.C.), tradition
replaced the frequently disappointing figure of the Davidic king with the
glorious, shining features of the Messiah, in keeping with the prophetic hope
which Isaiah expressed: “with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide
aright for the land’s afflicted” (Is 11: 4); or, according to Jeremiah’s
announcement: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up
for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and
shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (Jer 23: 5).
3. After this lively and
passionate entreaty for the gift of justice, the Psalm’s horizon broadens to
take in the royal, Messianic kingdom as it evolves through the two coordinates
of time and space. Moreover, its endurance in history is exalted (cf. Ps
72[71]: 5, 7). The vivid images have a cosmic stamp: indeed, the passage of the
days is measured by the sun and the moon, and the seasons by rain and
abundance.
Hence, it is a fruitful and
serene kingdom that always supports those values of capital importance: justice
and peace (cf. v. 7). These are the signs of the Messiah’s entry into our
history. The comments of the Fathers of the Church who see in this King-Messiah
the face of Christ, the eternal and universal king, are illuminating.
4. Thus, St Cyril of Alexandria
observes in his Explanatio in Psalmos that the judgment God gives to the
king is the one mentioned by St Paul: “according to his purpose... to unite all
things in [Christ]” (Eph 1: 10). Indeed, “in his days
justice will flourish and peace abound”, as if to say, “in the days of Christ,
through faith, justice will spring up for us and, as we turn to God, peace will
abound”. Moreover, it is precisely we who are the “wretched” and the “children
of the poor” whom this king rescues and saves: and if first of all he “calls
the holy Apostles “wretched’ because they were poor in spirit, he has
consequently saved us as “sons and daughters of the poor’, justifying us and
making us holy in the faith though the Holy Spirit” (cf. PG LXIX, 1180).
5. On the one hand, the
Psalmist also outlines the space into which fits the royal justice and peace of
the Messiah-King (cf. Ps 72[71]: 8-11). A universal dimension comes into play
here, which extends from the Red Sea or from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean,
from the Euphrates, the great “River” of the East, to the very ends of the
earth (cf. v. 8), also called to mind by mentioning Tarshish and the islands,
the most remote western territories according to ancient biblical geography
(cf. v. 8). This gaze sweeps across the whole map of the world as it was then
known, which included Arabs and nomads, the kings of remote States and even
enemies, in a universal embrace of which the Psalms (cf. Ps 47[46]: 10; 87[86]:
1-7) and prophets (cf. Is 2: 1-5; 60: 1-22; Mal 1: 11) frequently sing.
The ideal seal to set on
this vision can thus be expressed precisely by the words of the Prophet
Zechariah, which the Gospel was to apply to Christ: “Rejoice greatly, O
daughter of
Wednesday,
15 December 2004
“He shall save the poor!’
1. The Liturgy of Vespers,
which we are following through its series of Psalms, presents to us in two
stages Psalm 72[71], a royal and messianic hymn. After meditating on the first
part (cf. vv. 1-11; [ORE], 8 December 2004, p. 11), we now have
before us the second poetic and spiritual movement of this hymn dedicated to
the glorious figure of the Messiah-King (vv. 12-19). We must immediately point
out, however, that the finale of the last two verses (cf. vv. 18-19) is
actually a later liturgical addition to the Psalm.
In fact, it is a brief but
intense blessing that was to seal the second of the five books into which
Judaic tradition divided the collection of the 150 Psalms: this second book
began with Psalm 42[41], the Psalm of the thirsting deer, a
vivid symbol of spiritual thirst for God. So, a song of hope in an age of peace
and justice concludes the sequence of Psalms and the words of the final
blessing are an exaltation of the Lord’s effective presence, both in the
history of humanity where he “works wonders” (Ps 72[71]: 18) and in the
universe he created, which is filled with his glory (cf. v. 19).
2. As we have already seen
in the first part of the Psalm, the crucial elements by which to recognize the
figure of the Messianic King are above all his justice and his love for the
poor (cf. vv. 12-14).
He is their sole reference
point and source of hope, as the visible representative of their only defender
and patron: God. In fact, this Old Testament story teaches us that all too often, the sovereigns of
For this reason, the
Psalmist’s gaze now focuses on a just and perfect king, incarnated by the
Messiah, the one sovereign ready to redeem the oppressed “from oppression” and
abuse (cf. v. 14). The Hebrew word used is the legal term for the protector of
the lowliest and victims; it was also applied to
The Lord is the principal
“deliverer-redeemer” who works visibly through the Messiah-King to save the
poor whom he protects, for their “life” and “blood” are
dear to him. “Life” and “blood” are the fundamental reality of the person; they
represent the rights and dignity of each human being, which are frequently
violated by the powerful and domineering of this world.
We are, of course, in the
presence of elements belonging to the style of courtly compositions, with their
own special emphasis. Henceforth, however, these words were to acquire their
truth in the action of the perfect king, the longed for and expected Messiah.
In accordance with a feature
of messianic poems, the whole of nature is involved in a transformation that is
first and foremost for the good of society: the corn of the harvests will be so
abundant as to become, as it were, an undulating sea of rustling ears rolling
to the peaks of the mountains (cf. v. 16). This is a sign of the divine
blessing that in its fullness spreads over the earth, pacified and serene.
Indeed, all humanity, leaving aside and putting an end to all divisions, will
converge toward this sovereign of justice, thus fulfilling the Lord’s great
promise to Abraham: “Every tribe shall be blessed in him, all nations bless his
name (v. 17; cf. Gn 12: 3).
4. Christian tradition has
discerned in the face of this Messiah-King the features of Jesus Christ. In his
Exposition on Psalm 72[71] (Esposizione sul Salmo 71),
PSALM 77
Wednesday
13 March 2002
Psalm 76[77]
God renews the saving
wonders of his love
1. By including Psalm 76[77]
that we have just proclaimed in the morning Lauds, the liturgy wants to remind
us that the beginning of a new day is not always bright. Just as dark days dawn
when the sky is covered with clouds threatening a storm, so our life knows days
that are filled with sorrows and fears. This is why already at daybreak our prayer
becomes a lament, a supplication, a plea for help.
Our Psalm is precisely a
plea that rises to God with insistence, deeply motivated by trust, indeed, by
the certainty that he will intervene. In fact, for the Psalmist the Lord is not
an impassive emperor relegated to his shining heavens and indifferent to our
affairs. From this impression that sometimes grips us
arise questions so bitter that could bring about a crisis of faith: “Is
God denying his love and his election? Has he forgotten the past when he
sustained us and made us happy?”. As we will see, such
questions are swept away by renewed trust in God, our Redeemer and our Saviour.
2. So let us follow the way
this prayer develops as it begins in a dramatic tone, in anguish, and then
gradually opens to serenity and hope. First of all, we have before us the
lamentation on the sad present and the silence of God (cf. vv. 2-11). A cry for
help is raised to a seemingly mute heaven, imploring hands are lifted, the heart misses a beat through sorrow. In the sleepless
night of tears and prayers, a song “returns to the heart”, as is said in verse
When pain reaches its limit
and one wishes that the cup of suffering be removed (cf. Mt 26,39), words explode and become an agonizing question, as we
said earlier (cf. Ps 76[77],8-11). This loud cry questions the mystery of God
and of his silence.
3. The Psalmist wonders why
the Lord is ever rejecting him, why he has changed his appearance and action,
forgetting his love, his promise of salvation and his tender mercy. “The right
hand of the Most High” that accomplished the saving wonders of the Exodus, now
seems paralyzed (cf. v. 11). It is a real “torment” that brings into crisis the
faith of the person praying.
Were this true, God would be
unrecognizable, he would become a cruel being or a
presence like that of idols that cannot save because they are incapable of it,
indifferent and powerless. These verses of the first part of Psalm 76 [77] contain
the whole drama of faith in the time of trial and of God’s silence.
4. But there are reasons for
hope. This is what emerges from the second part of the plea (cf. vv. 12-21),
similar to a hymn that is intended to propose again the courageous confirmation
of faith, even on the dark day of pain. The psalmist sings of the salvation of
the past, that had its epiphany of light in the
creation and in the liberation from the slavery of
The Psalmist then has
recourse to an important biblical concept, that of the “memorial” which is not
merely a vague, consoling memory, but the certainty of divine action that is
unfailing: “I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; yes, your wonders
of old I will remember” (Ps 76[77],12). To profess
faith in the works of salvation of the past leads to faith in what the Lord is
constantly doing, hence also in the present: “Your way, O God, is holy....
You are the God who works wonders” (vv. 14-15).
Thus the present that seemed without a way out and without light, is
illuminated by faith in God and open to hope.
5. To sustain this faith the
Psalmist cites what is probably a more ancient hymn, perhaps chanted in the
liturgy of the
Recalling at the end that
God guided his people “like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron” (Ps 76[77],21), the Psalm leads implicitly to a certainty: God
will return to lead us to salvation. His powerful and invisible hand will be
with us through the visible hand of the pastors and guides he has established.
The Psalm, that begins with a cry of distress, ends by awakening sentiments of
faith and hope in the great shepherd of our souls (cf. Heb 13,20;
I Pt 2,25).
PSALM 80
Wednesday
10 April 2002
Psalm 79[80]
O Shepherd of
1. The Psalm we just heard
is a song of lament, a plea from the entire people of
The first part makes use of
a famous biblical symbol, the shepherd. The Lord is invoked as “the shepherd of
He did this during the
crossing of the desert. Now, however, he seems absent, as though asleep or
indifferent. He feeds the flock he must lead and nourish (cf. Ps 22) only with
the bread of tears (cf. Ps 79[80],6). Enemies scoff at
this humiliated, despised people; yet God does not seem to be moved nor “to be
stirred up” (v. 3), nor does he reveal his might, arrayed to defend the victims
of violence and oppression. The repetition of the antiphonal invocation (cf.
vv. 4.8), seeks virtually to rouse God from his detached attitude, so that he
will return to be the shepherd and defender of his people.
As the Prophet Isaiah
teaches in one of his most exalted poetic passages (cf. Is 5,1-7),
the vine is the incarnation of
3. Through the imagery of
the vine, the psalm recalls the major milestones of Hebrew history: their
roots, the experience of the Exodus from
But this splendid
flourishing was shattered. The Psalm reminds us that a tempest struck God’s
vineyard: in other words,
4. The Psalmist then directs
a pressing appeal to God to come back and defend the victims, to break his
silence: “Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have
regard for this vine” (v. 15). God will again be the defender of the vital
stump of this vine, subjected to such a violent storm, and will scatter all
those who have tried to tear it up or set fire to it (cf. vv. 16-17).
At this point, the Psalm
opens to messianic hope. Indeed, in verse 18 the Psalmist prays: “Let
your hand be upon the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made
strong for yourself!”. Perhaps his first thought is of
the Davidic king who, with the Lord’s help, will lead the uprising for freedom.
But confidence in the future Messiah is implicit, that “Son of Man” who would
be sung by the Prophet Daniel (cf. 7,13-14), a title Jesus would choose as his
favorite to define his work and messianic being. Indeed, the Fathers of the
Church were unanimous in pointing out that the vine that the psalm describes is
a prophetic prefiguration of Christ “the true vine” (Jn 15,1),
and of his Church.
5. Of course, if the face of
the Lord is to shine once again,
So Psalm 79[80] is a song
that is strongly marked by suffering but also by indestructible trust. God is
always ready to “return” to his people, but his people must also “return” to
him in fidelity. If we turn away from sin, the Lord will be “converted” from
his intention to punish: this is the Psalmist’s conviction that finds an
echo in our hearts and opens them to hope.
PSALM 81
Wednesday
24 April 2002
Psalm 80 [81] of Lauds
A love that frees the
oppressed from their burdens
1. “Blow the trumpet at the
full moon, on our feast day” (Ps 80 [81],4). These
words of Psalm 80 [81], that we just proclaimed, refer to a liturgical
celebration according to the lunar calendar of ancient
As verse 7 of the Psalm
poetically states, God himself relieved the Hebrew slave in
2. Let us see how this canticle
of the liturgy of
The theme developed is
simple and rotates round two ideal poles. On the one hand there is the divine
gift of freedom offered to
3. On the other hand, along
with the divine gift, the Psalmist introduces another significant element. The
Biblical religion is not a solitary monologue of God, an action of God destined
not to be performed. Instead, it is a dialogue, a word followed by a response,
a gesture of love that calls for acceptance. For this reason ample room is
given to the invitations that God addresses to
The Lord first invites it to
observe faithfully the First Commandment, the pillar of the whole Decalogue,
that is, faith in the one Lord and Saviour and the rejection of idols (cf. Ex
20,3-5). The words of the priest speaking in God’s
name are punctuated by the verb “to listen”, dear to the Book of Deuteronomy,
which expresses obedient adherence to the Law of Sinai and is a sign of
Israel’s response to the gift of freedom. In fact, we hear repeated in our
Psalm: “Hear, O my people ... O Israel, if you would but listen to me! ... But
my people did not listen to my voice;
Only through faithful
listening and obedience can the people receive fully the gifts of the Lord.
Unfortunately, God must attest with bitterness to
4. The last part of the
Psalm (cf. Ps 80[81],14-17) has a melancholic tone. In
fact, God expresses a longing that has not yet been satisfied: “O that my
people would listen to me, that
However, this melancholy is
inspired by love and is united with his deep desire to fill the chosen people
with good things. If
In the Christian
interpretation, the divine offering is revealed in its fullness. Indeed, Origen
gives us this interpretation: the Lord “made them enter into the promised land;
there he does not feed them with manna as he did in the desert, but with the
wheat that has fallen to the ground (cf. Jn 12,24-25)
that is risen.... Christ is the wheat; again, he is the rock whose water
quenched the thirst of the people of
5. As is always the case in
the history of salvation, the last word in the contrast between God and his
sinful people is never judgement and chastisement, but
love and pardon. God does not want to judge and condemn, but to save and
deliver humanity from evil. He continues to repeat to us the words we read in
the Book of the Prophet Ezechiel: “Have I any pleasure in the death of the
wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and
live?... Why will you die, O house of
The liturgy becomes the
privileged place in which to hear the divine call to conversion and return to
the embrace of God “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in
steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34,6).
PSALM 84
Wednesday
28 August 2002
Heaven’s peace and life is
our destination
Psalm 83 [84]
1. We continue our journey
through the Psalms of the Liturgy of Lauds. We heard now Psalm 83 [84], which
the Jewish tradition attributes to the “sons of Korah”, a family of priests who
were in charge of the liturgical service and guarded the threshold of the tent
of the Ark of the Covenant (cf. I Chr 9,19).
This is a most charming
song, pervaded by mystical longing for the God of life, repeatedly celebrated
(cf. Ps 83 [84],2.4.9.13) with the name: “Lord of the Armies”, that is,
Lord of the heavenly hosts, hence of the cosmos. Moreover, this title had a
special connection with the ark preserved in the temple that was known as the
“ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim”
(I Sm 4,4; cf. Ps 79[80],2). Indeed, it was regarded
as the sign of divine protection in times of danger and war (cf. I Sm 4,3-5; II Sm 11,11).
The background of the whole
Psalm is represented by the temple toward which the pilgrimage of the faithful
is directed. The season seems to be autumn, for the Psalmist mentions the
“early rain” that placates the scorching heat of summer (cf. Ps 83[84], 7).
This could therefore remind us of the pilgrimage to
2. The temple is present in
all its fascination at the beginning and end of the Psalm. It opens with the
wonderful and delicate imagery of birds who have built their nests in the
sanctuary (cf. vv. 2-4), an enviable privilege.
It is a representation of
the happiness of all who - like the priests of the temple - dwell permanently
in God’s House, enjoying its intimacy and peace. In fact, the whole of the
believer’s being is stretched out to the Lord, impelled by an almost physical
and instinctive desire for him: “My soul yearns and pines for the courts
of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God” (v. 3). Then the
temple reappears at the end of the Psalm (cf. vv. 11-13). The pilgrim expresses
his great happiness at spending some time in the courts of the house of God and
compares this spiritual happiness with the idolatrous illusion that pushes a
person towards “the tents of wickedness”, that is, the infamous temples of
injustice and perversion.
3. There is light, life and
joy only in the sanctuary of the living God and “blessed are those” who “trust”
in the Lord, choosing the path of righteousness (cf. vv. 12-13). The image of
the way takes us to the heart of the Psalm (cf. vv. 5-9) where another, more
important pilgrimage is made. Blessed are those who dwell in the temple in a
stable way and even more blessed are those who decide to undertake a journey of
faith to
In their comments on Psalm
83, the Fathers of the Church give v.
Let us reflect for a moment
on this mystical “ascent” that finds in the earthly pilgrimage an image and a
sign. We will do so through the words of a seventh-century Christian writer who
was abbot of the monastery on Sinai.
4. This is John Climacus who
dedicated an entire treatise - The Ladder of Divine Ascent - to
illustrating the countless steps by which the spiritual life ascends. At the
end of his work, he gives the last word to charity itself, which he sets at the
top of the ladder of spiritual progress.
It is charity that invites
and exhorts us, proposing sentiments and attitudes already suggested by our
Psalm: “Ascend, my brothers, ascend eagerly. Let your hearts’ resolve be to
climb. Listen to the voice of the one who says: “Come let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the house of our God” (Is 2,3),
Who makes our feet to be like the feet of the deer, “Who sets us on the high
places, that we may be triumphant on his road” (Hb 3,19). Run, I beg you, run
with him who said, “let us hurry until we all arrive at the unity of faith and
of the knowledge of God, at mature manhood, at the measure of the stature of
Christ’s fullness” (cf. Eph 4,13). (La Scala del Paradiso,
5. The Psalmist thinks first
of all of the concrete pilgrimage that leads to
The concrete pilgrimage is
transformed in this light - as the Fathers intuited - and becomes a parable of
the whole of life, set between distance from and intimacy with God, between the
mystery of God and his revelation. Even in the desert of daily life, the six
workdays are made fruitful, illuminated and sanctified by the meeting with God
on the seventh day, through the liturgy and prayer of our ecclesial gathering
on Sunday.
Let us walk then, when we
are in the “valley of tears”, keeping our eyes fixed on the bright goal of
peace and communion. Let us repeat in our hearts the final beatitude, which is
like an antiphon that seals the Psalm: “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the
man who trusts in you!”(v. 13).
PSALM 85
Wednesday
25 September 2002
Psalm 84 [85]
“Show us, O Lord, your Mercy; grant ... salvation”
1. Psalm 84 [85], which we
have just heard sung, is a joyful hymn full of hope in the future of our
salvation. It reflects the happy moment of
Indeed, in the original
Hebrew of the Psalm one hears repeated the verb shûb, which refers to
the return of the deported but it also means a spiritual “return”, or a
“conversion”. The rebirth, therefore, does not only refer to the nation, but
also to the community of the faithful who regarded the exile as a punishment
for the sins they had committed, and now see their repatriation and new freedom
as a divine blessing that is the result of their conversion.
2. We can follow the Psalm
in its development according to two fundamental stages. The first is
articulated by the subject of “return”, with the two meanings we mentioned.
However, besides this
“return” that concretely unifies those who were scattered, there is another
more interior and spiritual “return”. The Psalmist allows it ample room,
attributing a special importance to it that applies not only to ancient
In fact, their deliverance
from evil, the pardon of their faults and the purification of sins create the
new People of God. This is expressed in an invocation that has also entered the
Christian liturgy: “Show us, O Lord, your mercy and grant us your
salvation” (v. 8).
However, to the “return” of
God who forgives must correspond the “return”, that is, the “conversion”, of
the one who repents. In fact, the Psalm says that
peace and salvation are offered “to those who turn to him in their hearts” (v.
9). Those who set out with determination on the path of holiness receive the
gifts of joy, freedom and peace.
It is well known that
biblical terms for sin often refer to a mistaken direction, a missed goal, a
deviation from the straight path. Conversion is, precisely, a “return” to the
straight road that leads to the house of the Father who waits to embrace us,
pardon us and make us happy (cf. Lk 15,11-32).
4. Thus we come to the
second part of the Psalm (cf. Ps 84[85],10-14), so
dear to Christian tradition. It describes a new world in which God’s love and
his faithfulness embrace each other as if they were persons. Similarly, justice
and peace meet and kiss each other. Truth sprouts up as if in a new springtime
and justice, which for the Bible also means salvation
and holiness, appears from heaven to begin its journey in the midst of
humanity.
All the virtues, at first
expelled from the earth by sin, now re-enter history and meet, drawing the map
of a world of peace. Mercy, truth, justice and peace become the four cardinal
points of this geography of the spirit. Isaiah also sings: “Let justice
descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it
down. Let the earth open and salvation bud forth; let justice also spring up.
I, the Lord, have created this” (Is 45,8).
5. The Psalmist’s words,
already in the second century, were re-read by St Irenaeus of
For this reason, especially
in the last part, the Psalm is reread by Christian tradition in terms of
Christmas. This is how
PSALM 86
Wednesday
23 October 2002
Psalm 85 [86]
All nations shall come and
adore You, O Lord
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. Psalm 85 [86] just
recited, which will be the theme of our reflection, offers an impressive
description of the Psalmist. He comes before God with these words: I am “your servant” and “the son of your handmaid” (v. 16).
Certainly, the expression can belong to the language of court ceremonial, but
was used to indicate the servant adopted as a son by the head of a family or
tribe. In this light the Psalmist, who defines himself as “the faithful” of the
Lord (cf. v. 2), feels he is bound to God by a bond, not just of obedience, but
also of familiarity and communion. For this reason his prayer expresses
confident abandonment and hope.
Let us now follow this
prayer which the Liturgy of Lauds sets out for us at the beginning of a
day that will probably bring with it not just work and fatigue, but also
misunderstanding and problems.
2. The Psalm begins with an
intense appeal which the Psalmist directs to the Lord, trusting in his love
(cf. vv. 1-7). At the end he expresses again the certainty that the Lord is a
“God of mercy, compassionate, slow to anger, full of love, faithful God” (v.
15; cf. Ex 34,6). The repeated and convinced
expressions of confidence reveal a faith that is intact and pure with an act of
abandonment to the “Lord, good ... full of love to all who call on him” (Ps 85
[86],5).
At the centre of the Psalm,
a hymn is sung to the Lord that alternates feelings of thanksgiving with a
profession of faith in the works of salvation that God displays before the
peoples (cf. vv. 8-13).
3. Against every temptation
to idolatry, the Psalmist proclaims the absolute uniqueness of God (cf. v. 8).
In the end he expresses the bold hope that one day “all the nations” shall
adore the God of Israel (v. 9). This wonderful prospect finds its fulfillment
in the
At this point the Psalmist
presents himself before God with an intense and pure appeal: “Show me, Lord,
your way so that I may walk in your truth; give me a simple heart to fear your
name” (v. 11).
The petition to be able to
know the will of God is wonderful as is the prayer to obtain the gift of “a
simple heart” like that of a child, who without duplicity and calculation
entrusts himself fully to the Father to direct him on the path of life.
4. Then, from the lips of
the faithful flows praise of the merciful God who does not allow him to fall
into despair and death, evil and sin (cf. vv. 12-13; Ps 15,10-11).
Psalm 85 [86] is a prayer
that is dear to Judaism, that inserted it into the liturgy of one of the most
important solemnities, Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. The Book of
the Apocalypse, in turn, extracted a verse from it (cf. v. 9), placing it in
the glorious heavenly liturgy at the heart of the “song of Moses, the servant
of God, and the song of the Lamb”: “All nations shall come and worship
you” and the Apocalypse adds: “for your [just] judgments have been revealed”
(Apoc 15,4).
5. The holy Christian opens
himself to the universality of the Church and prays with the Psalmist: “All the
nations that you have created shall come and adore you, O Lord” (Ps 85 [86],9). Augustine comments: “All the nations in the one Lord
are one people, this is true oneness. As there is the Church and churches, and
those are churches which are also the Church, so that is a “people’ which was
peoples; formerly, peoples, many peoples, now only one people. Why only one
people?
Because one faith, one hope,
one charity, one expectation. Finally, why one people if only
one country? Our country is heavenly, our country is
In this universal light our
liturgical prayer is transformed into a breath of praise and a hymn of glory to
the Lord in the name of every creature.
PSALM 87
Wednesday
13 November 2002
Psalm 86[87]
Jerusalem, Mother of all
Peoples
1. The hymn to
The universal perspective of
Psalm 86[87] can call to mind the hymn of the Book of Isaiah, who sees all the
nations converging toward Zion to hear the Word of the Lord and rediscover the
beauty of peace, beating their “swords into ploughshares” and their “spears
into pruning hooks” (cf. 2,2-5).
In reality, the Psalm is
placed in a very different perspective: that of a movement,
that instead of converging on
2.
All the cardinal points of
the earth are situated in relation with this mother: Rahab, that is,
In the spiritual register of
3. It is striking to observe
even nations considered hostile to
In Jerusalem, all people
must discover their spiritual roots, feel they are in their homeland, meet
again as members of the same family and embrace one another as brothers and
sisters who have come back home.
Along the lines of Psalm
86[87], the Second Vatican Council sees in the universal Church the place in
which “all the just from the time of Adam” are reunited, “from Abel the just
one to the last of the elect”. The Church will be brought to “glorious
completion at the end of time” (Lumen gentium, n. 2).
5. This ecclesial
interpretation of the Psalm is open, in the Christian tradition, to a
reinterpretation in a Mariological key.
Let us now listen to a
teacher of the Armenian tradition, Gregory of Narek (c. 950-1010), who in his Panegyric
Address to the Blessed Virgin Mary says to her: “Taking refuge under your
most worthy and powerful intercession, we are protected, O holy Mother of God,
finding refreshment and repose under the shadow of your protection as if we
were protected by a heavily fortified wall: an ornate wall, gracefully inset
with the purest diamonds; a wall encircled by fire, therefore impenetrable to
the assaults of thieves; sparkling, blazing, insurmountable and inaccessible to
cruel traitors; a wall surrounded on all sides, according to David, whose
foundations were laid by the Most High (cf. Ps 86[87], 1.5); a mighty wall of
the heavenly city, according to Paul (cf. Gal 4,26; Heb 12,22), where you
welcome everyone as its inhabitants because through the corporeal birth of God,
you made the children of Jerusalem on earth into children of the heavenly
Jerusalem.
Therefore their lips bless
your virginal womb and all profess you as the dwelling place and temple of the
One who is consubstantial with the Father. Justly, then, what the prophet said
rightly applies to you: “You were for us a house of refuge and our help against
the torrents on the days of anguish’ (cf. Ps 45[46],2)”
Testi mariani
PSALM 90
Wednesday,
26 March 2003
Psalm 89[90]
Teach us to number our days
aright
1. The verses that have just
echoed in our ears and in our hearts are a sapiential meditation which,
however, has the tone of a supplication. In fact, in Psalm 89[90] the one who
prays the Psalm puts at the heart of his prayer one of the topics most explored
by philosophy, most sung by poetry and most felt by human experience in all
ages and in all the regions of the earth: human frailty and the passing
of time.
It is enough to think of certain
unforgettable pages of the Book of Job, which present our frailty. In
fact, we are like those who “dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in
the dust, who are crushed more easily than the moth. Between morning and
evening they are destroyed; they perish for ever without anyone regarding it”
(cf. Job 4,19-20). Our life on earth is “but a shadow”
(Job 8,9). Again, Job continues to confess: “My
days are swifter than a runner; they flee away, they see no happiness. They
shoot by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on its prey” (Job 9,25-26).
2. At the beginning of his
song, which is akin to an elegy (cf. Ps 89[90],2-6),
the Psalmist insistently contrasts the eternity of God with the fleeting time
of humanity. This is his most explicit declaration: “For a thousand years
in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch of the night”
(v. 4).
As a consequence of original
sin, by divine command, man returns to the dust from which he was taken, as
already affirmed in the account of Genesis: “You are dust, and to dust
you shall return” (Gn 3,19; cf. 2,7). The Creator, who shapes the human
creature in all his beauty and complexity, is also the One who “turns men back
into dust” (cf. Ps 89[90],3). And “dust” in biblical
language is also a symbolic expression for death, the lower regions, the
silence of the tomb.
Judgement, sin, death
3. The sense of human
limitation is intense in this entreaty. Our existence has the frailty of the
grass that springs up at dawn; suddenly it hears the whistle of the sickle that
reduces it to a heap of hay. The freshness of life all too soon gives way to
the aridity of death (cf. vv. 5-6; cf. Is 40,6-7; Job 14,1-2; Ps
102[103],14-16).
As often occurs in the Old
Testament, the Psalmist associates this radical weakness with sin. In us there
is finiteness but also culpability. For this reason, the Lord’s anger and
judgement seem to overshadow our lives. “Truly we are consumed by your anger,
filled with terror by your wrath. Our guilt lies open before you.... All our
days pass away in your anger” (Ps 89 [90],7-9).
4. At the dawn of the new
day, with this Psalm, the liturgy of Lauds rouses us from our illusions
and our pride. Human life is limited: “Our span is seventy years or
eighty for those who are strong”, the Psalmist affirms. Moreover the passing of
the hours, days, and months is marked by “sorrow and toil” (cf. v. 10) and the
years themselves turn out to be like a “sigh” (v. 9).
This, then, is the great
lesson: the Lord teaches us to “count our days” so that by accepting them
with healthy realism “we may gain wisdom of heart” (v. 12). But the person
praying asks something more of God: that his grace support and gladden
our days, even while they are so fragile and marked by affliction. May he grant
us to taste the flavour of hope, even if the tide of time seems to drag us away. Only the grace of the Lord can give our daily actions
consistency and perpetuity: “Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon
us: give success to the work of our hands, give success to the work of
our hands” (v. 17).
In prayer let us ask God
that a reflection of eternity penetrate our brief lives and actions. With the
presence of divine grace in us, a light will shine on the passing of our days, misery will be turned into glory, what seems not to
make sense will acquire meaning.
5. Let us conclude our
reflection on Psalm 89[90] by leaving the word to early Christian tradition,
which comments on the Psalter having in the background the glorious figure of
Christ. Thus for the Christian writer Origen, in his Treatise on the Psalms which
has been handed down to us in the Latin translation of St Jerome, the
Resurrection of Christ gives us the possibility, perceived by the Psalmist, to
“rejoice and be glad all our days” (cf. v. 14). This is because Christ’s
Paschal Mystery is the source of our life beyond death: “After being
gladdened by the Resurrection of Our Lord, through whom we believe we have been
redeemed and will also rise one day, we now live in joy the days that remain of
our life, exulting because of this confidence, and with hymns and spiritual
chants we praise God through Jesus Christ Our Lord” (Origen Jerome, “74
Omelie sul libro dei Salmi” [74 Homilies on the Book of the Psalms], Milan
1993, p. 652).
PSALM 92 (alt)
GENERAL AUDIENCE
Wednesday
12 June 2002
Sing in praise of Christ’s
redeeming work
Psalm 91[92]
Lauds on Saturday of the
second week of the year
1. Psalm 91[92] which we
have just heard, the song of the righteous man to God the Creator, has a
special place in the ancient Hebrew tradition. In fact, the title given to this
Psalm indicates that it was sung on the Sabbath (cf. v. 1). Hence, it is the
hymn raised to the Most High and Eternal Lord when, at sundown on Friday, we
enter the holy day of prayer, contemplation and serene stillness of body and
spirit.
The magnificent person of
God the Most High is at the centre of the Psalm (cf. v. 9) around whom is
arrayed a harmonious and peaceful world. Standing before him is the just person
who, in keeping with a favourite Old Testament concept, is filled with
well-being, joy and longevity as a natural consequence of his upright and
faithful life. This refers to the so-called “theory of retribution”, that
claims that every crime is punished and every good deed rewarded already on
this earth. Although there may be an element of truth to this view, nonetheless
- as Job will intuit and Jesus will confirm (cf. Jn 9, 2-3) - the reality of
human suffering is much more complex and cannot be so easily simplified.
Indeed, human suffering must be viewed in the perspective of eternity.
2. Let us now examine this
sapiential hymn with liturgical features. It includes an intense call to
praise, the joyful song of thanksgiving, the festival of music played on the
ten-stringed harp, the lyre and the lute (cf. vv. 2-4). The Lord’s love and
fidelity must be celebrated in liturgical song that is to be performed “with
skill” (Ps 46[47],8). This invitation can also apply
to our celebrations, so that they recover their splendour, not only in the words
and rites, but also in the melodies that accompany them.
After this appeal not to
break the interior and exterior thread of prayer, the true and constant breath
of faithful humanity, Psalm 91[92] presents, as though in two portraits the
profile of the wicked (cf. vv. 7-10) and of the just person (cf. vv. 13-16).
The wicked man, moreover, is brought before the Lord, “the most high for ever”
(v. 9), who will make his enemies perish and will scatter all evildoers (cf. v.
10). Indeed, only in the divine light can we understand the depth of good and
evil, justice and wickedness.
3. The figure of the sinner
is described with images from the vegetable world: “though the wicked sprout
like grass, and all evildoers flourish” (v. 8). But
this flourishing is destined to shrivel and disappear. In fact, the Psalmist
heaps up verbs and words that describe the devastation: “they are doomed
to destruction for ever ... Your enemies, O Lord, shall perish, all evildoers
shall be scattered” (vv. 8.10).
At the root of this catastrophic
outcome is the profound evil that grips the minds and hearts of the
wicked: “The dull man cannot know, the stupid cannot understand this” (v.
7). The adjectives used here belong to the language of wisdom and denote the
brutality, blindness and foolishness of those who think they can rage over the
face of the earth without moral consequences, deceiving themselves that God is
absent and indifferent. Instead, the person praying is certain that sooner or
later the Lord will appear on the horizon to establish justice and break the
arrogance of the fool (cf. Psalm 13[14]).
4. Here we stand before the
figure of the upright person, sketched as in a vast, richly coloured painting.
Here too the Psalmist has used fresh, luxuriant green plant images (Ps 91[92],
13-16). As opposed to the wicked, who is luxuriant but
short-lived like the grass of the fields, the upright person rises toward
heaven, solid and majestic like the palm tree or a cedar of Lebanon. Besides,
the just “flourish in the courts of our God” (v. 14), namely, they have a
particularly sound and stable relationship with the temple, hence with the
Lord, who has established his dwelling in them.
The Christian tradition also
played on the double meaning of the Greek word phoinix, used to
translate the Hebrew term for “palm tree”. Phoinix is the Greek word for
“palm”, but also for the bird we call the “phoenix”. Everyone knows that the
phoenix was a symbol of immortality because it was believed that the bird was
reborn from its ashes. Christians have a similar rebirth from ashes, though
their participation in the death of Christ, the source of new life (cf. Rom 6,3-4). “But God ... even when we were dead through our
transgression, brought us to life with Christ”, the Letter to the Ephesians
says, “and raised us up with him” (2,5-6).
5. Another image, taken from
the animal kingdom, represents the just man and intends to exalt the strength
that God lavishes, even in old age. “You have exalted my horn like that of the
wild ox; you have poured rich oil upon me” (Ps 91[92],11).
On the one hand, the gift of divine power makes one triumph and gives security
(cf. v. 12); on the other, the glorious forehead of the righteous is anointed
with oil that radiates energy and a protective blessing. So then, Psalm 91[92]
is an optimistic hymn, strengthened by music and song. It celebrates confidence
in God who is the source of serenity and peace, even when one witnesses the
apparent success of the wicked. A peace that is intact even
in old age (cf. v. 15), a time of life to be lived in security and
fruitfulness.
Origen’s comment, translated
by
Let us end with the words of
Origen, translated by
Wednesday,
3 September 2003
Psalm 92[91] Good vs
evil
Faithful persons walk the
spiritual path of light and joy;
the wicked live blinded by the
world, doomed to destruction and death
1. The canticle just
presented to us is the song of a man faithful to Holy God. It is in Psalm
92[91] which, as the ancient title of the composition suggests, was used by
Jewish tradition “for the Sabbath”. The hymn opens with a general appeal to
celebrate and praise the Lord in music and song. It seems to be a never-ending
stream of prayer, for divine love must be exalted in the morning when the day
begins, but it must also be declared during the day and through the hours of
the night.
It was the reference to
musical instruments that the Psalmist makes in the introductory invitation that
moved
2. Through
Thus, two opposite forms of
conduct are repeatedly compared. In his conduct, the faithful person is devoted
to celebrating the divine works and plumbing the depths of the Lord’s thoughts,
and on this path his life is radiant with light and joy. By contrast, the
Psalmist outlines the dullness of the wicked person, incapable as he is of
understanding the hidden meaning of human events. Ephemeral good fortune makes
him arrogant, but in fact he is basically weak and doomed after his fleeting
success to destruction and death. The Psalmist, using an interpretative key
dear to the Old Testament, that is, retribution, is convinced that God will
already reward the righteous in this life, giving them a happy old age, and
that he will punish evildoers before long.
Actually, as Job affirmed
and Jesus was to teach, history can never be so clearly interpreted. Thus, the
Psalmist’s vision becomes a plea to the just God “on high for ever”, to enter
into the sequence of human events, to judge them and make good shine forth.
3. The contrast between the
righteous and the wicked is subsequently taken up once again by the person
praying. On the one hand, there are the “enemies” of the Lord, the “evildoers”,
once again doomed to dispersal and destruction. On the other, the faithful
appear in their full splendour, embodied by the Psalmist who describes himself
with picturesque images taken from Oriental symbology. The righteous person has
the irresistible strength of the wild ox and is ready to challenge any
adversity; his glorious forehead is anointed with the oil of divine protection
that becomes, as it were, a shield to defend the chosen one and guard him. From
the heights of his strength and safety, the person praying sees the wicked
hurled into the abyss of their ruin.
Psalm 92[91] thus is replete
with happiness, confidence and optimism: gifts that we must ask God for
precisely in our time when the temptation of distrust and even despair can
easily creep in.
4. At the end, in the
atmosphere of profound peace that permeates it, our hymn casts a glance at the
old age of the righteous and predicts that they will be equally serene. Even
when these days loom on his horizon, the spirit of the praying person will
still be vital, happy and active, and feel flourishing and fruitful like the
palms and cedars planted in the courtyards of the
The righteous are radicated
in God himself, from whom they absorb the sap of divine grace. The life of the
Lord nourishes them and makes them flourish and vigorous, that is, able to give
to others and to witness to their own faith. The Psalmist’s final words in this
description of a just, hard-working life and an intense and active old age, are in fact linked to the declaration of the Lord’s
eternal fidelity. At this point, therefore, we can conclude by proclaiming the
canticle that is raised to the glory of God in the last Book of the Bible,
Revelation, the book of the terrible struggle between good and evil, but also
of hope in Christ’s final victory: “Great and wonderful are your deeds, O Lord
God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the peoples!... For you alone are holy. All nations shall come and
worship you, for your judgments have been revealed.... Just are you in these
your judgments, you who are and were, O Holy One.... Yes, Lord God the
Almighty, true and just are your judgments!” (cf. 15: 3-4; 16: 5, 7).
PSALM 93
Wednesday
3 July 2002
God is our strength in the
storms of life
Psalm 92 [93]
1. The essential content of
Psalm 92 [93] on which we are reflecting today is evocatively expressed by some
verses of the Hymn in the Liturgy of the Hours for Vespers of Monday: “O,
immense Creator who, in the harmony of the cosmos laid out a path and a limit
for the pounding waves of the sea, you gave to the harsh deserts of the parched
earth the refreshment of rivers and seas”.
Before entering the heart of
the Psalm with its powerful image of the waters, let us understand its basic
tone, the literary genre that supports it. In fact, our Psalm, like the
following Psalms 95-98, is described by Bible scholars as “a song acclaiming
Our Lord the King”. It exalts the
Indeed, Psalm 92 [93] opens
precisely with a joyful acclamation: “The Lord reigns!” (v. 1). The Psalmist celebrates the active kingship of God,
that is, his effective and saving action which creates the world and redeems
man. The Lord is not an impassive emperor relegated to his distant heavens, but
is present among his people as Saviour, powerful and great in love.
2. The Lord, the King,
occupies the first part of this hymn of praise. Like a sovereign, he is seated
on a throne of glory, a throne that is indestructible and eternal (cf. v. 2).
His mantle is the splendour of transcendence, the belt of his robe is
omnipotence (cf. v. 1). The omnipotent sovereignty of God is revealed at the
heart of the Psalm, which compares it to the striking image of turbulent
waters.
The Psalmist mentions in
particular the “voice” of the rivers, in other words, the roaring of their
waters. Actually, the thundering of great waterfalls produces a sensation of
tremendous force in those whose ears are deafened and whose whole body is
seized with trembling. Psalm 41 [42] evokes the same sensation when it
says: “Deep is calling on deep, in the roar of waters; your torrents and
all your waves swept over me” (v. 8). The human being feels small before this
natural force. The Psalmist, however, uses it as a trampoline to exalt the
power of the Lord, which is greater by far. The triple repetition of the
words: “have lifted up” (cf. Ps 92 [93], 3) their voice, is answered by
the triple affirmation of the superior might of God.
3. The Fathers of the Church
like to comment on this Psalm by applying it to Christ, “Lord and Saviour”.
Origen, translated into Latin by
4. Yet God, sovereign of all
things, almighty and invincible, is always close to his people, to whom he
imparts his teachings. This is the idea that Psalm 92 [93] expresses in the
last verse: the highest throne of the heavens is succeeded by the throne
of the ark of the temple of Jerusalem, the power of God’s cosmic voice is
replaced by the sweetness of his holy and infallible words: “Your decrees
are very sure; holiness befits your house, O Lord, for ever more” (v. 5).
Thus ends a short hymn, but
one with real prayerful breadth. It is a prayer that instils confidence and
hope in the faithful who often feel restless, afraid of being overwhelmed by
the storms of history and struck by dark, impending forces.
An echo of this Psalm can be
detected in the Apocalypse of John when the inspired author, describing the
great gathering in heaven that is celebrating the fall of oppressive Babylon
says: “I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the
sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying,
“Alleluia! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns’“ (19,6).
5. Let us end our reflection
on Psalm 92 [93] by listening to the words of St Gregory of Nazianzus, “the
theologian” par excellence among the Fathers: We do so through one
of his beautiful poems in which praise to God, Sovereign and Creator, acquires
a Trinitarian dimension: “You, [Father], have created the universe,
giving everything its rightful place and preserving it through your
providence.... Your Word is God the Son: indeed, he is consubstantial
with the Father, equal to him in honour. He has harmoniously tuned the universe
to reign over all things. And in embracing them all, the Holy Spirit, God,
safeguards and cares for all things. I will proclaim You, the living Trinity,
the one and only monarch ... steadfast strength that sustains the heavens, a
gaze inaccessible to our sight but which contemplates the whole universe and
penetrates every secret depth of the earth to its abysses. O Father, be good to
me: ... may I find mercy and grace, because
glory and grace are to you to the age without end” (Carm.
PSALM 96
Wednesday
18 September 2002
Psalm 95[96]
The Lord reigns from the
Cross
1. “Say among the nations
“the Lord reigns!’“. This exhortation of Psalm 95 (v. 10), just proclaimed,
sets the tone that colours the whole hymn. Indeed, it is one of the “Psalms of
the Lord’s Kingship” that include Psalms 95-98[96-99] as well as 46[47] and
92[93].
In the past we have already
had the chance to pray and comment upon Psalm 92[93] and we know that these
canticles are centred on the great figure of God who rules the whole universe
and governs human history.
Psalm 95[96] exalts both the
Creator of beings and the Saviour of the peoples: God “establishes the
world, it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity” (v. 10).
Indeed, in the original Hebrew, the verb translated as “judge” means
“govern”: thus we are certainly not left to the mercy of the dark forces
of chaos or chance, but are always in the hands of a just and merciful
Sovereign.
2. The Psalm begins with a
joyful invitation to praise God, that opens
immediately on to a universal perspective: “Sing to the Lord, all the
earth!” (v. 1). The faithful are invited to “declare
his glory among the nations”, and then to tell “of his marvellous deeds” (v.
3). Indeed, the Psalmist directly calls on the “families of the peoples” (v. 7)
to invite them to glorify the Lord. Lastly, the Psalmist asks the faithful to
“say among the nations, “the Lord reigns!’“ (v. 10), and explains that the Lord
“judges the peoples” (v. 10), and the whole “world” (v. 13). This universal
opening on the part of a small nation squeezed between two great empires is
very important. This people know that their Lord is God of the universe and
that “all the gods of the nations are nothing” (v. 5).
The Psalm is substantially
composed of two scenes. The first part (cf. vv. 1-9) portrays a solemn epiphany
of the Lord “in his sanctuary” (v. 6), that is, the
The fundamental gesture
before the Lord King who manifests his glory in the history of salvation is
therefore the hymn of adoration, praise and blessing. These attitudes must also
be present in our daily liturgy and in our personal prayer.
3. At the heart of this
choral song of praise, we find an anti-idolatrous declaration. Thus prayer is
revealed as a way of reaching the purity of faith, according to the well known
affirmation lex orandi, lex credendi: the norm of true prayer is also the norm
of faith and is a lesson on divine truth. Indeed, the latter can really be
discovered through the intimate communion with God achieved in prayer.
The Psalmist proclaims:
“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, he is to be feared above all
gods. For all the gods of the peoples are nothing; but the Lord made the
heavens” (vv. 4-5) Through the liturgy and prayer, the faith of every
generation is purified, the idols to which one sacrifices so easily in daily
life are abandoned, and we pass from fear of the transcendent justice of God to
a living experience of his love.
4. So we come to the second
scene, the one that opens with the prolamation of the Lord’s kingship (cf. vv.
10-13). It is now the universe that sings, even through its most mysterious and
dark elements, such as the sea, in accord with the ancient biblical concept:
“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, let the sea and what fills
it resound; let all the plains exult, and all that is in them! Then let all the
trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to
judge the earth” (vv. 11-13).
As
And at this point we would
like to make room for the Christian re-reading (rilettura) of the Psalm
by the Fathers of the Church, who saw in it a prefiguration of the Incarnation
and Crucifixion, a sign of the paradoxical lordship of Christ.
5. Thus at the beginning of
his address in Constantinople, on Christmas Day in 379 or
In this way the mystery of
the divine lordship is manifested in the Incarnation. Indeed, he who reigns by
“becoming earthly”, reigns precisely in humiliation on the Cross. It is significant
that many of the ancients interpreted v. 10 of this Psalm with a
thought-provoking Christological integration: “The Lord reigned from the
tree”.
Thus the Letter of
Barnabas taught that “the kingdom of Jesus is on the wood [of the cross]”
(VIII, 5: I Padri Apostolici, Rome 1984, p. 198; The Apostolic
Fathers, p. 282, Thomas Nelson, 1978) and the martyr St Justin, quoting
almost the whole of the Psalm in his First Apology, ended by inviting
all the Gentiles to rejoice because “the Lord hath reigned from the tree” of
the Cross (Gli apologeti greci, Rome 1986, p. 121; The First Apology,
chapter 41, p.78, Writings of St Justin Martyr, CUA Press).
From this terrain sprang the
hymn Vexilla regis (The Royal Banners of the King, used in
Passion week) written by the Christian poet, Venantius Fortunatus, that
exalts Christ who reigns from the height of the Cross - a throne of love and
not of dominion: Regnavit a ligno Deus (God has reigned from the
tree). Indeed, already during his earthly life, Jesus warned:
“Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes
to be first among you will be the slave of all. For indeed, the Son of Man came
not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10,43-45).
PSALM 97
Wednesday
3 April 2002
Psalm 96 [97]
The Glory of the Lord, Judge
of the world
1. The light, joy and peace
that fill the community of the disciples of Christ at
Easter and that spread throughout creation, pervade our gathering that is
taking place during the joyful days of the Octave of Easter. In these days it
is Christ’s triumph over evil and death that we celebrate. With His Death and
Resurrection the Kingdom of justice and love that God desires is definitively
established.
Today we will focus on the
We know the importance that
Jesus attached to the proclamation of the
2. Let us now read through
the Psalm that the liturgy presents for our celebration of Lauds. Immediately
after the acclamation to the Lord as King that rings out like a trumpet blast,
a great divine epiphany unfolds before the person at prayer. Resorting to the
use of quotations, allusions to other passages of the psalms or of the
prophets, especially Isaiah, the psalmist describes the coming of the great
King onto the world scene who appears surrounded by a series of cosmic
ministers or attendants: clouds, thick darkness, fire, lightning.
Alongside of them, another
series of attendants personifies his action in history: justice, right
and glory. Their entry onto the scene makes all creation quake.
The earth rejoices everywhere, including the islands, considered the most
remote region (cf. Ps 96 [97],1). Flashes of light light up the whole world and an earthquake makes
the world tremble (cf. v. 4). The mountains, that, according to biblical
cosmology, incarnate the most ancient and solid reality, melt like wax (cf. v.
5), as the Prophet Micah sang: “Behold, the Lord is coming forth out of
his place ... and the mountains will melt under him and the valleys will be
cleft, like wax before the fire” (Mi 1,3-4). Angels fill the heavens with songs
of praise that exalt justice, the work of salvation brought about by the Lord
for the just. Finally, all humanity contemplates the revelation of the divine
glory, the mysterious reality of God (cf. Ps 96 [97],6), while the
“enemies”, the wicked and the unjust, give way before the irresistible power of
the judgement of the Lord (cf. v. 3).
3. After the theophany of
the Lord of the universe, the Psalm describes two kinds of reaction to the
great King and his entry into history. On the one hand, idolaters and idols
topple to the ground shamed and defeated; on the other, the faithful, who have
gathered in
4. Against the picture
showing the victory over the idols and their worshippers there is set the
portrayal of what could be called, the splendid day of the faithful (v. 10-12).
Indeed a light that dawns for the just person is described (cf. v. 11):
it is the rising of a dawn of joy, festivity and hope, because - as is well
known - light is a symbol of God (cf. I Jn 1,5).
The Prophet Malachi
declared, “For you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its
healing rays” (Ml 3,20). Light and happiness go
together: “Joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you
righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!” (Ps 96 [97],11-12).
The
5. However, before we leave
Psalm 96 [97], it is important that we rediscover, along with the face of
the Lord the King, the profile of the faithful. Seven features
are described, the sign of perfection and fullness. Those
who await the coming of the great divine King hate
evil, love the Lord, are the hasîdîm, the faithful (cf.
v. 10), who walk in the path of justice, are upright of heart (cf. v. 11),
rejoice in the works of God and give thanks to the holy name of the Lord (cf.
v. 12). Let us ask the Lord to make these spiritual
features shine in our faces.
PSALM 98
Wednesday
6 November 2002
“May Your Kingdom Come”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. Psalm 97[98], just proclaimed,
belongs to a kind of hymn we have already met during the spiritual journey we
are undertaking in the light of the Psalter.
This is a hymn to the Lord
King of the universe and of history (cf. v. 6). It is described as a “new song”
(cf. v. 1), which, in biblical language, means a perfect, full, solemn song
accompanied by festive music. In fact, in addition to the choral song, the
Psalmist evokes “the melodious sound” of the lyre (cf. v. 5), the trumpet and
the horn (cf. v. 6), and also a kind of cosmic applause (cf. v. 8).
Moreover, the name of the
“Lord” resounds repeatedly (six times), invoked as “our God” (v. 3). Hence, God
is at the centre of the scene in all his majesty, while he carries out
salvation in history and is awaited to “govern” the world and the peoples (cf.
v. 9). The Hebrew verb that indicates “judgment” also means “to govern”: so all
await the effective action of the Sovereign of the entire earth who will usher
in peace and justice.
2. The Psalm opens with the
proclamation of divine intervention at the heart of the history of
These signs of salvation are
revealed “before the eyes of the peoples” and to “all the ends of the earth”
(vv. 2.3) so that all humanity may be attracted to God the Saviour and open to
his word and to his saving work.
3. The reception reserved
for the Lord, who intervenes in history is marked by a universal praise: in
addition to the orchestra and the hymns of the
There are four singers of
this immense choir of praise. The first is the roaring sea,
that seems to be the constant basso of this grandiose hymn (cf. v. 7).
The earth and the entire world (cf. vv. 4.7) with all its inhabitants follow
united in solemn harmony. The third personification is that of the rivers, that
are considered the arms of the sea which, with their rhythmic flow, seem to
clap hands in applause (cf. v. 8). Finally, there are the mountains that seem
to dance for joy before the Lord, even though they are the most massive and
imposing creatures (cf. v. 8; Ps 28[29],6;
113[114],6).
So we have a colossal choir
that has only one purpose: to exalt the Lord, King and just Judge. As
mentioned, the end of the Psalm, in fact, presents God, “who comes to govern
(and to rule) the earth ... with justice and equity” (Ps 97 [98],9).
This is our great hope and
our petition: “Your Kingdom come” - a kingdom of peace, justice, and serenity, that will re-establish the original harmony of
creation.
Paul’s interpretation
confers on the Psalm a greater fullness of meaning. Read in the perspective of
the Old Testament, the Psalm proclaims that God saves his people and that all
the nations, seeing this, are in admiration. However, in the Christian
perspective, God works salvation in Christ, Son of Israel; all the nations see
him and are invited to benefit from this salvation, since the Gospel “is the
power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, for the Jew first, and
then for the Greek”, namely the pagan (Rom 1,16). Moreover, “all the ends of
the earth” not only “have seen the victory of our God” (Ps 97[98],3), but have received it.
“A new song is the Son of
God who was crucified - something that had never before been heard of. A new
reality must have a new song. “Sing to the Lord a new song’. He who suffered
the Passion is in reality a man; but you sing to the Lord. He suffered the
Passion as a man, but saved as God”. Origen continues: Christ “did miracles in
the midst of the Jews: he healed paralytics, cleansed lepers, raised up the
dead. But other prophets also did this. He changed a few loaves into an
enormous number, and gave countless people something to eat. But Elisha did
this. Now, what new thing did he do to merit a new song? Do you want to know
what new thing he did? God died as a man so that men might have life; the Son
of Man was crucified to raise us up to heaven” (74 Omelie sul libro dei
Salmi [74 Homilies on the Book of Psalms],
PSALM 99
Wednesday
27 November 2002
Psalm 98[99]
Holy is the Lord our God
Brothers and Sisters,
1. “The Lord reigns”. The
acclamation that opens Psalm 98[99], that we have just heard, reveals its basic
theme and literary genre. It is a lofty song of the People of God to the Lord
who governs the world and history as transcendent, supreme sovereign. It
reminds us of other similar hymns - Psalms 95-97, which we have already
reflected upon - which the Liturgy of Lauds sets forth as an ideal
morning prayer.
In fact, as the faithful
person starts his day, he knows that he is not left to the mercy of blind and
dark chance, nor given over to the uncertainty of his freedom, nor dependent on
the decisions of others, nor dominated by the events of history. He knows that
the Creator and Saviour in his greatness, holiness and mercy, is above every
earthly reality.
2. Experts have put forward
several hypotheses on the use of this Psalm in the liturgy of the
In the first verses the Psalmist
attributes seven solemn titles to God: he is king, great, supreme,
terrible, holy, powerful, just (cf. vv. 1-4). Further on, God is also described
as “patient” (cf. v. 8). Above all, the emphasis is put on the holiness of God.
Indeed, “he is holy” is repeated three times - almost in the form of an
antiphon - (vv. 3.5.9). In biblical language this term indicates above all
divine transcendence. God is superior to us, and he is infinitely above every
one of his creatures.
This transcendence, however,
does not make him an impassive and distant sovereign: when he is called
upon, he responds (cf. v. 6). God is He who can save, the only One who can free
humanity from evil and death. Indeed, “he loves justice” and has “exercises
equity and justice in Jacob” (v. 4).
3. The Fathers of the Church
have reflected at great length on the theme of the holiness of God, celebrating
his divine inaccessibility. However, this transcendent, holy God drew near to
humanity. Indeed, as St Irenaeus says, he already became “accustomed” to being
with the human person in the Old Testament, showing himself in appearances and
speaking through the prophets, while man “became accustomed” to God learning to
follow and obey him. Indeed, in one of his hymns, St Ephrem stressed that
through the Incarnation “the Holy One dwelt in the [Mary’s] womb in a bodily
manner, and behold, he dwells in the mind in a spiritual manner” (St Ephrem, Inni
sulla Natività, 4, 130 Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on the Nativity, 4,
130, p. 99, Paulist Press, Mahwah, N.J., 1989). Moreover, through the gift of
the Eucharist, in analogy with the Incarnation, “The Medicine of Life came down
from above/ to dwell in those who are worthy of him./
After entering them,/ he set up his dwelling among us,/ so that we can be
sanctified in him” (Inni conservati in armeno, [Hymns preserved in
Armenian], 47,27.30).
4. This deep bond between
the “holiness” and closeness of God is also developed in Psalm 98[99]. In fact,
after contemplating the absolute perfection of the Lord, the Psalmist reminds
us that God was in constant touch with his people through Moses and Aaron, his
mediators, and through Samuel, his prophet. He spoke and was heard,
he punished offenses but also forgave.
The sign of his presence
among his people was “his footstool”, namely, the throne of the
5. So we can say that today
Psalm 98[99] is fulfilled in the Church, the centre of the presence of the holy
and transcendent God. The Lord did not withdraw into the inaccessible realm of
his mystery, indifferent to our history and our expectations. He “comes to
judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the peoples with
equity” (Ps 97[98],9).
God came among us above all
in his Son, who became one of us, to instil in us his life and his holiness.
This is why we now approach God with confidence not terror. Indeed, in Christ
we have the High Priest, holy, innocent and unblemished. He “is able for all
time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to
make intercession for them” (Heb 7,25). Our hymn, then, is full of serenity and
joy: it exalts the Lord, the King, who dwells among us, wiping every tear
from our eyes (cf. Apoc 21,3-4).
PSALM 100 (alt)
Wednesday
7 November 2001
Psalm 99 [100], Lauds on Friday
of the first week
Let the world praise
faithful God
1. The tradition of
2. First of all, there is an
urgent call to prayer, clearly described in a liturgical dimension. Suffice it
to list the imperative verbs coupled with indications of liturgical usage that
are articulated in the Psalm: “Cry out..., serve the Lord with gladness, come before him singing for joy. Know that the Lord is
God...Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise, give thanks to him and bless his name”. It is series of
invitations not just to enter the sacred area of the temple through the gates
and courts (cf. Ps 14,1;23,3.7-10), but also to praise
God joyfully.
It is like a constant
unbroken thread of praise taking the form of a continuous profession of faith
and love. Praise that rises from the earth to God, and
at the same time nourishes the spirit of the believer.
3. I would like to highlight
a secondary detail at the beginning of the hymn, where the Psalmist calls all
the earth to acclaim the Lord (cf. v.1). Certainly, the Psalm will then focus
attention on the chosen people, but the perspective of the praise is universal,
as usual in the Psalter with the “hymns to the Lord the king” (cf.
Ps 95-98, [96-99]). The world and history are not at the mercy of
chance, chaos, or blind necessity. Instead, a mysterious God governs them, who desires that humanity live in stability according to just
and authentic relations. He “is King. The world is established, it shall never
be moved;he will judge the peoples with equity...He
will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his truth “ (Ps
95,10.13).
4. We are in the hands of
God, Lord and King, Father and Creator, and we celebrate it, confident that he
will not let us fall from his hands. In this light we can appreciate better the
third central element of the Psalm. At the centre of the praise that the
Psalmist places on our lips, there is, in fact, a profession of faith,
expressed through a series of attributes that define the profound reality of
God. The essential creed contains the following affirmations: “The Lord
is God, our maker to whom we belong, whose people we are. ... Good indeed is
the Lord, his steadfast love endures forever, his faithfulness lasts through
every age” (cf. vv. 3-5).
6. After the proclamation of
the one God, creator and source of the covenant, the portrait of the Lord sung
by our Psalm continues with the meditation on three divine qualities that the
Psalter often exalts: God’s goodness, merciful love (hésed),
faithfulness. They are the three virtues that belong to the covenant of God
with his people; they express a bond which will never be broken, through
generations, despite the muddy stream of sins, rebellions and human infidelity.
With serene confidence in divine love that will never diminish, the people of
God journey through history with their daily temptations and weaknesses.
This confidence becomes a
hymn, for which sometimes words fail, as
If you realize you did not
know how to express in words what you tasted, should you for this reason be
silent and not praise?... Absolutely not. You will not
be so ungrateful. To him are owed honour, respect and the greatest praise ...
Listen to the Psalm: “All the earth, cry out
with joy to the Lord’. Then you will understand the joy of all the earth if you
rejoice before the Lord” (From the Exposition on the Psalms, Italian
version, Esposizioni sui Salmi III/1, Rome 1993, p. 459).
Wednesday
8 January 2003
Psalm 99
In prayer we abandon
ourselves to God’s embrace
Seven imperatives are
scattered throughout the psalm and call the faithful community to celebrate and
worship the God of love and of the covenant: extol, serve, come
before, acknowledge, enter his gates, praise him, bless
him. One thinks of a liturgical procession that is about to enter the
In the Psalm certain
characteristic terms are repeated for exalting the bond of the covenant that
exists between God and
2. The coordinates of space
and time are also reviewed. In fact, on the one hand, the entire earth is
presented to us as joined in the praise of God (cf. v. 2); then the horizon
shifts to the sacred area of the Temple of Jerusalem with its courts and gates
(cf. v. 4), where the community is gathered in prayer. On the other hand,
reference is made to time in its three basic dimensions: the past of
creation (“the Lord our God, he made us”, v. 3), the present of the covenant
and worship (“we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture”,
ibid.) and finally, the future, in which the Lord’s merciful fidelity
extends “from age to age” revealing itself to be “eternal” (v. 5).
3. We will now reflect
briefly on the seven imperatives that make up the long invitation to praise God
and take up the whole Psalm (vv. 2-4) before we discover, in the last verse,
their motivation in the exaltation of God, contemplated in his intimate and
profound identity.
The first appeal consists in
the festive acclamation that involves the whole earth in the song of praise to
the Creator. When we pray, we should feel in tune with all those who pray
exalting the one Lord in different languages and ways. As the Prophet Malachi
says, “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, my name is great
among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and
everywhere they bring sacrifice to my name and a pure offering; for my name is
great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts” (1,11).
4. Then come several calls
using liturgical and ritual terms “serve”, “come before” and “go within the
gates” of the temple. These are verbs which in alluding to royal audiences,
describe the various gestures the faithful perform when they enter the
sanctuary of
The invitation to “go within
his gates, giving thanks” and to “enter his courts with songs of praise”
reminds us of a passage from The Mysteries of St Ambrose, in which he
describes the baptized as they approach the altar: “The cleansed people,
[rich in these insignia], hasten to the altar of Christ, saying: “I will
go to the altar of God, the God who gives joy to my youth’ (Ps 42[43],4). For
the people, having put aside the defilements of ancient error, renewed in their
youth as an eagle, hasten to approach the heavenly banquet. So they come, and,
when they see the sacred altar properly prepared, they exclaim: [“You have prepared a table in my sight’. David introduces
these people as speaking when he says], “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not
want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul’ (Ps 22[23],1-2)” (St Ambrose, Theological
and Dogmatic Works, pp. 20-21, CUA Press, 1963).
5. The other imperatives
that enrich the Psalm repeat the fundamental religious attitudes of the person
at prayer: acknowledge, praise, bless. The verb to acknowledge expresses
the content of the profession of faith in the one God. In fact, we must
proclaim that only “the Lord is God” (Ps 99[100],3),
combatting all idolatry, pride and human power opposed to him.
The object of the other
verbs praise and bless, is also “the name” of the Lord (cf. v. 4), or
his person, his effective and saving presence.
In this light the Psalm
leads in the end to a solemn exaltation of God, that is a kind of profession of
faith: the Lord is good and his fidelity never abandons us because He is always
ready to sustain us with his merciful love. With this confidence the person
praying abandons himself to the embrace of his God: “Taste and see that
the Lord is good!” and the Psalmist also says, “happy are those who take refuge
in him” (Ps 33[34],9; cf. I Pt 2,3).
PSALM 101
Psalm 101[100]
“I will sing of loyalty and
of justice!’
1. After the two catecheses
on the meaning of the Easter celebrations, let us return to our reflection on
the Liturgy of Lauds. For Tuesday of the Fourth Week it offers us Psalm
101[100], which we have just heard.
It is a meditation that
paints the portrait of the ideal politician whose model of life must be divine
action in the governance of the world: an action dictated by perfect moral
integrity and a resolute commitment to combating all forms of injustice. This
text is now proposed anew as a programme of life for the faithful who are
beginning their working day and relations with their neighbour. It is a
programme of “loyalty and of justice” (cf. v. 1), which is expressed in two
great moral paths.
2. The first is called the
way “of the blameless” and aims at exalting personal choices in life, made with an “integrity of heart”, that is, with a perfectly
clear conscience (cf. v. 2).
On the one hand, there are
positive remarks about the great moral virtues that brighten the “house”, that
is, the family of the just man: the wisdom that helps us understand and judge
properly; the innocence that is purity of heart and of life; and lastly, the
integrity of conscience that tolerates no compromise with evil.
On the other hand, the
Psalmist introduces a negative task. This is the struggle against every form of
wickedness and injustice, in order to keep his own house and his own decisions
free of every perversion of the moral order (cf. vv. 3-4).
As St Basil, a great Father
of the Eastern Church, writes in his work De
Baptismo, “Not even the momentary pleasure that contaminates thought should
trouble the one who is mourned with Christ in a death like his” (Opere
Ascetiche, Turin 1980, p. 548).
3. The second path unfolds
in the last part of the Psalm (cf. vv. 5-8) and explains the importance of the
most typically public and social talents. In this case too are listed the
essential references for a life that is set on rejecting evil with force and
determination.
First of all, [there is] the
fight against slander and spying in secret, a fundamental commitment in a
society with an oral tradition that gave special importance to the function of
words in interpersonal relations. The king, who also acts as judge, announces
that he will use the utmost severity in this fight: he will “destroy” the
slanderer (cf. v. 5). Then he rejects all arrogance and haughtiness; he spurns
the company and counsel of those who always practise deceit and utter lies.
Lastly, the king declares the way in which he wants to choose the “people who
serve him” (cf. v. 6), that is, his ministers. He will be careful to choose
them from among the “faithful in the land”. He wants to surround himself with
people of integrity and to avoid contact with “those who practise deceit” (cf.
v. 7).
4. The last verse of the
Psalm is particularly forceful. It can make the Christian reader uncomfortable,
for it proclaims destruction: “Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked
in the land, cutting off the evildoers from the city of the Lord” (v. 8). It is
important, however, to remember one thing: the person speaking these words is
not just any individual but a king, the supreme authority responsible for
justice in the land. In this sentence he expresses, with exaggeration, his
implacable commitment to fight crime, which is only right and is shared by all
who have civil authority.
Of course, it is not up to
every citizen to mete out punishment! If, therefore, individual members of the
faithful wish to apply this sentence of the Psalm to themselves, they must do
so by analogy, that is, by deciding to uproot from their own hearts and
conduct, every morning, the evil sown by corruption and violence, by
perversion and wickedness, as well as by every form of selfishness and
injustice.
5. Let us end our meditation
by returning to the first verse of the Psalm: “I will sing of loyalty and of
justice...” (v. 1). In his Comments on the Psalms, an
ancient Christian author, Eusebius of Caesarea, stresses the primacy of mercy
over justice, albeit necessary: “I will sing of your mercy and your judgment,
showing your usual approach: not to judge first and then to have mercy, but
first to have mercy and then to judge and pass sentences with clemency and
compassion.
“Thus treating my neighbour
with mercy and discretion, I dare to come close to sing you psalms of praise.
Conscious, therefore, that we must act like this, I keep my paths immaculate
and innocent, convinced that in this way, through good works, my songs of praise
will be pleasing to you” (PG 23, 1241).
PSALM 108
Wednesday,
28 May 2003
Psalm 108[107]
“My heart is steadfast, O
God!’
1. Psalm 108[107], which has
just been presented to us, is part of the sequence of Psalms in the Liturgy
of Lauds, the topic of our catechesis. It has a characteristic which at
first sight is surprising: it is merely composed of two pre-existing
psalm fragments fused together, one from Psalm 57[56] (vv. 8-12) and the other
from Psalm 60[59] (vv. 7-14). The first fragment is reminiscent of a hymn, the second seems to be a supplication but includes a
divine oracle which instils serenity and trust in the person praying.
This fusion gives rise to a
new prayer, and this fact provides us with a model. Actually, the Christian
liturgy frequently combines different biblical passages, transforming them into
a new text destined to illuminate new situations. Yet the link with the
original source is preserved. In practice, Psalm 108[107] - (but it is not the
only one; for further proof, see Psalm 144[143]) - shows that
2. The Psalm resulting from
this fusion is therefore something more than the mere combination or
juxtaposition of two pre-existing passages. Instead of beginning with a humble
plea like Psalm 57[56]: “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me” (v. 2),
the new Psalm begins with a resolute announcement of praise to God: “My heart
is steadfast, O God... I will sing praises...” (Ps 108 [107]: 2). This praise
replaces the lament in the opening lines of another Psalm (cf. Ps 60[59]: 1-6),
and thus becomes the basis of the following divine oracle (Ps 60[59]: 8-10 = Ps
108[107]: 8-10) and of the supplication that surrounds it (Ps 60[59]: 7, 11-14
= Ps 108[107]: 7, 11-14).
Hope and nightmare are
blended to form the substance of the new prayer, the whole of which is intended
to imbue confidence, even in the times of adversity which the entire community
has experienced.
3. So the Psalm opens with a
joyful hymn of praise. It is a morning song, accompanied by harp and lyre. (cf.
Ps 108[107]: 3). The message is clear. At the centre it has the divine “love”
and “faithfulness” (cf. v. 5): in Hebrew, hésed and ‘emèt are
typical words used to describe the loving fidelity of the Lord regarding the
Covenant with his people. On the basis of this fidelity, the people are sure
that God will never abandon them in the abyss of the void or of despair.
The Christian interpretation
of this Psalm is particularly evocative. In v. 6, the Psalmist celebrates God’s
transcendent glory: “Be exalted (that is, “rise’), O God, above the heavens!”. Commenting on this Psalm, Origen, the renowned
third-century Christian writer, goes back to this sentence of Jesus: “And I,
when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12: 32),
referring to his crucifixion, whose result is described in the affirmation of
the next verse: “that your beloved may be delivered” (Ps 108[107]: 7). Origin
thus concludes: “What a marvellous meaning! The Lord was crucified and exalted
so that his beloved might be delivered.... All we have asked for has come true:
he has been lifted up and we have been delivered” (Origene-Gerolamo, 74
Omelie sul Libro dei Salmi, Milan 1993, p. 367).
4. Let us now move on to the
second part of Psalm 108[107], a partial citation of Psalm 60[59], as has been
said. In the midst of the anguish of
The divine lordship over the
promised land is then proclaimed in colourful martial
or juridical imagery. If the Lord reigns, there is nothing to fear: we are not
tossed here and there by the evil forces of fate or chaos. Even in the darkest
of moments there is always a superior plan that governs history.
5. This faith kindles the
flame of hope. God, in any case, will point to a way out, that is, a “fortified
city” set in the region of
With
PSALM 110:1-5,7 (alt)
Psalm 110[109]
“Sit at my right hand!’
1. We have just listened to
one of the most famous Psalms in Christian history. Indeed, Psalm 110[109],
which the Liturgy of Vespers presents to us every Sunday, is cited
frequently in the New Testament. Verses 1 and
This prayer’s popularity is
also due to its constant use at Sunday Vespers. Psalm 110[109],
therefore, in its Latin Vulgate version, has been the subject of many
splendid musical compositions that have marked the history of western culture.
The Liturgy, in accordance with the procedures decided upon by the Second
Vatican Council, has omitted the violent verse 6 from the original Hebrew text
of this Psalm, which, moreover, is composed of only 63 words. It is very close
in tone to the so-called “Cursing Psalms” and describes the Jewish king
advancing in a sort of military campaign, crushing his adversaries and judging
the nations.
2. Since we will have an
opportunity to return to this Psalm on other occasions, after thinking about
its use in the Liturgy, we will now be satisfied with an overall glance at it.
We will be able to
distinguish clearly two parts in it. The first (cf. vv. 1-3) contains an oracle
addressed by God to the one the Psalmist calls “my lord”, that is, the
sovereign of
3. Against this background
we can sense the presence of hostile forces that have been neutralized by a
victorious conquest: the enemies are portrayed at the feet of the
sovereign, who solemnly advances among them bearing the sceptre of his
authority (cf. vv. 1-2). This undoubtedly reflects a real political situation,
recorded at the time when one king handed over his power to another with the
uprising of a few subordinates or an attempt to conquer. Henceforth, however,
the text refers to a general contrast between the plan of God, who works
through his Chosen People, and the scheming of those who would like to assert
their own hostile and counterfeit power. Here, then, we have the eternal
conflict between good and evil that takes place in the context of historical
events through which God manifests himself and speaks to us.
4. The second part of the
Psalm, however, contains a priestly prayer whose protagonist is still the
Davidic king (vv. 4-7). Guaranteed by a solemn divine oath, the dignity of
kingship also unites in itself the dignity of priesthood. The reference to
Melchisedek, the priest-king of
We will examine Ps 110[109]
in greater detail later, going through it verse by verse and making a careful
analysis.
5. To conclude, however, let
us reread the first verse of the Psalm that contains the divine oracle:
“Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool”. And let us
read it with St Maximus of Turin (fourth-fifth century A.D.), who commented on
it in his Sermon on Pentecost: ”Our custom has it that the sharing
of the footstool is offered to the one who, having accomplished some feat,
deserves to sit in the place of honour as champion. So too, the man Jesus
Christ, overcoming the devil with his passion, opening underground realms with
his Resurrection, arriving victorious in heaven as one who has brought some
undertaking to a successful conclusion, listens to God the Father inviting him:
“Sit at my right hand’. Nor must we be surprised if the Father offers to share
with us the seat of the Son who, by nature, is consubstantial with the
Father.... The Son sits on his right because, according to the Gospel, the
sheep will be on the right; on the left, on the other hand, will be the goats.
The first Lamb, therefore, must sit on the same side as the sheep, and the
immaculate Head must take possession in advance of the place destined for the
immaculate flock that will follow him” (40, 2: Scriptores circa
Ambrosium, IV, Milan-Rome, 1991, p. 195).
Wednesday,
18 August 2004
Psalm 110[109]
“Sit on my right: your foes
I will put beneath your feet”
1. Continuing an ancient
tradition, Psalm 110[109] which has just been proclaimed constitutes the
primary component of Sunday Vespers. It is proposed in all four of the weeks
into which the Liturgy of the Hours is divided. Its
brevity is further accentuated by the exclusion in Christian liturgical usage
of verse 6, which contains a curse. This does not do away with the difficulties
it presents for exegesis or for its interpretation. The text is presented as a
royal Psalm connected to the Davidic dynasty and probably refers to the rite of
the sovereign’s enthronement. Yet the Judaic and Christian tradition has seen
in the consecrated king the profile of the Consecrated One par excellence: the
Messiah, Christ.
Precisely in this light, the
Psalm becomes a luminous hymn that the Christian Liturgy raises to the Risen
One on the festive day that commemorates the Passover of the Lord.
2. Psalm 110[109] has two
parts, both of which are characterized by the presence of a divine oracle. The
first oracle (cf. vv. 1-3) is addressed to the sovereign on the day of his
solemn enthronement “at the right hand” of God. that
is, next to the Ark of the Covenant in the
Of course, in the Christian
interpretation, that divine “begetting” actually takes place and presents Jesus
Christ as the true Son of God. This is likewise what happened in the Christian
interpretation of another famous royal-messianic psalm, the second in the
Psaltery, where one reads this divine oracle: “You are my Son. It is I who have
begotten you this day” (Ps 2: 7).
3. On the other hand, the
second oracle in Psalm 110[109] has a priestly connotation (cf. v. 4). The
office of king formerly also included ritual functions, not only according to
the Levitic priesthood but also following another connection: that of the
priesthood of Melchizedek, the sovereign-priest of Salem, the pre-Israelitic
Jerusalem (cf. Gn 14: 17-20).
In the Christian vision, the
Messiah becomes the model of a perfect, supreme priesthood. The Letter to the
Hebrews, in its central section, exalted this priestly ministry “after the
order of Melchizedek” (5: 10), seeing it fully incarnate in the person of
Christ.
4. The first oracle is taken
up several times in the New Testament to celebrate Jesus’ messianic role (cf.
Mt 22: 44; 26: 64; Acts 2: 34-35; I Cor 15: 25-27; Heb 1: 13). Christ himself,
before the high priest and the Hebraic Sanhedrin, was to refer explicitly to
our Psalm, proclaiming that he would henceforth “sit at the right hand of
divine power”, as it also says in Psalm 110[109] (Mk 14: 62; cf. 12: 36-37).
We will return to this Psalm
on our journey through the texts of the Liturgy of the Hours. Now, at the end
of our brief presentation of this messianic hymn, let us reaffirm its
Christological interpretation.
5. Let us do so with the
syntheses that
This Psalm fits into the
context of these promises; it foretells in clear and explicit terms the coming
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, of whom we cannot have the slightest
doubt that he was the Christ proclaimed” (Exposizioni sui Salmi, III,
Rome, 1976, pp. 951, 953).
6. Let us now address our
prayer to the Father of Jesus Christ, the one King and perfect and eternal
Priest, so that he may make us a people of priests and prophets of peace and
love, a people that praises Christ, King and Priest, who sacrificed himself to
reconcile in himself, in one body, the whole of humanity, creating the new man
(cf. Eph 2: 15-16).
PSALM 111
Wednesday,
8 June 2005
Psalm 111[110]
To fear the Lord
Evening Prayer - Sunday of
Week Three
1. Today we feel a strong
wind. The wind in Sacred Scripture is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. We hope that
the Holy Spirit will illumine us now in our meditation on Psalm 111[110] that
we have just heard.
In this Psalm we find a hymn
of praise and thanksgiving for the many benefits that describe God in his
attributes and his work of salvation: the Psalmist speaks of “compassion”,
“love”, “justice”, “might”, “truth”, “uprightness”, “standing firm”,
“covenant”, “works”, “wonders”, even “food” which God provides, and lastly his
glorious “name”, that is, God himself.
Thus, prayer is
contemplation of the mystery of God and the wonders that he works in the
history of salvation.
2. The Psalm begins with the
verb “to thank” that not only wells up from the heart of the person praying but
also from the whole liturgical assembly (cf. v. 1). The subject of this prayer,
which also includes the rite of thanksgiving, is expressed with the word
“works” (cf. vv. 2, 3, 6, 7). “Works” indicate the saving interventions of the
Lord, an expression of his “justice” (cf. v. 3), a word which, in biblical
language, suggests in the very first place the love from which salvation is
born.
Therefore, the heart of the
Psalm becomes a hymn to the covenant (cf. vv. 4-9), that intimate bond which
binds God to his people and entails a series of attitudes and gestures. Thus,
the Psalmist speaks of “compassion and love” (cf. v. 4) in the wake of the
great proclamation on Sinai: “The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity” (Ex 34: 6).
“Compassion” is the divine
grace that envelops and transfigures the faithful, while “love” is expressed in
the original Hebrew with the use of a characteristic term that refers to the
maternal “womb” of the Lord, even more merciful than that of a mother (cf. Is
49: 15).
3. This bond of love includes
the fundamental gift of food and therefore of life (cf. Ps 111[110]: 5), which
the Christian interpretation was to identify with the Eucharist, as
Then, there is the gift of
land, “the lands of the nations” (Ps 111[110]: 6), which alludes to the great
event of the Exodus when the Lord revealed himself as the God of liberation.
The synthesis of the central body of this hymn is therefore to be sought in the
theme of the special covenant between the Lord and his people, as stated in the
lapidary declaration in v. 9: “He has... established his covenant for ever”.
4. The end of Psalm 111[110]
is sealed by contemplation of the divine face, the Lord’s very person,
symbolized by his holy and transcendent “name”. Next, quoting a sapiential
saying (cf. Prov 1: 7; 9: 10, 15: 33), the Psalmist invites every member of the
faithful to cultivate “fear of the Lord” (Ps 111[110]: 10), the beginning of
true wisdom. It is not fear and terror that are suggested by this word, but
serious and sincere respect which is the fruit of love, a genuine and active
attachment to God the Liberator.
And if the very first word
of the hymn is a word of thanksgiving, the last word is a word of praise: just
as the Lord’s saving justice “[stands] firm for ever” (v. 3), the gratitude of
the praying person knows no bounds and re-echoes in his ceaseless prayer (cf.
v. 10).
To sum up, the Psalm invites
us, lastly, to discover the many good things that the Lord gives us every day.
We more readily perceive the negative aspects of our lives. The Psalm invites
us also to see the positive things, the many gifts we receive, and thus to
discover gratitude, for only in a grateful heart can the great liturgy of
gratitude be celebrated: the Eucharist.
5. At the end of our
reflection, let us meditate with the ecclesial tradition of the early centuries
of Christianity on the final verse with its celebrated declaration, which is
reiterated elsewhere in the Bible (cf. Prov 1: 7): “to fear the Lord is the
first stage of wisdom” (Ps 111[110]: 10).
The Christian writer
Barsanuphius of Gaza (active in the first half of the sixth century) comments
on this verse: “What is the first stage of wisdom if not the avoidance of all
that is hateful to God? And how can one avoid it, other than by first asking
for advice before acting, or by saying nothing that should not be said, and in
addition, by considering oneself foolish, stupid, contemptible and of no worth
whatsoever?” (Epistolario, 234: Collana di testi
patristici, XCIII, Rome, 1991, pp. 265-266).
However, John Cassian (who
lived between the fourth and fifth centuries) preferred to explain that “there
is a great difference between love, which lacks nothing and is the treasure of
wisdom and knowledge, and imperfect love, called “the first stage of wisdom’.
The latter, which in itself contains the idea of punishment, is excluded from
the hearts of the perfect because they have reached the fullness of love” (Conferenze
ai monaci, 2, 11, 13: Collana di testi patristici, CLVI, Rome, 2000,
p. 29).
Thus, on the journey through
life towards Christ, our initial servile fear is replaced by perfect awe which
is love, a gift of the Holy Spirit.
PSALM 112
Wednesday,
2 November 2005
Psalm 112[111]
“Open-handed, he gives to
the poor’
Evening Prayer - Sunday of
Week Fourth
1. After yesterday’s
celebration of the Solemnity of all the saints of Heaven, we remember today all
of the faithful departed. The liturgy invites us to pray for all our loved ones
who have passed away, turning our thoughts to the mystery of death, an
inheritance common to all men and women.
Enlightened by faith, we
look upon the human enigma of death with serenity and hope. Indeed, according
to Scripture, it is more than an end; it is a new birth, it is the obligatory
passageway through which the fullness of life may be attained by those who
model their earthly existence according to the indications of the Word of God.
Psalm 112[111], a
composition with a sapiental slant, presents us with the figure of these
righteous ones who fear the Lord; they recognize his transcendence and
trustingly and lovingly conform themselves to his will in the expectation of
encountering him after death.
A “beatitude” is reserved to
these faithful: “Happy the man who fears the Lord” (v. 1). The Psalmist
immediately explains what this fear consists in: it is shown in docility to
God’s commandments. He who “takes delight” in observing his commandments is
blessed, finding in them joy and peace.
2. Docility to God is
therefore the root of hope and interior and exterior harmony. Observance of the
moral law is the source of profound peace of conscience. According to the
biblical vision of “retribution”, the mantle of the divine blessing is spread
over the righteous, giving stability and success to his works and to those of
his descendents: “His sons will be powerful on earth; the children of the
upright are blessed. Riches and wealth are in his house” (vv.
2-3; cf. v. 9).
However, to this optimistic
vision are opposed the bitter observations made by Job, a just man who
experiences the mystery of sorrow, feels himself unjustly punished and
subjected to apparently senseless trials. Job represents many people who suffer
harshly in the world. It is necessary then to read this Psalm in the global
context of Revelation, which embraces the reality of human life under all its
aspects.
At any rate, the trust the
Psalmist wishes to communicate and be lived by those who have chosen to follow
the path of morally irreprehensible conduct remains valid, rejecting every
other alternative of illusory success gained through injustice and immorality.
3. The heart of this
fidelity to the divine Word consists in a fundamental choice of charity towards
the poor and needy: “The good man takes pity and lends.... Open-handed,
he gives to the poor” (vv. 5, 9). The person of faith, then, is
generous; respecting the biblical norms, he offers help to his brother in need,
asking nothing in return (cf. Dt 15: 7-11), and without falling into the shame
of usury which destroys the lives of the poor.
The righteous one, heeding
the continual warning of the prophets, puts himself on the side of the
disenfranchised and sustains them with abundant help. “Open-handed, he gives to
the poor”, as is written in verse 9, thereby expressing an extreme generosity
without any self-interest.
We fix our gaze on the
serene face of the faithful person who “open-handed, gives to the poor”, and we
listen to the words of Clement of Alexandria, the third-century Father of the Church
who commented on an affirmation of the Lord that is difficult to understand. In
the parable of the unjust steward, the expression appears according to which we
must do good with “unjust money”. From there arises the question: are money and wealth unjust in themselves, or what does the
Lord wish to say?
Clement of Alexandria
explains this parable very well in his homily “What rich man can be saved?”,
and he states: Jesus “declares unjust by nature any possession one has for
oneself as one’s own good and does not make it available for those who need it;
rather, he declares that from this injustice it is possible to accomplish a
just and praiseworthy work, giving relief to one of those little ones who have
an eternal dwelling-place near the Father (cf. Mt 10: 42; 18: 10)” (31, 6; Collana
di Testi Patristici, CXLVIII, Rome, 1999, pp. 56-57).
Addressing the reader,
Clement warns: “See in the first place that he has not ordered you to ask, nor
wait to be asked, but you yourself search out those who are worth being
listened to, insofar as they are disciples of the Saviour” (31, 7: ibid., p.
57).
Then, citing another
biblical text, he comments: “Beautiful, therefore, is the saying of the
Apostle: “God loves a cheerful giver’ (II Cor 9: 7), who enjoys giving and does
not sparingly sow, so as to reap in the same way; instead, he shares without
ramifications and distinctions and sorrow: this is authentic of doing good”
(31, 8: ibid.).
On this day in which we
commemorate the dead, as I was saying at the beginning of our meeting, we are
all called to face the enigma of death and therefore with the question of how
to live well, how to find happiness. This Psalm answers: happy is the man who
gives; happy is the man who does not live life for himself but gives; happy is
the man who is merciful, generous and just; happy is the man who lives in the
love of God and neighbour. In this way we live well and have no reason to fear
death because we experience the everlasting happiness that comes from God.
PSALM 113
Wednesday,
18 May 2005
Psalm 113[112]
“Praise the name of the
Lord!’
Evening Prayer
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Before entering into a brief
interpretation of the Psalm just sung, I would like to remind you that today is the birthday of our beloved Pope John Paul II, who would
have been 85 years old. We are certain that he sees us from heaven and is with
us. On this occasion we want to tell the Lord a heartfelt “thank you” for the
gift of this Pope and to say “thank you” to the Pope himself for all that he
did and suffered.
1. We have just heard, in
its simplicity and beauty, Psalm 113[112], a true introduction into a small
group of Psalms that go from 113[112] to 118[117], commonly known as the
“Egyptian Hallel”. It is the Alleluia, or song of praise, that exalts the
liberation from Pharaoh’s slavery and the joy of
The Jewish tradition
intentionally connected this series of Psalms to the Paschal liturgy. The
celebration of that event, according to its historical-social and, more
especially, spiritual dimensions, was perceived as a sign of liberation from
the multifaceted forms of evil.
Psalm 113[112] is a brief
hymn that in its original Hebrew consists of only 60 or so words, all imbued
with sentiments of trust, praise and joy.
2. The first strophe (cf. Ps
113[112]: 1-3) praises “the name of the Lord” who, as is known, indicates in
Biblical language the person of God himself, his presence, living and working
in human history.
Three times, with
impassioned insistence, the “name of the Lord” resounds at the centre of the
prayer of adoration. All being and all time - “from the rising of the sun to
its setting”, as the Psalmist says (v. 3) - are involved in a single action of
grace. It is as if a ceaseless breath were rising from earth to heaven to
praise the Lord, Creator of the universe and King of history.
3. Precisely by means of
this ascending movement, the Psalm leads us to the divine mystery. Indeed, the
second part (cf. vv. 4-6) celebrates the Lord’s transcendence, described with
vertical images that go beyond the mere human horizon. It is proclaimed: the
Lord is “sublime”, “enthroned on high”, and no one is equal; also, to look at
the heavens he must “stoop”, since “above the heavens is his glory” (v. 4).
The divine gaze watches over
all realities, over all beings, earthly and heavenly. However, his eyes are not
arrogant and distant, like that of a cold emperor. The Lord, the Psalmist says,
“stoops... to look” (v. 6).
God bends down, therefore,
to console the needy and those who suffer; this word finds its ultimate wealth,
its ultimate meaning in the moment in which God bends over to the point of
bending down, of becoming one of us, one of the world’s poor. He bestows the
greatest honour on the poor, that of sitting “in the company of princes, yes,
with the princes of his people” (v. 8). To the abandoned and childless woman,
humiliated by ancient society as if she were a worthless, dead branch, God
gives the honour and the immense joy of many children (cf. v. 9). And so, the
Psalmist praises a God who is very different from us in his grandeur, but at
the same time very close to his suffering creatures.
It is easy to draw from
these final verses of Psalm 113[112] the prefiguration of the words of Mary in
the Magnificat, the Canticle of God’s chosen one, who “looked with
favour on his lowly servant”. More radically than our Psalm, Mary proclaims
that God “casts down the mighty from their thrones and lifts up the lowly” (cf.
Lk 1: 48, 52; Ps 113 [112]: 6-8).
PSALM 114
Wednesday,
3 December 2003
Psalm 114[113A]
“They all sang with one
voice’
1. The joyful and triumphant
song we have just proclaimed recalls
Christianity has taken Psalm
114-[113A] with the same paschal connotation, but opened it to the new
interpretation derived from Christ’s Resurrection. The Exodus celebrated by the
Psalm becomes, therefore, the symbol of another, more radical and universal
liberation. Dante, in his Divine Comedy, places this hymn, in its Latin Vulgate
version, on the lips of the souls in Purgatory: “In exitu Israël
de Aegypto / they all sang together with one voice...” (Purgatory II,
46-47). In other words, he saw in the Psalm the song of expectation and hope of
those who are on the way, after purification from every sin, towards the final
goal of communion with God in
2. Let us now follow the
thematic and spiritual line of this short, prayerful composition. It opens (cf.
vv. 1-2) by recalling the Exodus of Israel from Egyptian oppression until its
entry into that Promised Land which is God’s “sanctuary”; that is, the place of
his presence in the midst of his people. In fact, land and people are fused
together:
After this theological
description of one of the fundamental elements of faith of the Old Testament,
that is, the proclamation of the marvels God worked for his people, the
Psalmist reflects more profoundly, spiritually and symbolically on the
constitutive events.
3. The Red Sea of the Exodus
from Egypt and the Jordan of the entry into the Holy Land are personified and
transformed into witnesses and instruments that have a part in the liberation
wrought by God (cf. Ps 114[113A]: 3, 5).
At the beginning in the
Exodus, the sea rolls back to allow
4. This is the theme of the
last part of Psalm 114[113A] (cf. vv. 7-8), which introduces another important
event of
This gesture acquires, then,
a symbolic meaning: it is a sign of the saving love of the Lord who
sustains and regenerates humanity as it advances though the desert of history.
Taking up the Pauline image
that calls to mind the crossing of the sea, Origen continues: ”The
Apostle calls this a baptism, realized in Moses in the cloud and sea, so that
you too, who have been baptized in Christ, in water and in the Holy Spirit, may
know that the Egyptians are pursuing you and want to reclaim you to serve
them: namely, the rulers of this world and the evil spirits to whom you
were first enslaved. They will certainly seek to follow you, but you will go
into the water and escape unharmed, and having washed away the stains of sin,
you will come out as a new man ready to sing the new canticle” (ibid., p.
107).
PSALM 115
Wednesday,
1 September 2004
Psalm 115[113B]
“We who live bless the
Lord!’
1. The living God and the
lifeless idol are juxtaposed in Psalm 115[113B], one in the series on the
Psalms of Vespers, that we have just heard. The
ancient Greek translation of the Bible called the Septuagint, followed
by the Latin version of the ancient Christian Liturgy, joined this Psalm in
honour of the true Lord with the one that precedes it. The result is a single
composition which, however, is clearly divided into two distinct texts (cf. Ps
114[113A] and Ps 115[113B].
After the first words
addressed to the Lord to illustrate his glory, the Chosen People present their
God as the almighty Creator: “Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he
wills” (Ps 115[113B]: 3). “Fidelity and grace” are the typical virtues of the
God of the Covenant with regard to the people chosen by him,
2.”Their [the heathens’]
idols” (v. 4) are immediately set against the true God worshipped by
After this merciless
criticism of idols, the Psalmist expresses a sarcastic wish: “Their makers will
come to be like them and so will all who trust in them” (v. 8). The formulation
of this wish is certainly calculated to produce, with regard to idolatry, a
radically dissuasive effect. Those who worship the idols of riches, power and
success forfeit their personal dignity. The Prophet Isaiah said: “All who make
idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit; their
witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame” (Is 44: 9).
3. On the contrary, the
faithful of the Lord know that “their help” and “their shield” are in the
living God (cf. Ps 115[113B]: 9-13). They are presented in three categories.
First come “the sons of
Divine blessings are poured
out upon these three categories of true believers (cf. Ps 115[113B]: 12-15).
According to the biblical conception, the blessing was a source of
fruitfulness: “may the Lord grant increase, to you and
all your children” (v. 14). Finally, the faithful, rejoicing in the gift of
life that they have received from the living God, the Creator, sing a short
hymn of praise, responding to the effective blessing of God with their own
grateful and confident blessing (cf. vv. 16-18).
PSALM 116:10-19
Wednesday,
26 January 2005
“O Lord... deliver me!”
The drama is portrayed
through the symbols customarily used in the Psalms. The snares that enthral
life are the snares of death, the ties that enmesh it are the coils of hell,
which desire to entice the living of whom it can never have “enough” (cf. Prv
30: 15-16).
2. The image is that of the
prey which has fallen into the trap of a relentless hunter. Death is like a
vice that tightens its grip (cf. Ps 116[114]: 3). Behind the praying
person, therefore, lurked the risk of death, accompanied by an agonizing
psychological experience: “they caught me, sorrow and distress” (v. 3).
But from that tragic abyss the person praying cried out to the only One who can
stretch out his hand and extricate him from that tangle: “O Lord, my God,
deliver me!” (v. 4).
This is the short but
intense prayer of a man who, finding himself in a desperate situation, clings
to the one rock of salvation. Thus, in the Gospel, just as the disciples cried
out during the storm (cf. Mt 8: 25), so Peter cried to the Lord when,
walking on the water, he began to sink (cf. Mt 14: 30).
3. Having been saved, the
person praying proclaims that the Lord “is gracious... and just”, indeed, he
has “compassion” (Ps 116[114]: 5). In the original Hebrew, the latter
adjective refers to the tenderness of a mother whose “depths” it evokes.
Genuine trust always
perceives God as love, even if it is sometimes difficult to grasp the course of
his action. It remains certain, however, that “the Lord protects the simple
hearts” (v. 6). Therefore, in wretchedness and abandonment, it is always
possible to count on him, the “father of the fatherless and protector of
widows” (Ps 68[67]: 6).
The Lord, called upon with
faith, stretched out his hand, broke the cords that bound the praying person,
dried his tears and saved him from a headlong fall into the abyss of hell (cf.
v. 8). Henceforth, the turning point is clear and the hymn ends with a scene of
light: the person praying returns to the “land of the living”, that is,
to the highways of the world, to walk in the “presence of the Lord”. He joins
in the community prayer in the temple, in anticipation of that communion with
God which awaits him at the end of his life (cf. v. 9).
5. To conclude, let us
re-examine the most important passages of the Psalm, letting ourselves be
guided by Origen, a great Christian writer of the third century whose
commentary in Greek on Ps 116[114] has been handed down to us in the Latin
version of St Jerome.
In reading that “the Lord
has turned his ear to me”, he remarks: “We are little and low; we can
neither stretch out nor lift ourselves up, so the Lord turns his ear to us and
deigns to hear us. In the end, since we are men and cannot become gods, God
became man and bowed down, as it has been written: “He bowed the heavens,
and came down’ (Ps 18[17]: 10)”.
Indeed, the Psalm continues,
“the Lord protects the simple hearts” (Ps 116[114]: 6). “If someone is
great and becomes haughty and proud, the Lord does not protect him; if someone
thinks he is great, the Lord has no mercy on him; but if someone humbles
himself, the Lord takes pity on him and protects him. Hence, it is said,
“Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me’ (Is 8: 18). And
further, “I was helpless so he saved me’“.
So it is that the one who is
little and wretched can return to peace and rest, as the Psalm says (cf. Ps
116[114]: 7), and as Origen himself comments: “When it says:
“Turn back, my soul, to your rest’, it is a sign that previously he did have
repose but then he lost it.... God created us good, he
made us arbiters of our own decisions and set us all in paradise with Adam. But
since, through our own free choice, we pitched ourselves down from that bliss
and ended in this vale of tears, the just man urges his soul to return to the
place from which it fell.... “Turn back, my soul, to your rest, for the Lord
has been good’. If you, my soul, return to paradise, it is not because you
yourself deserve it, but because it is an act of God’s mercy. It was your fault
if you left paradise; on the other hand, your return to it is a work of the
Lord’s mercy. Let us also say to our souls: “Turn
back to your rest’. Our rest is in Christ, our God” (Omelie
sul Libro dei Salmi, Milan, 1993, pp. 409, 412-413).
Wednesday,
25 May 2005
Psalm 116[115]
Prayer of thanksgiving to
the Lord
Evening Prayer
1. Psalm 116[115], which we
have just prayed, has always been in use in the Christian tradition, beginning
with St Paul who, citing the introduction of the Greek translation of the
Septuagint, wrote to the Christians of Corinth: “Since we have the same spirit
of faith as he had, who wrote, “I believed, and so I spoke’, we too
believe, and so we speak” (II Cor 4: 13).
The Apostle feels in
spiritual harmony with the Psalmist, in serene trust and sincere witness,
notwithstanding suffering and human weakness. Writing to the Romans, Paul takes
up again verse two of the Psalm and highlights a difference between God who is
faithful and man who is inconsistent: “God must be proved true even though every
man be proved a liar” (Rom 3: 4).
The Christian tradition has
read, prayed and interpreted the text in different contexts and thus all the
wealth and depth of the Word of God appears, which
opens new dimensions and new situations. Initially it was read above all as a
text for martyrdom, but then in the peaceful Church it increasingly became a
Eucharistic text because of the phrase “cup of salvation”. In reality, Christ
is the first martyr. He gave up his life in a context of hate and falsehood,
but he transformed this anguish - and thus also this context - into the
Eucharist: into a festive thanksgiving. The Eucharist is thanksgiving: “I will
lift up the cup of salvation”.
In our text the memory of a
distressing past surfaces: the person praying has held high the torch of faith,
even when on his lips played the bitterness of despair and unhappiness (cf. Ps
116[115]: 10). Indeed, around him an icy curtain of hatred and deceit is being
raised, as the neighbour shows himself to be false and unfaithful (cf. v. 11).
The supplication, however,
is now transformed into gratitude because the Lord has remained faithful in
this context of infidelity and has saved his faithful [servant] from the dark
vortex of lies (cf. v. 11). So, this psalm is for us a text of hope, because
even in difficult situations the Lord does not leave us, and therefore we must
hold the torch of faith on high.
The person praying thus
prepares to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, in which he will drink from the
ritual chalice, the cup of sacred libation that is a sign of acknowledgement
for having been freed (cf. v. 13), and find ultimate fulfilment in the Chalice
of the Lord. Thus, the Liturgy is the privileged place to raise up acceptable
praise to God the Saviour.
3. Indeed, explicit
reference is made, other than to the sacrificial rite, also to the assembly of
“all his people”, in front of which the person praying fulfils his vows and
witnesses to his faith (cf. v. 14). It will be in this circumstance that he
will make his gratitude public, knowing well that, even when death is imminent,
the Lord bends lovingly over him. God is not indifferent to the drama of his
creature, but breaks his chains (cf. v. 16).
The person praying, saved
from death, feels himself to be a “servant” of the Lord, “son of your handmaid”
(ibid.), a beautiful Eastern expression to indicate one who has been
born in the master’s own household. The Psalmist humbly and joyfully professes
his belonging to the house of God, to the family of creatures united to him in
love and fidelity.
4. The Psalm finishes,
always through the words of the person praying, by re-evoking the rite of
thanksgiving that will be celebrated in the “courts of the temple” (cf. vv.
17-19). In this way, his prayer is situated in a community setting. His
personal ups and downs are spoken of so that it will serve as an incentive for
everyone to believe in and to love the Lord.
Therefore, we can perceive
in the background the entire people of God as the person praying thanks the
Lord of life, who does not abandon the righteous in the dark womb of suffering
and death but leads them to hope and life.
5. We conclude our
reflection by entrusting ourselves to the words of St Basil the Great who, in
the Homily on Psalm 115, commented on the question and answer contained
in the Psalm as follows: ““How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the
good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up’. The
Psalmist has understood the multitude of gifts he has received from God: from
non-existence he has been led into being, he has been formed from the earth and
given the ability to reason... he then perceived the economy of salvation to be
to the benefit of the human race, acknowledging that the Lord gave himself up
to redeem all of us; and he hesitates, searching among all of the goods that
belong to him for a gift that might be worthy of the Lord. “How then,
shall I make a return to the Lord’? Not sacrifices nor holocausts... but my
entire life itself. For this he says: “I will lift up the cup of salvation’,
giving the name “cup’ to the suffering of spiritual combat, of resisting sin to
the point of death; besides, that is what our Saviour taught us in the Gospel: “Father,
if it is possible, let this cup pass me by’; and again to the Apostles: “Can
you drink the cup I shall drink?’, clearly symbolizing the death that he
welcomed for the salvation of the world” (PG XXX, 109), thus transforming the
sinful world into a redeemed world, into a world of thanksgiving for the life
the Lord gives us.
PSALM 117 (alt)
Wednesday
28 November 2001
All peoples praise God’s
faithful love
Psalm 116 [117]
1. This is the shortest of
the psalms. In Hebrew it has only 17 words, and nine of them are noteworthy. It
is a short doxology, namely, an essential hymn of praise,
that ideally functions as the conclusion of longer psalms. This happened
sometimes in the liturgy, as it happens now with our Glory be to the Father, that we
use to end the recitation of every psalm.
Indeed, these few words of
prayer are found to be deeply meaningful for acclaiming the covenant of the
Lord with his people from a universal point of view. In this light, the Apostle
Paul uses the first verse of the Psalm to invite the peoples of the world to
glorify God. In fact, he writes to the Christians of Rome: That the
Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy as it is written: “Praise the Lord,
all you nations; all you peoples exalt him’“ (Rom
15,9.11).
2. As often happens with
this kind of psalm, the brief hymn that we are meditating on opens with an
invitation to praise that is directed not only to
Hence, we can speak of an
“ecumenism” of prayer that now holds in one embrace peoples who are different
by origin, history and culture. We are in line with the great “vision” of
Isaiah who describes “at the end of days” the procession of all the nations
towards “the mountain of the house of the Lord”. Then the swords and spears
will fall from their hands; they will beat their swords into plowshares and
their spears into pruning hooks, so that humanity can live in peace, singing
its song of praise to the one Lord of all, listening to his word and observing
his law (cf. Is 2,1-5).
3. Within this universal
horizon
The first is hésed, a
term repeatedly used in the Psalter, that I have commented on before. It points
to the richness of the profound sentiments that pass between two persons,
linked by an authentic and constant bond. It includes values such as love,
fidelity, mercy, goodness, and tenderness.
Between God and us, there is
a relationship which is not cold, as is the case between an emperor and his
subject, but alive like that between two friends, two spouses, parents and
their children.
4. The second term is eméth
and is a synonym for the first. It is beloved of the Psalter, where it
appears half of all the time that it is used in the rest of the Old Testament.
The term itself expresses
“truth”, namely, the genuineness of a relationship, its authenticity and loyalty, that remain despite obstacles and trials; it is
pure and joyful fidelity that knows no betrayal. It is no accident that the Psalmist
declares that it “is faithful forever”(v.2). The
faithful love of God will never fail and will not abandon us to ourselves or to
the darkness of nihilism, or to a blind destiny, or to the void or death.
God loves us with an
unconditional, tireless, never ending love. It is the message of our Psalm,
brief as a sigh of prayer from the heart, but intense as a great canticle.
Church praises God in word
and deed
5. The words that it
suggests are like an echo of the song that resounds in the heavenly
Let us praise the Lord! Let
us praise him unceasingly. But our lives must express our praise, more than our
words. We will hardly be credible if with our psalm we invite the peoples to
give glory to the Lord, and we did not take seriously the Lord’s admonition:
“So let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and give
glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5,16). In
singing psalm 116{117}, as in all the psalms praising the Lord, the Church,
People of God, strives to become herself a hymn of praise.
Psalm 116[117]
Prayer is ray of light in
self-sufficient world
1. Continuing our
meditation on the texts of the Liturgy of Lauds, we consider again a
Psalm already presented, the shortest of all the
Psalms. It is Psalm 116[117] which we have just heard, a short hymn or an
aspiration that becomes a universal praise of the Lord. It proclaims what is
expressed in two fundamental words: covenant love and faithfulness (cf.
v. 2).
With these terms the
Psalmist describes synthetically the Covenant between God and
2. Despite its brevity and
conciseness, Psalm 116[117] captures the essence of prayer, which consists in
coming together and entering into lively personal conversation with God. In
such an event, the mystery of the Divinity is revealed as faithfulness and
love.
The Psalmist adds a special
aspect of prayer: the experience of prayer should be radiated in the world and
become a witness for those who do not share our faith. Indeed, it begins by expanding
the horizon to embrace “all peoples” and “all nations” (cf. Ps 116[117],1), so that before the beauty and joy of faith, they too
may be overcome by the desire to know, meet and praise God.
Initially, it can only
awaken curiosity; then it can induce the thoughtful person to wonder about the
meaning of prayer, and, finally, it can give rise to the growing desire to have
the experience. For this reason, prayer is never an isolated event, but tends
to expand until it involves the whole world.
4. Let us now accompany
Psalm 116[117] with the words of a great Father of the Eastern Church, St
Ephrem the Syrian, who lived in the fourth century. In one of his Hymns on
Faith, the 14th, he expresses his desire to praise God without ceasing,
involving “all who understand the (divine) truth”.
This is his witness:
“How can my harp, O Lord,
cease to praise you?
How could I teach my tongue
infidelity?
Your love has given
confidence to my embarrassment, but my will is still ungrateful” (strophe 9).
“It is right that man should
recognize your divinity, it is right for heavenly beings to praise your
humanity; the heavenly beings were astonished to see how much you emptied
yourself, and those on earth to see how you were exalted” (strophe 10: L’Arpa
dello Spirito [The Harp of the Spirit], Rome 1999, pp. 26-28).
“In you, Lord, may my mouth
make praise come from silence. May our mouths not be
lacking in praise, may our lips not be lacking in confessing; may your praise
vibrate in us!” (strophe 2).
“Since it is on the Lord
that the root of our faith is grafted, although he is far-removed, yet he is
near in the fusion of love. May the roots of our love be fastened to him, may
the full measure of his compassion be poured out upon us” (strophe 6: ibid., pp. 77.80).
PSALM 118 (alt)
Wednesday
5 December 2001
“The stone rejected ... has
become cornerstone’
Psalm 117 [118], Lauds on Sunday
of the Second Week
1. When a Christian, in
unison with the voice of prayer in
The second phrase that the
NT takes from Psalm 117[118] is proclaimed by the crowd at the solemn Messianic
entrance of Christ into Jersualem: ”Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mt 21,9; cf. Ps
117,26). The acclamation is framed by a Hosanna that takes up the Hebrew
petition hoshiac na’,”please, save us!”
2. The splendid Biblical
hymn is placed at the heart of the small collection of psalms, 112[113] to
117[118], called the Passover Hallel, namely, the psalms of praise used
in Hebrew worship for the Passover and the major solemnities of the liturgical
year. The processional rite can be taken as the theme of Psalm 117[118]
articulated with the chants by the soloist or choir, with the
The word “mercy” translates
the Hebrew word hesed, that designates the
generous fidelity of God towards the covenanted and friendly people. Three
categories of people are told to praise this fidelity: all of Israel, the
“house of Aaron”, namely the priests, and those “who fear the Lord”, a way of
speaking that includes the faithful and the proselytes, namely, the members of
other nations who desire to follow the law of the Lord (cf. verses 2-4).
3. The procession makes its
way through the streets of
The sacred poet uses strong
and vivid images; he compares the cruel adversaries to a swarm of bees or to a
column of flames that advances turning everything to ashes (cf. v.12). There is
the vehement reaction of the just person, sustained by the Lord. He repeats
three times “In the name of the Lord I cut them off” where the Hebrew verb
refers to an intervention that destroys evil (cf. vv.10.11.12). Behind all of
it, indeed, there is the powerful right hand of God, namely, his effective
intervention, and certainly not the weak and uncertain hand of man. For this
reason the joy of the victory over evil leads to a vibrant profession of
faith: “The Lord is my strength and my song, he has become my salvation”
(v. 14).
4. The procession then
arrives at the temple, at the “gates of justice” (v. 19), at the Holy Door of
Zion. Here a second song of thanksgiving is sung, that begins with a dialogue
between the congregation and the priests to be admitted to worship. “Open to me
the gates of justice: I will enter to give thanks to the Lord”, the
soloist says in the name of the congregation in procession: “This is the
gate of the Lord, the righteous shall enter through it” (v. 20), and others
reply, probably the priests.
Once they enter, they begin
the hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord, who in the
5. The last scene that opens
before our eyes is constituted by the joyful rite of sacred dances, accompanied
by the festive waving of branches: “Bind the festal procession with
branches, up to the horns of the altar” (v. 27). The liturgy is a joyful,
festive celebration, expression of the entire life that praises the Lord. The
rite of the branches brings to mind the Jewish Feast of Booths, observed in
memory of the pilgrimage of
This rite evoked by the
Psalm is proposed to the Christian in Jesus’ entry into
Psalm 117[118] encourages
Christians to recognize in the Easter event of Jesus “the day that the Lord has
made”, on which “the stone rejected by the builders has become the
cornerstone”. With the psalm they can then sing with great thanksgiving: “ The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my
salvation” (v. 14); “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and
exult in it” (v. 24).
Wednesday 12 February 2003
Psalm 117[118]
In all our trials, God has
the last word
1. The sequence of Psalms
from 112[111] to 117[118] was sung during the most important and joyful feasts
of ancient Judaism, especially during the celebration of the Passover. This
series of hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God were called the “Egyptian
Hallel” because, in one of them, Psalm
2. This hymn clearly reveals
its liturgical use in the
After escaping from this
danger, the people of God break into “shouts of joy and victory” (v. 15) in
honour of the Lord’s right hand [which] was raised and has done wonders (cf. v.
16). Thus there is a consciousness that we are never alone, left to the mercy
of the storm unleashed by the wicked. In truth, the last word is always God’s,
who, even if he permits the trial of his faithful, never hands him over to
death (cf. v. 18).
3. At this point it seems
that the procession reaches the end the Psalmist suggests with the image of
“the gates of holiness” (v. 19), that is the Holy Door of the
Christ will use this image
and verse, at the end of the parable of the murderous vinedressers, to announce
his passion and glorification (cf. Mt 21,42).
4. By applying the Psalm to himself, Christ opens the way for the Christian
interpretation of this hymn of confidence and gratitude to the Lord for his hesed,
his loving fidelity, that echoes throughout the Psalm (cf. Ps 117[118],
1.2.3.4.29).
The Fathers of the Church
made use of two symbols. First of all, that of the “gate of justice” on which
St Clement of Rome commented in his Letter to the Corinthians: “For
many gates stand open: the gate of justice is the gate of Christ, and all
are blessed who enter by it and direct their way “in holiness and justice’,
accomplishing all things without disorder” (48,4: I Padri Apostolici, Rome
1976, p. 81; The Apostolic Fathers, Letter of Clement of Rome to Corinth,
Thomas Nelson and Co. 1978, p. 44).
5. The other symbol, linked
to the previous one, is the “rock”. We will therefore let St Ambrose guide our
meditation with his Exposition of the Gospel according to Luke. Commenting
on Peter’s profession of faith at Cesarea Philippi, he recalls that “Christ is
the Rock” and that “Christ did not refuse to give this beautiful name to his
disciple so that he too might be Peter, and find in the rock the firmness of
perseverance, the steadfast solidity of the faith”.
Ambrose then introduces the
exhortation: “Try hard also to be a rock. However, to do this, do not seek the
rock outside yourself but within yourself. Your rock is your actions,
your rock is your thoughts. On this rock your house is built, so that it may
never be battered by any storm of the evil spirits. If you are a rock, you will
be inside the Church because the Church is on the rock. If
you are inside the Church, the gates of hell will not prevail against you” (VI,
97-99: “Opere Esegetiche” IX/II [Exegetical Works],
Milan/Rome, 1978: Saemo 12, p. 85).
PSALM 119:105-112 (XIV) 145-152 (XIX) (alt)
Wednesday, 21 July 2004
14th strophe of Psalm
119[118]
Your word is a lamp for my
steps and a light for my path
1. At this General Audience,
after the interval I spent in the
In our case, the first words
of the verses we have just heard begin with the Hebrew letter nun. This
strophe is illuminated by the shining image in its first line: “Your word
is a lamp for my steps and a light for my path” (v. 105). Man ventures on
life’s often dark journey, but all of a sudden the darkness is dispelled by the
splendour of the Word of God.
Psalm 19[18] compares the
Law of God to the sun, when it says that “the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes” (19[18]: 9). Then in the Book of Proverbs it is
reasserted that “the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light”
(6: 23). Christ was also to present himself as a definitive revelation
with exactly the same image: “I am the light of the world; he who follows
me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8: 12).
2. The Psalmist then
continues his prayer, calling to mind the suffering and danger in the life he
has to lead, in which he stands in need of enlightenment and support:
“Lord, I am deeply afflicted: by your word give me life.... Though I
carry my life in my hands, I remember your law” (Ps 119[118]: 107, 109).
A dark image pervades the
strophe: “the wicked try to ensnare me” (v. 110), the person praying
again intimates, making use of a hunting image well known to the Psalter. The
faithful know that they are advancing on the highways of the world amid danger,
anxiety and persecution; they know that trials are lying in wait. Christians,
for their part, know that every day they must carry the Cross up the hill of
their
3. However, the just keep
their fidelity intact: “I have sworn and have made up my mind to obey
your decrees... I remember your law... I do not stray from your precepts” (Ps
119[118]: 106, 109, 110). A conscience at peace
is the strength of believers; their constancy in obeying the divine
commandments is the source of their serenity.
The final declaration is
therefore consistent: “Your will is my heritage for ever, the joy of my heart”
(v. 111) It is this that is the most precious reality, the “heritage”, the
“reward” (cf. v. 112) which the Psalmist cherishes with vigilant and ardent
love: the teaching and commandments of the Lord. He wants to be totally
faithful to the will of his God. On this path he will find peace of soul and
will succeed in getting through the dark tangle of trials and reaching true
joy.
Let us make our own the
conclusion of the great Bishop of Hippo who reaffirms the continual timeliness
of the happiness promised to those who strive faithfully to do God’s will.
Wednesday 14 November 2001
Psalm 118[119]
(the verses 145-152)
Praise God for the gift of
His Law
1. What the liturgy of Lauds
for Saturday of the first week offers us is a single strophe of Ps 118[119],
(the verses 145-152), in the monumental prayer of 22 strophes or stanzas, that
correspond to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each strophe begins with a
different letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the order of the strophes follows
that of the alphabet. The one we have proclaimed is the 19th strophe (verses
145-152) corresponding to the letter qoph.
This introductory preface is
a great help for understanding the meaning of this hymn in honour of the divine
law. It is similar to Eastern music, whose sonorous waves seem never ending,
ascending to heaven in a repetition which involves the mind and senses, the
spirit and body of the one who prays.
It is said that the great
philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal recited this fullest of all the psalms
every day, while the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, assassinated by the Nazis
in 1945, made it become a living and timely prayer when he wrote:
“Undoubtedly, Psalm 118 [119] is tedious on account of its length and monotony,
but we must proceed very slowly and patiently word by word, phrase by phrase.
Then we will discover that the apparent repetitions in reality are new aspects
of one and the same reality: love for the Word of God. Since this love is
never ending, so are the words that profess it. They can
accompany us all our life, and in their simplicity they become the prayer of
the youth, the mature man and the venerable old man” (Pray the Psalms with
Christ, English translation of the Italian title, Pregare i Salmi con
Cristo, Brescia, 1978, 3a edizione, p. 48).
3. The fact of repetition,
in addition to helping the memory in the choral chant, is also a good way to
foster inner attachment and confident abandonment into the arms of God, who is
invoked and loved. Among the repetitions of the Psalm 118 [119], I want to
point out an important one. Each of the 176 verses which make up this praise of
the Torah, of the divine Law and Word, contains at least one of the
eight words used to define the Torah itself: law,
word, witness, judgment, saying, decree, precept, and order. We
celebrate divine revelation this way because it is the revelation of the
mystery of God and the moral guide of the life of the faithful.
In this way God and
man are united in a dialogue composed of words and
deeds, teaching and listening, truth and life.
4. Now we come to our
strophe (cf. vv. 145-152) that is well suited to the spirit of morning Lauds.
In fact the scene at the centre of this set of 8 verses is nocturnal, but open
to the new day. After a long night of waiting and of prayerful vigil in the
5. The strophe expresses an
intense prayer: “I call with all my heart, Lord; answer me.... I rise
before the dawn and cry for help; I hope in your word ...” (vv.145.147). In the
Book of Lamentations, we read this invitation: “Arise, cry out in the
night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water in the
presence of the Lord! Lift your hands toward him” (Lam 2,19).
St Ambrose repeated: “O man, know you not that every day you should offer
God the first fruits of your heart and voice? Make haste at
dawn to carry to the Church the first fruits of your devotion” (Exp. in ps.
CXVIII; PL 15,
At the same time our strophe
is also the exaltation of a certainty: we are not alone because God
listens and intervenes. The one who prays, says:
“Lord, you are near” (v. 151). The other psalms confirm it: “Draw near to
me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies!” (Ps 68,19);
“The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the crushed in spirit” (Ps
33,19).
After the commentary, the
Holy Father greeted the pilgrims in French, English, German, Spanish,
Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Hungarian, Slovakian, Croatian, and Italian. Here
is a translation of the Italian greeting to the young, the sick and newly-weds.
Tomorrow [Thursday] we
celebrate the feast of the Bishop St Albert the Great, who continually
endeavoured to establish peace among the peoples of his time. May his example
be an inspiration for you, young people, to be agents of justice and builders
of reconciliation. May he be a source of encouragement
for the sick, to trust in the Lord who never abandons us in the time of trial. For you, newly-weds, may he be
a stimulus to find in the Gospel the joy of accepting and generously serving
life, the incommensurable gift of God.
Psalm 118 [119]
Begin the day with prayer:
let Christ be light of day
1. In our already
long journey through the Psalms that the Liturgy of Lauds presents, we come to
one strophe - to be precise, the 19th - of the longest prayer of the Psalter,
Psalm 118[119]. It is a part of an immense alphabetical hymn. In a play on
style, the Psalmist divides his work into 22 strophes corresponding to the sequence of the 22 letters
of the Hebrew alphabet. Each strophe has eight verses and the first word of
each verse uses a Hebrew word that begins with the
same letter of the alphabet.
The stanza we have just
heard is a strophe marked by the Hebrew letter qôf,
that portrays the person at prayer who expresses his intense life of
faith and prayer to God (cf. vv. 145-152).
2. The invocation of the
Lord is relentless because it is a continuing response to the permanent
teaching of the Word of God. On the one hand, in fact, the verbs used in prayer
are multiplied: ”I cry to you”, “I call upon
you”, “I cry for help”, “hear my voice”. On the other hand, the
Psalmist exalts the word of the Lord that proposes decrees, teachings, the
word, promises, judgment, the law, the precepts and testimonies of God.
Together they form a constellation that is like the polar star of the
Psalmist’s faith and confidence. Prayer is revealed as a dialogue that begins
when it is night before the first gleam of dawn (cf. v. 147), and continues
through the day, particularly in the difficult trials of life. In fact, at
times the horizon is dark and stormy: “In betrayal my persecutors turn on
me, they are far from your law” (v. 150). But the person praying has a
steadfast certainty: the closeness of God, with his word and his
grace: “But you, O Lord, are close” (v. 151). God does not abandon the
just in the hands of persecutors.
3. At this point, having
outlined the simple but incisive message of the stanza of Psalm 118[119] - a
suitable message for the beginning of the day - we will turn for our meditation
to a great Father of the Church, St Ambrose who, in his Commentary on Psalm
118[119], devotes 44 paragraphs to explaining the stanza we have just
heard.
Taking up the ideal
invitation to sing praise of God from the early hours of the morning, he
reflects in particular on verses 147-148: “I rise before dawn and cry for
help.... My eyes greet the night watches”. From the Psalmist’s declaration, St
Ambrose intuits the idea of a constant prayer that embraces all the hours of
the day: “Whoever calls upon the Lord must act as if he does not know the
existence of any special time to be dedicated to implore the Lord, but always
remains in that attitude of supplication. Whether we eat or drink, let us
proclaim Christ, pray to Christ, think of Christ, speak
of Christ! May Christ be ever in our heart and on our lips!”
(Commentary on the Psalm 118[119],2: SAEMO
10, p. 297).
Referring to the verses that
speak of the specific moment of the morning, and alluding to the expression of
the Book of Wisdom that prescribes that we are “to give [the Lord]
thanks before the sunrise” (16,28), St Ambrose
comments: “It would be serious indeed if the rays of the rising sun were
to surprise you lying lazily in bed with insolent impudence and if an even
brighter light wounded your sleepy eyes, still sunk in torpor. It is a disgrace
for us to spend so long a period of time without even the least devotional
practice, without offering a spiritual sacrifice during a night with nothing to
do” (ibid., op. cit., p. 303).
4. Then St Ambrose,
contemplating the rising sun - as he did in another of his famous hymns, “at
the crack of dawn”, Aeterne rerum conditor, included
in the Liturgy of the Hours, counsels us in this way: “Perhaps,
you do not know, O man, that every day you owe to God the first fruits of your
heart and voice? The harvest ripens every day; every day the fruit ripens. So
run to meet the rising sun.... The sun of justice wishes to be anticipated and
does not expect anything else.... If you rise before the sun you will receive
Christ as your light. He Himself will be the first light that shines in the
secret of your heart. He Himself will be ... who will make the light of dawn
shine for you in the hours of the night, if you will meditate on God’s Word.
While you meditate, the light rises.... Early in the morning hasten to church
and in homage take the firstfruits of your devotion. And then, if the affairs
of the world call you, nothing will prevent you from saying: “My eyes
anticipate the watches of the night to meditate on your promises’; and, with a
good conscience, you will betake yourself to your affairs. How beautiful it is
to begin the day with hymns and songs, with the beatitudes you read in the
Gospel! How promising that the Lord’s words should descend on you as a
blessing; and that as you sing, you repeat the blessings of the Lord, that you
be gripped by the need to practice some virtue, if you also want to perceive
within you something that makes you feel worthy of the divine blessing!” (ibid., op. cit., pp. 303.309.311.313).
Let us respond to St
Ambrose’s call, and every morning open our eyes
to daily life, to its joys and worries, calling on God to be close to us and
guide us with his words that ensure serenity and grace.
PSALM 121
Psalm 121[120]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. As I announced last
Wednesday, in our Catecheses I have decided to continue the commentary on the
Psalms and Canticles of Vespers, using the texts prepared by my beloved
Predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
Let us begin today with
Psalm 121[120]. The Psalm is one of the “songs of ascents” that
accompanied the pilgrimage to the encounter with the Lord in the
The song begins with the
Psalmist raising his eyes “to the mountains”, that is, to the hills crowned by
However, the word
“mountains” can also conjure up images of idolatrous shrines in the so-called
“high places”, which are frequently condemned in the Old Testament (cf. I Kgs
3: 2; II Kgs 18: 4). In this case, there would have been a contrast: while the
pilgrim was advancing towards
There are also similar
things in our pilgrimage through life. We see the high places that spread out
before us as a promise of life: wealth, power, prestige, the easy life. These
high places are temptations, for they truly seem like the promise of life. But
with our faith we realize that this is not true and that these high places are
not life. True life, true help, comes from the Lord. And we turn our gaze,
therefore, to the true high places, to the true mountain: Christ.
2. This trust is illustrated
in the Psalm through the image of the guardian and sentinel, who watch and
protect. There is also an allusion to the foot that does not stumble (cf. v. 3)
on the way through life, and perhaps to the shepherd who, stopping for the
night, watches over his flock without falling asleep or dozing (cf. v. 4). The
divine Pastor knows no rest in the task of caring for his people, for all of
us.
Another symbol is then
introduced into the Psalm: “shade”, which implies that the journey is resumed
during the heat of the day (cf. v. 5). Let us remember the historic march through
the
3. After
the vigil and the shade there is the third symbol, that of the Lord who is “at
[the] right side” of his faithful (cf. Ps 121[120]: 5). This is the position of
defence, both in military and court contexts: it is the certainty of never
being abandoned in a time of trial, in an assault by evil or by persecution. At
this point the Psalmist returns to the idea of a journey on a scorching hot day
on which God protects us from the fierce heat of the sun.
But night follows day. In
ancient times it was also thought that moonbeams were harmful and caused fever
or blindness, or even madness; thus, the Lord also protects us at night time
(cf. v. 6), in the nights of our lives.
The Psalm now draws to a
close with a concise declaration of trust: God will protect us with love at
every moment, guarding our lives from every evil (cf. v. 7). All our
activities, summed up in two opposite verbs, “going” and “coming”, always take
place under the vigilant gaze of the Lord, as do all our acts and all our time,
“both now and for ever” (v. 8).
4. Let us now, in
conclusion, comment on this final declaration of trust with a spiritual
testimony of the ancient Christian tradition. In fact, in the Epistolarium of
Barsanuphius of Gaza (who died in the mid-sixth century), a widely renowned
aesthete sought out by monks, clerics and lay people for the wisdom of his
discernment, we find several references to the verse of our Psalm: “The Lord
will guard you from evil, he will guard your soul”. With this Psalm, with this
verse, Barsanuphius wanted to comfort all those who came to him with their
toils, life’s trials, dangers and misfortunes.
Once asked by a monk to pray
for him and his companions, Barsanuphius responded as follows, including the
citation of this verse in his greeting: “My beloved sons, I embrace you in the
Lord, entreating him to protect you from all evil, and to support you as
he did Job, to give you grace as he gave to Joseph, gentleness as to Moses and
valour in battle as to Joshua, the son of Nun, mastery of thought as to the
judges, victory over enemies as to King David and King Solomon, fertile land as
to the Israelites.... May he grant you forgiveness of your sins with the
healing of the body as he did to the paralytic. May he
save you from the waters as he did Peter and snatch you from troubles as he did
Paul and the other Apostles. May he protect you from every evil, as his
true children, and grant you your heart’s desire, for the advantage of your
soul and your body, in his name. Amen” (Barsanuphius and John of Gaza, Epistolario
194: Collana di Testi Patristici, XCIII, Rome, 1991, pp. 235-236).
PSALM 122
Wednesday, 12 October 2005
Psalm 122[121]
Peace upon you!
Evening Prayer - Sunday of
Week Fourth
1. We have just heard and
enjoyed as a prayer one of the most beautiful and fervent songs of ascents.
It is Psalm 122[121], a living, shared celebration of
Indeed, in the opening line,
two moments lived by the faithful are amalgamated: that of the day on
which the pilgrim rejoiced when he accepted the invitation to “go to God’s
house” (v. 1), and that of his joyful arrival at the “gates” of
2. As a “strongly compact”
city (v. 3), a symbol of security and stability,
There is another important
reality in
3. The “thrones... of the
House of David” are at the same time called “thrones of judgment” (v. 5),
because the king was also the supreme judge. Thus,
The Psalm thus traced an
ideal portrait of the Holy City with her religious and social function, showing
that biblical religion is neither abstract nor intimistic, but a leaven of
justice and solidarity. Communion with God is necessarily followed by the
communion of brothers and sisters with one another.
4. We now come to the final
invocation (cf. v. 6-9). It is marked throughout by the Jewish word shalom, “peace”,
traditionally considered to be the etymological root of Jerushalajim, the
It is well known that
shalom alludes to the messianic peace that in itself brings joy,
prosperity, goodness and abundance. Indeed, in the pilgrim’s final farewell to
the temple, to the “house of the Lord our God”, he
adds “good” to “peace”: “I will ask for your good” (v. 9). This anticipates the
Franciscan greeting: “Peace and good!”. We all have
something of a Franciscan soul. This greeting expresses the hope that blessings
will be poured out upon the faithful who love the
5. Let us end our meditation
on Psalm 122[121] with an idea for reflection suggested by the Fathers of the
Church for whom the ancient
This city, St Gregory the
Great says in his Homilies on Ezekiel, “has here a great construction in
the customs of the saints. In a building, one stone supports the other, because
each stone is set upon another, and the one that supports another is in turn
supported by another. This is exactly how in our
“This explains Paul’s
exhortation: “Help carry one another’s burdens; in
that way you will fulfil the law of Christ’ (Gal 6: 2). Emphasizing the force
of this law, he says: “Love is the fulfilment of the law’ (Rom 13: 10).
“Indeed, if I do not make an
effort to accept you as you are and you do not strive to accept me as I am, the
building of love between us can no longer be erected, bound though we may be by
reciprocal and patient love”.
And to complete the image,
let us not forget that “there is one foundation that supports the full weight
of the construction; and it is our Redeemer, who alone bears all together the
customs of us all. The Apostle says of him: “No one can lay a foundation other
than the one that has been laid, namely, Jesus Christ’ (I Cor 3: 11). The
foundation sustains the stones but the stones do not sustain the foundation: in
other words, our Redeemer bore the burden of all our sins, but in him there was
no sin to be borne” (2, 1, 5: Opere di Gregorio Magno, III/2,
Thus, Pope St Gregory the
Great tells us what the Psalm means for our lives in practice. He tells us that
we must be a true
PSALM 123
Wednesday, 15 June 2005
Psalm 123[122]
“Have mercy on us!’
Evening Prayer - Monday of
Week Three
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Unfortunately, you have
suffered under the rain. Let us hope that the weather will now improve.
1. Jesus very vigorously
affirms in the Gospel that the eyes are an expressive symbol of the innermost
self, a mirror of the soul (cf. Mt 6: 22-23). Well, Psalm 123[122], which has
just been proclaimed, is the focal point of an exchange of glances: the
faithful person lifts his eyes to the Lord, awaiting a divine reaction, ready
to glimpse a gesture of love or a look of kindness. We too, as it were, raise
our eyes and await a gesture of benevolence from the Lord.
The gaze of the Most High
who “looks down on the sons of men to see if any are wise, if any seek God” (Ps
14[13]: 2), is often mentioned in the Psalter. The Psalmist, as we have heard,
uses an image, that of the servant and slave who look to their master, waiting
for him to make a decision that will set them free.
Even if this scene is
connected with the ancient world and its social structures, the idea is clear
and full of meaning: the image taken from the world of the ancient East is
intended to exalt the attachment of the poor, the hope of the oppressed and the
availability of the just to the Lord.
2. The person of prayer is
waiting for the divine hands to move because they will act justly and destroy
evil. This is why, in the Psalter, the one praying raises his hope-filled eyes
to the Lord. “My eyes are always on the Lord; for he rescues my feet from the
snare” (Ps 25[24]: 15), while “My eyes are wasted away from looking for my God”
(Ps 69[68]: 4).
Psalm 123[122] is an
entreaty in which the voice of one of the faithful joins that of the whole
community: indeed, the Psalm passes from the first person singular, “I lifted
up my eyes”, to the first person plural, “our eyes” and “show us his mercy”
(cf. vv. 1-3). The Psalmist expresses the hope that the Lord will open his
hands to lavish his gifts of justice and freedom upon us. The just person waits
for God’s gaze to reveal itself in all its tenderness and goodness, as one
reads in the ancient priestly blessing from the Book of Numbers: “The Lord make
his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you: the Lord lift up his
countenance upon you and give you peace!” (Nm 6: 25-26).
3. The great importance of
God’s loving gaze is revealed in the second part of the Psalm which features
the invocation: “Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy” (Ps 123[122]: 3), that
comes in continuity with the finale of the first part in which trusting
expectation is reaffirmed, “till [the Lord our God] show us his mercy” (cf. v.
2).
The faithful are in need of
God’s intervention because they are in a painful plight, suffering the contempt
and disdain of overbearing people. The image the Psalmist uses here is that of
satiety: “We are filled with contempt. Indeed, all too full is our soul with
the scorn of the rich, with the proud man’s disdain” (vv. 3-4).
The traditional biblical
fullness of food and years, considered a sign of divine blessing, is now
countered by an intolerable satiety composed of an excessive load of
humiliations. And we know today that many nations, many individuals, are truly
burdened with derision, with the contempt of the rich and the disdain of the
proud. Let us pray for them and let us help these humiliated brethren of ours.
Thus, the righteous have
entrusted their cause to the Lord; he is not indifferent to their beseeching
eyes nor does he ignore their plea - and ours - or disappoint their hope.
4. To conclude, let us make
room for the voice of St Ambrose, the great Archbishop of Milan who, in the
Psalmist’s spirit, gives poetical rhythm to the work of God that reaches us
through Jesus the Saviour: “Christ is everything for us. If you wish to cure a
wound, he is doctor; if you burn with fever, he is fountain; if you are
oppressed by iniquity, he is justice; if you are in need of help, he is
strength; if you fear death, he is life; if you desire heaven, he is the way;
if you flee from darkness, he is light; if you seek food, he is nourishment” (La
verginità, 99: SAEMO, XIV/2, Milan-Rome, 1989, p. 81).
PSALM 124
Psalm 124[123]
“If the Lord had not been on
our side’
Evening Prayer - Monday of
Week Three
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. We have before us Psalm
124[123], a song of thanksgiving intoned by the whole community in prayer,
raising praise to God for the gift of liberation. The Psalmist opens by
proclaiming the invitation: “This is
Although this Psalm has been
thought to refer to some specific historical event, such as the end of the
Babylonian exile, it is more likely that it was intended as a heartfelt hymn to
thank the Lord for being saved from peril and a plea for liberation from all
evil. In this regard it is a Psalm that is ever timely.
2. After the initial
reference to certain “men” who rose up against the faithful and would have
“swallowed them alive” (cf. vv. 2-3), the song has two passages. In the first,
the raging waters, a biblical symbol of devastating chaos, evil and death,
predominate: “Then would the waters have engulfed us, the torrent gone over us;
over our head would have swept the raging waters” (vv. 4-5). The person of
prayer now has the feeling that he lies on a beach, miraculously saved from the
pounding fury of the waves.
Human life is surrounded by
the snares of evil lying in wait that not only attack the person’s life but
also aim at destroying all human values. We see how these dangers exist even
now. However, the Lord rises - and we can be sure of this also today - to
preserve the just and save him, as the Psalmist sings in Psalm 18[17]: “From on
high he reached down and seized me; he drew me forth from the mighty waters. He
snatched me from my powerful foe, from my enemies...
the Lord was my support. He brought me forth into freedom,
he saved me because he loved me” (vv. 17-20).
3. The second part of our
thanksgiving hymn shifts from the marine image to a hunting scene, typical of
many Psalms of supplication (cf. Ps 124[123]: 6-8). Here, in fact, the Psalm
evokes a wild beast clenching its prey between its teeth or the snare of
fowlers that captures a bird. But the blessing this Psalm expresses enables us
to understand that the destiny of the faithful, that
was a destiny of death, has been radically changed by a saving intervention:
“Blessed be the Lord who did not give us a prey to their teeth! Our life, like
a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler. Indeed the snare has been
broken and we have escaped” (vv. 6-7).
Here, prayer becomes a sigh
of relief that wells up from the depths of the soul: even when all human hopes
are destroyed, the divine liberating power can appear. The Psalmist can thus
conclude with a profession of faith, which has been part of the Christian
liturgy for centuries, as an ideal premise for all our prayers: “Adiutorium
nostrum in nomine Domini, qui fecit caelum et terram -
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (v. 8). In
particular, the Almighty takes the side of the victims and the persecuted “who
call out to him day and night” and he “will give them swift justice” (cf. Lk
18: 7-8).
However, in a second instance
the Bishop of Hippo tells us that we too, not only the blessed in Heaven, can
sing this Psalm with hope. He declares: “We too are enlivened by unfailing hope
and will sing in exaltation. Indeed, the singers of this Psalm are not
strangers to us.... Therefore, let us all sing with one heart: both the saints
who already possess the crown as well as ourselves, who with affection and hope
unite ourselves to their crown. Together we desire the life that we do not have
here below, but that we will never obtain if we have not first desired it”.
St Augustine then returns to
his former perspective and explains: “The saints think back to the sufferings
they encountered, and from that place of bliss and peace where they are now,
look at the path they trod to arrive there; and since it would have been
difficult to attain deliverance had the hand of the Liberator not intervened to
rescue them, they joyfully exclaim: “If the Lord had not been on our side’.
This is how their song begins. So great is their joy that they
never even speak of that from which they have escaped” (Exposition on Psalm
123: 3: Nuova Biblioteca Agostiniana, XXVIII, Rome 1977, p. 65).
PSALM 125
Wednesday, 3 August 2005
Psalm 125 [124]
“On
Evening Prayer - Tuesday of
Week Three
Brothers and Sisters,
1. After my holidays spent
in the
We shall now meditate
briefly on a sapiential text that gives rise to trust in the Lord and contains
a short prayer (cf. Ps 125[124]: 4).
The first sentence proclaims
the stability of “those who put their trust in the Lord”, comparing it to the
safety and firmness of “
Even when the believer feels
lonely and is surrounded by risks and hostility, his faith must be serene
because the Lord is always with us; his power surrounds us and protects us.
The Prophet Isaiah also
testifies to hearing God speak these words, destined for the faithful: “See, I
am laying a stone in Zion, a stone that has been tested, a precious cornerstone
as a sure foundation; he who puts his faith in it shall not be shaken” (Is
28: 16).
2. However, the Psalmist
continues, the trust that is the atmosphere of faith of the faithful has a
further support: the Lord is, as it were, encamped to defend his people, just
as the mountains that surround Jerusalem make it a naturally fortified city
(cf. Ps 125[124]: 2). In a prophecy by Zechariah, God says of
In this atmosphere of
deeply-rooted trust, which is the atmosphere of faith, the Psalmist reassures
“the upright of heart”, the believers. Their situation in itself can be
worrying because of the tyranny of the wicked, who wish to impose their
domination.
There might also be a
temptation for the just to make themselves accomplices of evil to avoid serious
difficulties, but the Lord protects them from oppression: “For the sceptre of
the wicked shall not rest over the land of the just” (Ps 125[124]: 3);
at the same time, he preserves them from the temptation to turn their hands to
evil (cf. ibid.).
Thus, the Psalm instils deep
trust in the soul. This is a powerful help in facing difficult situations when
the external crisis of loneliness, irony and contempt of believers is
associated with the interior crisis that consists of discouragement, mediocrity
and weariness. We know this situation, but the Psalm tells us that if we have
trust, we are stronger than these evils.
3. The finale of the Psalm
contains the prayer addressed to the Lord for the “good” and the “upright of
heart” (cf. v. 4), and an announcement of misfortune to “the crooked and those
who do evil” (v. 5).
On the one hand, the
Psalmist asks the Lord to manifest himself as a loving father to the just and
the faithful who bear aloft the torch of a righteous life and a clear
conscience.
On the other hand, the hope
is expressed that he will prove to be a just judge to those who have taken the
winding path of evil, which leads ultimately to death.
The Psalm is sealed by the
traditional greeting, shalom, “On Israel, peace”, a greeting that by
assonance rhymes with Jerushalajim, on
This greeting becomes a wish
of hope: We can explain it in
In the hope that together
with his listeners he too will share in their happy destiny, the Bishop of
Hippo wonders: “What will we possess? What will be our inheritance? What will
be our homeland? What will it be called?”.
And he answers himself,
pointing out its name. I make these words my own: “Peace. We greet you with the
wish of peace; I proclaim peace to you; may the mountains receive peace, while
justice spreads over the hills (cf. Ps 72[71]: 3). Now, our peace is
Christ: Indeed, “It is he who is our peace’ (Eph 2: 14)” (Esposizioni
sui Salmi, IV, Nuova Biblioteca Agostiniana, XXVIII, Rome, 1977, p.
105).
PSALM 126
Wednesday, 17 August 2005
Psalm 126[125)
“Deliver us, O Lord’
Evening Prayer - Wednesday
of Week Three
1. Listening to the words of
Psalm 126[125], one has the impression of seeing before one’s eyes the event of
the “new Exodus” that is sung of in the second part of the Book of Isaiah: the
return of Israel from the Babylonian Exile to the land of her fathers after the
edict of the Persian King Cyrus in 538 B.C. It was thus a repetition of the
joyful experience of the first Exodus, when the Jewish people were released
from slavery in
This Psalm acquired special
significance when it was sung on the days when
2. The Psalm introduces us
into an atmosphere of exultation: people were laughing, celebrating their
new-found freedom, and songs of joy were on their lips (cf. vv. 1-2).
There is a twofold reaction
to the restored freedom.
On the one hand, the heathen
nations recognized the greatness of the God of Israel: “What marvels the Lord
worked for them!” (v. 2). The salvation of the Chosen
People becomes a clear proof of the effective and powerful existence of God,
present and active in history.
On the other hand, it is the
People of God who profess their faith in the Lord who saves: “What marvels the
Lord worked for us!” (v. 3).
3. Our thoughts then turn to
the past, relived with a shudder of fear and affliction. Let us focus our
attention on the agricultural image used by the Psalmist: “Those who are sowing
in tears will sing when they reap” (v. 5). Under the burden of work, their
faces are sometimes lined with tears: the sowing is laborious, perhaps doomed
to uselessness and failure. But with the coming of the abundant, joyful
harvest, they discover that their suffering has borne fruit.
The great lesson on the
mystery of life’s fruitfulness that suffering can contain is condensed in this
Psalm, just as Jesus said on the threshold of his passion and death: “Unless
the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of
wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit” (Jn 12: 24).
4. Thus, the horizon of the
Psalm opens to the festive harvest, a symbol of joy born from the freedom,
peace and prosperity that are fruits of the divine blessing. This prayer, then,
is a song of hope to turn back to when one is immersed in moments of trial,
fear, threats and inner oppression.
But it can also become a
more general appeal to live one’s days and make one’s decisions in an
atmosphere of faithfulness. In the end, perseverance in good, even if it is
misunderstood and opposed, always reaches a landing place of light,
fruitfulness and peace.
This is what
5. Let us end with a
reflection on Psalm 126[125] by St Bede the Venerable (672/3-735), commenting
on the words by which Jesus announced to his disciples the sorrow that lay in
store for them, and at the same time the joy that would spring from their
affliction (cf. Jn 16: 20).
Bede recalls that “Those who
loved Christ were weeping and mourning when they saw him captured by his
enemies, bound, carried away for judgment, condemned, scourged, mocked and
lastly crucified, pierced by the spear and buried. Instead, those who loved the
world rejoiced... when they condemned to a most ignominious death the One of
whom the sight alone they could not tolerate. The disciples were overcome by
grief at the death of the Lord, but once they had learned of his Resurrection,
their sorrow changed to joy; then when they had seen the miracle of the
Ascension, they praised and blessed the Lord, filled with even greater joy, as
the Evangelist Luke testified (cf. Lk 24: 53).
“But the Lord’s words can be
applied to all the faithful who, through the tears and afflictions of this
world, seek to arrive at eternal jubilation and rightly weep and grieve now,
because they cannot yet see the One they love and because they know that while
they are in the body they are far from the Homeland and the Kingdom, even if
they are certain that they will reach it with their efforts and struggles.
Their sorrow will change into joy when, after the struggle of this life, they
receive the reward of eternal life, as the Psalm says: “Those who are sowing in
tears will sing when they reap’ (Homily on the Gospel, 2, 13: Collana
dei Testi Patristici, XC, Rome, 1990, pp. 379-380).
PSALM 127
Wednesday, 31 August 2005
Psalm 127[126]
“If the Lord does not build
the house’
Evening Prayer - Wednesday
of Week Three
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. Psalm 127[126], just
proclaimed, places a motion picture before our eyes: a house under
construction, the city with its watchmen, family life, night watches, daily
work, the little and great secrets of existence.
However, a crucial presence
towers over everything, the presence of the Lord who watches over the works of
man, as the incisive opening of the Psalm suggests: “If the Lord does not build
the house, in vain do its builders labour” (v. 1).
Indeed, a sound society is
born from the commitment of all its members, but it needs the blessing and
support of that God who, unfortunately, is too often excluded or ignored.
The Book of Proverbs
emphasizes the primacy of divine action for a community’s well-being and does
so radically, asserting: “It is the Lord’s blessing that brings wealth, and no
effort can substitute for it” (Prv 10: 22).
2. This sapiential Psalm,
fruit of meditation on the reality of everyday life, is built mainly on a
contrast: without the Lord, in vain does one seek to construct a stable house,
to build a secure city, to bring our own efforts to fruition (cf. Ps
127[126]: 1-2).
With the Lord, instead,
there is prosperity and fruitfulness, a peaceful family richly endowed with
children, a well-fortified and protected city, free of constant worry and
insecurity (cf. vv. 3-5).
The text opens with a
reference to the Lord, portrayed as a builder of houses and a watchman on guard
over the city (cf. Ps 121[120]: 1-8). Man goes out in the morning to
toil at a job to support the family and serve the development of society. It is
work that consumes his energy, making his brow sweat all day long (cf. Ps
127[126]: 2).
3. Well, the Psalmist,
although he recognizes the importance of work, does not hesitate to say that
all this work is useless if God is not beside the labourer. And he affirms that
God even goes so far as to reward his friends’ sleep.
Thus, the Psalmist desires
to exalt the primacy of divine grace that impresses substance and value on
human action, although it is marked by limitations and transience.
In the serene and faithful
abandonment of our freedom to the Lord, our work also becomes solid, capable of
bearing lasting fruit. Thus, our “sleep” becomes rest blessed by God and
destined to seal an activity that has meaning and coherence.
4. At this point we move on
to the other scene outlined in our Psalm.
The Lord offers the gift of
children, seen as a blessing and a grace, a sign of life that continues and of
the history of salvation extending to new stages (cf. v. 3).
The Psalmist extols in particular
“the sons of youth”: the father who has had sons in his youth will not only see
them in their full vigour, but they will be his support in old age. He will be
able, therefore, to face the future confidently, like a warrior, armed with a
quiver of those victorious pointed “arrows” that are his sons (cf. vv. 4-5).
The purpose of this image,
taken from the culture of the time, is to celebrate the safety, stability and
strength found in a large family, such as is presented anew in the subsequent
Psalm 128[127], in which the portrait of a happy family is sketched.
The last picture shows a
father surrounded by his sons, who is welcomed with
respect at the city gates, the seat of public life.
Begetting is thus a gift
that brings life and well-being to society. We are aware of this in our days in
the face of nations that are deprived, by the demographic loss, of the
freshness and energy of a future embodied by children.
However, the blessing of
God’s presence, the source of life and hope, towers over it all.
5. Spiritual authors have
often made use of Psalm 127[126] to exalt this divine presence, crucial to
advancing on the path of good and of the
Thus, the monk Isaiah (who
died in
Thus, it is also true today
that only communion with the Lord can safeguard our houses and our cities.
PSALM 130
Wednesday, 19 October 2005
Psalm 130[129]
“Lord, hear my voice!’
Evening Prayer - Sunday of
Week Fourth
1. One of the Psalms
best-known and best-loved in Christian tradition has just been
proclaimed: the De profundis, as it was called from its
beginning in the Latin version. With the Miserere, it has become one of
the favourite penitential Psalms of popular devotion.
Over and above its use at funerals,
the text is first and foremost a hymn to divine mercy and to the reconciliation
between the sinner and the Lord, a God who is just but always prepared to show
himself “a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and
fidelity, continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and forgiving
wickedness and crime and sin” (Ex 34: 6-7).
For this very reason, our
Psalm is inserted into the liturgy of Vespers for Christmas and for the whole
Octave of Christmas, as well as in the liturgy of the Fourth Sunday of Easter
and of the Solemnity of the Annunciation.
2. Psalm 130[129] opens with
a voice that rises from the depths of evil and sin (cf. vv. 1-2). The person
who is praying addresses the Lord in the first person: “I cry to you, O Lord”.
The Psalm then develops in three parts, dedicated to the subject of sin and
forgiveness. The Psalmist first of all addresses God directly, using the “Tu”: ”If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord,
who would survive? But with you is found forgiveness: for this we revere
you” (vv. 3-4).
It is significant that
reverent awe, a sentiment in which respect and love are mingled, is not born
from punishment but from forgiveness. Rather than sparking his anger, God’s
generous and disarming magnanimity must kindle in us a holy reverence. Indeed,
God is not an inexorable sovereign who condemns the guilty but a loving father
whom we must love, not for fear of punishment, but for his kindness, quick to
forgive.
3. At the centre of the
second part is the “I” of the person praying, who no longer addresses the Lord
in the first person but talks about him: I trust in the Lord. “My soul is
waiting for the Lord, I count on his word. My soul is longing for the Lord more
than watchman for daybreak” (vv. 5-6). Expectation, hope, the certainty that
God will speak a liberating word and wipe away the sin are now blossoming in
the heart of the repentant Psalmist.
The third and last part in
the development of the Psalm extends to the whole of
The personal salvation that
the praying person implores at the outset is now extended to the entire
community. The Psalmist’s faith is grafted on to the historical faith of the
people of the Covenant, “redeemed” by the Lord not only from the distress of
the Egyptian oppression but “from all its iniquity”. Only think that it is we
who are now the chosen people, the People of God. And our faith grafts us on to
the common faith of the Church. In this very way it gives us the certainty that
God is good to us and sets us free from our sins.
Rising from the shadowy
vortex of sin the supplication of the De profundis reaches God’s shining
horizon where “mercy and fullness of redemption” are dominant, two great
characteristics of God who is love.
4. Let us now entrust
ourselves to the meditation that Christian tradition has woven into this Psalm.
Let us choose St Ambrose’s words: in his writings he often recalled the reasons
that motivated him to invoke pardon from God.
“We have a good Lord who
wants to forgive everyone”, he recalled in his Treatise on Penance, and
he added: “If you want to be justified, confess your fault: a humble
confession of sins untangles the knot of faults.... You see with what hope of
forgiveness you are impelled to make your confession” (2, 6, 40-41: Sancti
Ambrosii Episcopi Mediolanensis Opera [SAEMO], XVII, Milan-Rome, 1982, p.
253).
In the Exposition of the
Gospel according to Luke, repeating the same invitation, the Bishop of
Milan expressed his wonder at the gifts that God added to his forgiveness: “You
see how good God is and ready to pardon sins: not only does he give back
everything he had taken away, but he also grants unhoped for gifts”. Zechariah,
John the Baptist’s father, lost the ability to speak because he did not believe
the angel, but subsequently, in pardoning him, God granted him the gift of
prophecy in the hymn of the Benedictus: “The one who could not speak now
prophesies”, St Ambrose said, adding that “it is one of the greatest graces of
the Lord, that those who have denied him should confess belief in him.
Therefore, no one should lose trust, no one should
despair of the divine reward, even if previous sins cause him remorse. God can
change his opinion if you can make amends for your sin” (2, 33: SAEMO,
XI, Milan-Rome, 1978, p. 175).
PSALM 131
Wednesday, 10 August 2005
Psalm 131 [130]
“My heart is not proud’
Evening Prayer - Tuesday of
Week Three
1. We have listened to only
a few words, about
Indeed, the clear-cut image of
a mother and child in the middle of the Psalm is a sign of God’s tender and
maternal love, as the Prophet Hosea formerly expressed it: “When
2. The Psalm begins by
describing an attitude quite the opposite of infancy, which, well aware of its
own frailty, trusts in the help of others. In the foreground of this Psalm,
instead, are pride of heart, haughty eyes and “great things” that are “too
sublime for me” (cf. Ps 131[130]: 1). This is an illustration of the proud
person who is described by Hebrew words that suggest “pride” and “haughtiness”,
the arrogant attitude of those who look down on others, considering them
inferior.
The great temptation of the
proud, who want to be like God, the arbiter of good and evil (cf. Gn 3: 5), is
decisively rejected by the person of prayer who chooses humble and spontaneous
trust in the One Lord.
3. Thus, we move on to the
unforgettable image of the mother and child. The original Hebrew text does not
speak of a newborn child but of a child that has been “weaned” (Ps 131[130]:
2). Now, it is known that in the ancient Near East a special celebration marked
the official weaning of a child, usually at about the age of 3 (cf. Gn 21: 8; I
Sam 1: 20-23; II Mc 7: 27).
The child to which the
Psalmist refers is now bound to the mother by a most personal and intimate
bond, hence, not merely by physical contact and the need for food. It is a more
conscious tie, although nonetheless immediate and spontaneous. This is the
ideal Parable of the true “childhood” of the spirit that does not abandon
itself to God blindly and automatically, but serenely and responsibly.
4. At this point, the
praying person’s profession of trust is extended to the entire community: “O
Israel, hope in the Lord both now and for ever” (Ps 131[130]: 3). In the entire
people which receives security, life and peace from
God, hope now blossoms and extends from the present to the future, “now and for
ever”.
It is easy to continue the
prayer by making other voices in the Psalms ring out, inspired by this same
trust in God: “To you I was committed at birth, from my mother’s womb you are
my God” (Ps 22[21]: 11). “Though my father and mother forsake me, yet will the
Lord receive me” (Ps 27[26]: 10). “For you are my hope, O
Lord; my trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend from birth; from
my mother’s womb you are my strength” (Ps 71[70]: 5-6).
5. Humble trust, as we have
seen, is opposed by pride. John Cassian, a fourth-fifth century Christian
writer, warned the faithful of the danger of this vice that “destroys all the
virtues overall and does not only attack the tepid and the weak, but
principally those who have forced their way to the top”.
He continues: “This is the
reason why Blessed David preserved his heart with such great circumspection, to
the point that he dared proclaim before the One whom none of the secrets of his
conscience escaped: “Lord, may my heart not grow proud, nor my gaze be raised
with haughtiness; let me not seek great things that are beyond my strength’....
Yet, knowing well how difficult such custody is even for those who are perfect,
he does not presume to rely solely on his own abilities, but implores the Lord
with prayers to help him succeed in avoiding the darts of the enemy and in not
being injured by them: “Let not the foot of the proud overtake me’ (Ps 36[35]:
12)” (Le Istituzioni Cenobitiche, XII, 6, Abbey of Praglia, Bresseo di
Teolo, Padua, 1989, p. 289).
Likewise, an anonymous
elderly Desert Father has handed down to us this saying that echoes Psalm
131[130]: “I have never overstepped my rank to walk higher, nor have I ever
been troubled in the case of humiliation, for I concentrated my every thought
on this: praying the Lord to strip me of the old man” (I Padri del Deserto.
Detti,
PSALM 132 (I) (II)
Wednesday, 14 September 2005
Psalm 132[131]
“A place for the Lord’
Evening Prayer - Thursday of
Week Three
1. We have heard the first
part of Psalm 132[131], a hymn that the Liturgy of Vespers offers us at two
different times. Many scholars think that this song would have rung out during
the solemn celebration of the transportation of the
In the narrative of this
event, as told in the Bible, we read that King David “girt with a linen apron
(efod), came dancing before the Lord with abandon, as he and all
the Israelites were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and to
the sound of the horn” (II Sm 6: 14-15).
Other experts, instead,
relate Psalm 132[131] to a commemorative celebration of that ancient event,
after David himself had instituted the worship in the Sanctuary of Zion.
2. Our hymn seems to suggest
a liturgical dimension: it was in all likelihood sung during a procession with
the presence of priests and faithful and included a choir.
Following the Liturgy of
Vespers, let us reflect on the first 10 verses of the Psalm that has just been
proclaimed. At the heart of this section is the solemn oath pronounced by
David. Indeed, it says that, having left behind him the bitter struggle with
his predecessor, King Saul, David “swore to the Lord, his vow to the Strong One
of Jacob” (Ps 132[131]: 2). The content of this solemn commitment, expressed in
verses 3-5, is clear: the sovereign will not set foot in the royal
And this is a very important
thing, because it shows that at the heart of the social life of a city, of a
community, of a people there must be a presence that calls to mind the mystery
of the transcendent God, a proper space for God, a dwelling for God. Man cannot
walk well without God; he must walk together with God through history, and the
task of the temple, of the dwelling of God, is to point out in a visible way
this communion, this allowing God to guide.
3. Perhaps at this point,
after David’s words, a liturgical choir’s words prepare the way for the memory
of the past. In fact, it recalls the rediscovery of the Ark in the plains of
Yearím in the Éphrata region (cf. v. 6): it had been left there for a long time
after the Philistines had restored it to Israel, which had lost it during a
battle (cf. I Sm 7: 1; II Sm 6: 2, 11).
Thus, it was taken from the
province to the future Holy City; and our passage ends with a festive celebration
which, on the one hand, shows the people worshipping (cf. Ps 132[131]: 7, 9),
that is, the liturgical assembly, and on the other, the Lord who returns to
make himself present and active in the sign of the Ark set in place in Zion
(cf. v. 8), that is, in the heart of his people.
The heart of the liturgy is
found in this intersection between priests and faithful on one side, and the
Lord with his power on the other.
One sees, then, the future
successor of David, “your anointed”. It is easy to perceive a Messianic
dimension in this supplication, initially destined to implore support for the
Hebrew sovereign in his life’s trials.
The term “anointed”, in
fact, expresses the Jewish term “Messiah”: the gaze of the praying person thus
extends beyond the events in the Kingdom of Judah to the great expectation of
the perfect “anointed One”, the Messiah who will always be pleasing to God, and
loved and blessed by him, and will be not only for Israel, but the “anointed”,
the king for all the world. He, God, is with us and awaits this “anointed”,
come then in the person of Jesus Christ.
5. This Messianic
interpretation of the future “anointed” will dominate the Christian
reinterpretation and will extend to the whole Psalm.
For example, the analogy
Hesychius of Jerusalem, a priest in the first half of the fifth century, was to
make between verse 8 and the Incarnation of Jesus is significant. In his Second
Homily on the Mother of God, he addresses the Virgin in these words:
“Upon you and upon the One
born of you, David does not cease to sing to the zither: “Rise, O Lord, and come
to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your sanctification’ (cf. Ps
132[131]: 8). What is “the ark of your sanctification?’“. Hesychius replies:
“The Virgin Mother of God, of course. For if you are the pearl, she is rightly
the ark; if you are the sun, the Virgin must necessarily be called the sky; and
if you are the uncontaminated flower, then the Virgin will be the plant of
incorruption, the paradise of immortality” (Testi mariani del primo
millennio, I, Rome, 1988, pp. 532-533).
This double interpretation
seems very important to me. The “anointed” is Christ. Christ, the Son of God,
is made flesh. And the Ark of the Covenant, the true dwelling of God in the
world, not made of wood but of flesh and blood, is the Mother who offers
herself to the Lord as the Ark of the Covenant and invites us also to be living
dwellings for God in the world.
PSALM 135:1-12 (alt)
Wednesday, 21 September 2005
Psalm 132[131]
“My crown shall shine’
Evening Prayer - Thursday of
Week Three
1. We have just heard the second
part of Psalm 132[131], a hymn that recalls a major event in
David was responsible for
this transfer, as the psalmist testifies in the first part of the Psalm we have
already seen. Indeed, the king had sworn not to take up residence in the royal
palace until he had found a permanent dwelling place for the Ark of God, a sign
of the Lord’s presence with his people (cf. vv. 3-5).
In response to the
sovereign’s oath, God in turn takes an oath: “The Lord swore an oath to David;
he will not go back on his word” (v. 11). This solemn promise is essentially
the same one that the Prophet Nathan swore in God’s name to David himself; it
concerns the future of David’s descendants, destined to reign for ever (cf. II
Sm 7: 8-16).
2. The divine oath, however,
involves a human commitment inasmuch as it is conditioned by an “if”: if your
sons “keep my covenant” (Ps 132[131]: 12).
Men and women must respond
with faithful and active loyalty to God’s promise and gift, which have nothing
magic about them, in a dialogue in which are interwoven two freedoms, the
divine and the human.
At this point, the Psalm
becomes a hymn that extols the marvellous effects of both the gift of the Lord
and the fidelity of
In fact,
3. God will bless the
harvest and see to it that the poor can satisfy their hunger (cf. v. 15). He
will clothe priests with his protective mantle, offering them his salvation; he
will ensure that all the faithful live in joy and trust (cf. v. 16).
The greatest blessing is
once again reserved for David and his descendants: “There David’s stock will
flower: I will prepare a lamp for my anointed. I will cover his enemies with
shame, but on him my crown shall shine” (vv. 17-18).
As happened in the first
part of the Psalm (cf. v. 10), the figure of the “anointed” One, in Hebrew,
“Messiah”, once again makes his entrance, thereby binding the house of David to
messianism, which in the Christian interpretation reaches complete fulfilment
in Christ.
Lively images are used:
David is represented by a shoot that will flourish. God illumines David’s
descendants with a shining lamp, a symbol of vitality and glory; a splendid
crown will indicate his triumph over his enemies, hence, victory over evil.
4. The twofold presence of
the Lord, his presence in space and in history, is actuated in
The spiritual centre of this
hymn is already a prelude to the Joannine proclamation: “The Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1: 14).
5. Let us end by remembering
that the beginning of this second part of Psalm 132[131] was commonly used by
the Fathers of the Church to describe the Incarnation of the Word in the Virgin
Mary’s womb.
St Irenaeus, referring to
the prophecy of Isaiah about the Virgin in labour, had already explained:
“The words: “Listen, then, O
house of David!’ (Is 7: 13), indicate that the eternal King, whom God had
promised David would be “the fruit of [his] body’ (132[131]: 11), was the same
One, born of the Virgin and descended from David.
“Thus, God promised him that
a king would be born who was “the fruit of [his] body’, a description that
indicates a pregnant virgin. Scripture, therefore,...
sets down and affirms the fruit of the womb to proclaim that the One to come
would be begotten of the Virgin.
“Likewise, Elizabeth
herself, filled with the Holy Spirit, testified, saying to Mary: “Blessed are
you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb’ (Lk 1: 42).
“In this way the Holy Spirit
points out to those who want to hear him that in the Virgin’s, that is, Mary’s,
giving birth is fulfilled God’s promise to David that he would raise up a king
born of his body” (Contro le Eresie, 3, 21, 5: “Già e Non Ancora”,
CCCXX, Milan, 1997, p. 285).
And thus, we see God’s
faithfulness in the great span of time that goes from the ancient Psalm to the
Incarnation of the Lord. The mystery of a God who
dwells among us, a God who becomes one with us in the Incarnation, already
appears and transpires in the Psalm. And this faithfulness of God and our trust
throughout the changes of history contribute to our joy.
PSALM 135 (I) (alt) (II)
Wednesday, 28 September 2005
Psalm 135[134]: 1-12
Praise the Lord for the Lord
is good
Evening Prayer - Friday of
Week Three
1. We now have before us the
first part of Psalm 135[134], a hymn of a liturgical nature, interlaced with
allusions, memories and references to other biblical texts. Indeed, the liturgy
often constructs its text by drawing from the Bible’s great patrimony with its
rich repertory of subjects and prayers that sustain the journey of the
faithful.
We follow the prayerful line
of this first section (cf. Ps 135[134]: 1-12), which opens with a broad
and impassioned invitation to praise the Lord (cf. vv. 1-3). The appeal is made
to the “servants of the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts
of the house of our God” (vv. 1-2).
Therefore, we find ourselves
in the living atmosphere of worship that unfolds in the temple, the preferred
and communal place of prayer. Here, the presence of “our God”, a “good” and
“loving” God, the God of the chosen and of the covenant (cf. vv. 3-4), is
experienced.
After the invitation to
praise, a soloist voice proclaims the profession of faith that begins with the
formula “I know” (v. 5). This Creed makes up the essence of the entire
hymn, revealed in a proclamation of the Lord’s greatness (ibid.),
manifested in his marvellous works.
2. Divine omnipotence is
continually manifested throughout the world, “in heaven, on earth, in the
seas”. It is he who produces clouds, lightning, rain and wind, imaginarily
contained in “treasuries” or storehouses (cf. vv. 6-7).
Primarily, however, another
aspect of divine activity is celebrated in this profession of faith; it is the
marvellous intervention in history, where the Creator reveals his face as
redeemer of his people and king of the world. Before the eyes of
Here, in the first place, is
the concise and essential commemoration of the “plagues” of
It is followed afterward
with the evocation of the victories of
Finally, there is the
long-awaited and hoped-for destination, the promised land:
“He let
Divine love becomes concrete
and can almost be experienced in history with all of its
bitter and glorious vicissitudes. The liturgy has the duty to make present and
efficacious the divine gifts, especially in the great paschal celebration that
is the root of every other solemnity and is the supreme symbol of freedom and
salvation.
3. Let us experience the
spirit of the Psalm and its praise to God through the voice of St Clement of
“O Lord, make your face
shine upon us, for goodness in peace, to protect us with your mighty hand and
to deliver us from all sin with your most high arm, saving us from those that
hate us unjustly. Grant concord and peace to us and to all the inhabitants of
the earth, as you gave it to our fathers when they devoutly called upon your
name in faith and truth.... To you, who are the only one capable of doing these
and other greater goods for us, we give you thanks through the great priest and
protector of our souls, Jesus Christ, by whom you are glorified from generation
to generation, for ever and ever” (cf. 60, 3-4; 61, 3: Collana di
Testi Patristici, V, Rome, 1984, pp. 90-91).
Yes, in our times we too can
recite this prayer of a first-century Pope as our prayer for today: “O Lord,
make your face shine upon us, for goodness in peace. In these times, grant
concord and peace to us and to all the inhabitants of the earth, through Jesus
Christ who reigns from generation to generation and for ever and ever”. Amen.
Wednesday, 9 April 2003
Psalm 134[135]
“Praise the name of the
Lord!’
1. The Liturgy of Lauds, whose
development we are following in our catecheses, presents to us the first part
of Psalm 134 [135] which we have just heard the choir sing. The text reveals a
closely-packed series of allusions to other biblical passages, and it seems to
be pervaded by an Easter atmosphere. Not for nothing has the Judaic tradition
linked our Psalm to the next one, Psalm 135 [136], considering the whole as the
“Great Hallel”, the solemn, festive praise to be raised to the Lord at
Easter.
Indeed, the Psalm brings the
Exodus to the fore with its mention of the “plagues” of
2. The Psalm opens with the
characteristic invitation to praise, a typical feature of the hymns addressed
to the Lord in the Psalter. The appeal to sing the Alleluia is addressed
to the “servants of the Lord” (cf. v. 1), who in the original Hebrew “stand” in
the sacred area of the temple (cf. v. 2), that is, in the ritual attitude of
prayer (cf. Ps 133[134]: 1-2).
The first to be involved in
this praise are the ministers of worship, priests and Levites, who live and
work “in the courts of the house of our God” (cf. Ps 134[135]: 2).
However, all the faithful are associated, in spirit, with these “servants of
the Lord”. In fact, immediately after the mention of the election of all
3. After the invitation to
praise, the Psalmist continues with a solemn profession of faith that starts
with the words “I know”, that is, I recognize, I believe (cf. v. 5). Two
articles of faith are sung by a soloist on behalf of the entire people,
assembled for the liturgy. He first exalts God’s work in the whole
universe: He is the Lord of the cosmos par excellence: ”The Lord
does whatever he wills, in heaven and on earth” (v. 6). He even commands the
seas and the depths, which are the emblem of chaos, of negative forces, of
limitation and the void.
Again, it is the Lord, with
recourse to his “storehouses” (cf. v. 7), who produces the clouds, lightning,
rain and winds. In ancient times, people in the
4. The other element of the
profession of faith concerns the history of salvation. God the Creator is now
recognized as the redeeming Lord, calling to mind the fundamental events of
All these signs of the
covenant, more broadly expressed in the following Psalm, 135 [136], testify to
the basic truth, announced in the first Commandment of the Decalogue. God is
one and he is a person who works and speaks, loves and saves: “the Lord
is great... our God is above all gods” (v. 5; cf. Ex 20: 2-3; Ps 95
[94]: 3).
5. Following this profession
of faith, we too raise our praise to God. Pope St Clement I, in his Letter
to the Corinthians, addresses this invitation to us: “Let us gaze
upon the Father and Creator of the whole universe. Let us cherish his gifts and
benefits of peace, magnificent and sublime. Let us contemplate him with our
minds and turn the eyes of our soul to the greatness of his will! Only think how just he is to all his creatures. The heavens
that move as he orders obey him in harmony. Day and night take the course he
has established and are not confused with each other.
The sun and moon and the
multitudes of stars revolve harmoniously according to his directions, never
deviating from the orbits he has assigned to them. The earth, made fertile
through his will, produces abundant food for men and women, for wild beasts and
for all the animals that live on it, without reluctance and changing none of
his orders” (19,2-20,4: I Padri Apostolici, Rome, 1984, pp.
62-63). Clement I concludes observing: “The
Creator and Lord of the universe disposes that all these things should be in
peace and concord, beneficient to all and especially to us who call on his
mercy through Our Lord Jesus Christ. To him be glory and majesty for ever and
ever. Amen” (20,11-12: ibid., p. 63).
Wednesday, 28 September 2005
Psalm 135[134]: 1-12
Praise the Lord for the Lord
is good
Evening Prayer - Friday of
Week Three
1. We now have before us the
first part of Psalm 135[134], a hymn of a liturgical nature, interlaced with
allusions, memories and references to other biblical texts. Indeed, the liturgy
often constructs its text by drawing from the Bible’s great patrimony with its
rich repertory of subjects and prayers that sustain the journey of the
faithful.
We follow the prayerful line
of this first section (cf. Ps 135[134]: 1-12), which opens with a broad
and impassioned invitation to praise the Lord (cf. vv. 1-3). The appeal is made
to the “servants of the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts
of the house of our God” (vv. 1-2).
Therefore, we find ourselves
in the living atmosphere of worship that unfolds in the temple, the preferred
and communal place of prayer. Here, the presence of “our God”, a “good” and
“loving” God, the God of the chosen and of the covenant (cf. vv. 3-4), is experienced.
After the invitation to
praise, a soloist voice proclaims the profession of faith that begins with the
formula “I know” (v. 5). This Creed makes up the essence of the entire
hymn, revealed in a proclamation of the Lord’s greatness (ibid.),
manifested in his marvellous works.
2. Divine omnipotence is
continually manifested throughout the world, “in heaven, on earth, in the
seas”. It is he who produces clouds, lightning, rain and wind, imaginarily
contained in “treasuries” or storehouses (cf. vv. 6-7).
Primarily, however, another
aspect of divine activity is celebrated in this profession of faith; it is the
marvellous intervention in history, where the Creator reveals his face as
redeemer of his people and king of the world. Before the eyes of
Here, in the first place, is
the concise and essential commemoration of the “plagues” of
It is followed afterward
with the evocation of the victories of
Finally, there is the
long-awaited and hoped-for destination, the promised land:
“He let
Divine love becomes concrete
and can almost be experienced in history with all of its
bitter and glorious vicissitudes. The liturgy has the duty to make present and
efficacious the divine gifts, especially in the great paschal celebration that
is the root of every other solemnity and is the supreme symbol of freedom and
salvation.
3. Let us experience the
spirit of the Psalm and its praise to God through the voice of St Clement of
“O Lord, make your face
shine upon us, for goodness in peace, to protect us with your mighty hand and
to deliver us from all sin with your most high arm, saving us from those that
hate us unjustly. Grant concord and peace to us and to all the inhabitants of
the earth, as you gave it to our fathers when they devoutly called upon your
name in faith and truth.... To you, who are the only one capable of doing these
and other greater goods for us, we give you thanks through the great priest and
protector of our souls, Jesus Christ, by whom you are glorified from generation
to generation, for ever and ever” (cf. 60, 3-4; 61, 3: Collana di
Testi Patristici, V, Rome, 1984, pp. 90-91).
Yes, in our times we too can
recite this prayer of a first-century Pope as our prayer for today: “O Lord,
make your face shine upon us, for goodness in peace. In these times, grant
concord and peace to us and to all the inhabitants of the earth, through Jesus
Christ who reigns from generation to generation and for ever and ever”. Amen.
PSALM 136 (I) (II)
Psalm 135,1-9
“His mercy endures for
ever!’
Evening Prayer - Monday of
Week Fourth
Dear Brothers and Sisters in
Christ,
1. This Psalm was called “the
Great Hallel”, that is, the grandiose and solemn praise that the Jews intoned
during their Passover liturgy. We are referring to Psalm 136[135], whose first
part we have just heard, in accordance with the way
the Liturgy of Vespers divides it (cf. vv. 1-9).
Let us first reflect on the
refrain “for his mercy endures for ever”. At the centre of the phrase the word
“mercy” rings out. In fact, it is a legitimate but limited translation of the
original Hebrew term hesed. This is actually a word that belongs to the
characteristic terminology used in the Bible to express the Covenant that
exists between the Lord and his People. The term seeks to define the attitudes
deriving from this relationship: faithfulness, loyalty, love, and of
course, God’s mercy.
We have here a concise
summary that portrays the deep, personal bond established by the Creator with
his creature. With this relationship, God does not appear in the Bible as an
impassive and implacable Lord against whose mysterious power it is useless to
struggle.
Instead, he shows himself as
a person who loves his creatures, watches over them, follows them on their way
through history and suffers because of the infidelities with which the people
often oppose his hesed, his merciful and fatherly love.
2. The first visible sign of
this divine love, says the Psalmist, is to be sought in creation and then in
history. The gaze, full of admiration and wonder, will rest first of all on
creation: the skies, the earth, the seas, the sun, the moon and the stars.
Even before discovering the
God who reveals himself in the history of a people, there is a cosmic
revelation, open to all, offered to the whole of humanity by the one Creator,
“God of gods” and “Lord of lords” (cf. vv. 2, 3).
As sung in Psalm
19[18]: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God and the firmament shows
forth the work of his hands. Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message” (vv. 2-3). Thus, a divine
message exists, secretly engraved in creation and a sign of the hesed, the
loving fidelity of God who gives his creatures being and life, water and food,
light and time.
A clear vision is essential
in order to contemplate this divine revelation, recalling the recommendation of
the Book of Wisdom that invites us to recognize “the greatness and the beauty
of created things, [whose] original author, by analogy, is seen” (Wis
13: 5; cf. Rom 1: 20).
Prayerful praise, therefore,
flows from contemplation of the “marvellous works” (cf. Ps 136[135]: 4)
that God has wrought in creation that are transformed into a joyful hymn of
praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.
3. Consequently, we rise
from the works of creation to the greatness of God and to his loving mercy.
This is what we are taught by the Fathers of the Church, in whose voices resound the constant Christian Tradition. Thus, St
Basil the Great, in one of the initial pages of his first homily on the
Hexaemeron, where he comments on the creation narrative in the first chapter of
Genesis, pauses to consider God’s wise action and is brought to recognize God’s
goodness as the dynamic centre of creation. The following are several sayings
from the long reflection of the Holy Bishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia: ”“In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth’. My words give way, overwhelmed by wonder at this thought” (1, 2,
1: Sulla Genesi [Omelie sull’Esamerone],
In fact, even if some,
“deceived by the atheism they bore within them, imagined that the universe
lacked guidance and order, at the mercy as it were of chance”, the sacred
author instead “immediately enlightened our minds with the Name of God at the
beginning of the account, saying: “In the beginning... God created...’. And what beauty there is in this order!” (1, 2, 3: ibid., p. 11).
“So if the world has a
beginning and has been created, it seeks the One who gave it being and is its
Creator.... Moses prepared you with his teaching, impressing in our souls as a
seal and amulet the Most Holy Name of God, when he says: “In the beginning God created’. Blessed nature, goodness
exempt from envy, the one who is the object of love to all reasonable beings,
beauty in addition to everything else that is desirable, the principle of
beings, the source of life, the light of the mind, inaccessible wisdom, in
brief, it is he who “in the beginning created the
heavens and the earth’“ (1, 2, 6-7: ibid., p. 13).
I find the words of this
fourth-century Father surprisingly up to date when he says: Some people,
“deceived by the atheism they bore within them, imagined
that the universe lacked guidance and order, at the mercy as it were of
chance”. How many these “some people” are today! Deceived by atheism they
consider and seek to prove that it is scientific to think that all things lack
guidance and order as though they were at the mercy of chance. The Lord through
Sacred Scripture reawakens our reason which has fallen asleep and tells
us: in the beginning was the creative Word. In the beginning the creative
Word - this Word that created all things, that created
this intelligent design which is the cosmos - is also love.
Therefore, let us allow this
Word of God to awaken us; let us pray that it will additionally illumine our
minds so that we can perceive the message of creation - also written in our
hearts - that the beginning of all things is creative wisdom, and this wisdom
is love, it is goodness: “his mercy endures for ever”.
Wednesday, 16 November 2005
Psalm 135,10-26
“To the God of Heaven give thanks’
Evening Prayer - Monday of Week Fourth
1. Our reflection returns to the hymn of praise in Psalm 136[135] which
the Liturgy of Vespers presents in two successive stages, following the
specific distinction of themes offered by the composition. Indeed, the
celebration of the Lord’s works is described in two spheres: space and time.
In the first part (cf. vv. 1-9), which was the subject of our last
meditation, we focused on the divine acts expressed in creation; the marvels of
the universe were born from them. In that part of the Psalm, therefore, faith
is expressed in God the Creator who reveals himself through his cosmic
creatures.
Now, instead, the joyful hymn of the psalmist, called by Jewish
tradition “the Great Hallel” or the most exalted praise raised to the Lord,
leads us to a different horizon, that of history.
The first part, therefore, addresses creation as a reflection of God’s
beauty, and the second part speaks of history and the good that God has done
for us in the course of time.
We know that biblical Revelation repeatedly proclaims that the presence
of God the Saviour is manifested in particular in the history of salvation (cf.
Dt 26:5-9; Jos 24:1-13).
2. Thus, the Lord’s liberating actions, the heart of the fundamental
event of the Exodus from
The famous crossing of the Red Sea, “divided in two”, split as it were
in two and subdued like a defeated monster (cf. Ps 136[135]:13), brings forth
the free people called to a mission and a glorious destiny (cf. vv. 14-15; Ex
15:1-21), who will have a new Christian interpretation in their full liberation
from evil by baptismal grace (cf. I Cor 10:1-4).
The journey then begins through the desert: there the Lord is portrayed
as a warrior who, by continuing the work of liberation begun in the
This emphatic celebration, which goes beyond the reality of that land,
wants to exalt the divine gift, focusing our expectations on the most sublime
gift of eternal life with God. It is a gift that enables people to be free, a
gift that is born - as the refrain which marks every verse continues to repeat
- by the hesed of the Lord, that is, his “mercy”, by his faithfulness to
the commitment he made in the Covenant with Israel and by his love that
continues to be revealed because “he remembered” them (cf. Ps 136[135]:23).
In the time of “humiliation”, that is, of the series of trials and
oppression,
4. Consequently, with Psalm 136[135] two forms of the one divine
Revelation are interwoven: the cosmic (cf. vv. 4-9) and the historical (cf. vv.
10-25). The Lord, of course, is transcendent as the Creator and Arbiter of
being; but he is also close to his creatures, entering space and time. He does
not remain far away, in a distant Heaven. On the contrary, his presence in our
midst reaches its crowning point in Christ’s Incarnation.
This is what the Christian interpretation of the Psalm clearly
proclaims, as the Fathers of the Church testified: they saw as the culminating
point of the history of salvation and the supreme sign of the Father’s merciful
love his gift of his Son to be the Saviour and Redeemer of humanity (cf. Jn
3:16).
Thus, at the beginning of his treatise The Works of Charity and Alms,
St Cyprian, a third-century martyr, contemplates with wonder the acts that God
accomplished for his people through Christ his Son, and finally bursts into
passionate recognition of his mercy.
“Dearest brothers, many and great are God’s benefits, which the generous
and copious goodness of God the Father and of Christ has accomplished and will
always accomplish for our salvation. In fact, to preserve us, to give us a new
life and to be able to redeem us, the Father sent the Son; the Son, who was
sent, wanted to be called also Son of Man, to make us become children of God;
he humbled himself to raise the people who were first lying on the ground, was
wounded to heal our wounds, he became a slave to lead us, who were slaves, to
freedom. He accepted death to be able to offer immortality to mortals. These
are the many and great gifts of divine mercy” (1: Trattati: Collana di Testi
Patristici, CLXXV,
With these words, the holy Doctor of the Church develops the Psalm with
a litany of benefits that God has given us, adding to what the psalmist did not
yet know but expected, the true gift that God has made to us: the gift of his
Son, the gift of the Incarnation in which God gave himself to us and stays with
us, in the Eucharist and in his Word, every day, to the very end of history.
Our danger is that the memory of evil, of the evils suffered, may often
be stronger than the memory of good. The Psalm’s purpose is also to reawaken in
us the memory of good as well as of all the good that the Lord has done and is
doing for us, which we can perceive if we become deeply attentive. It is true, God’s mercy endures for ever: it is present day after
day.
PSALM 137:1-6
Wednesday, 30 November 2005
Psalm 137[136]: 1-6
“If I forget you,
Evening Prayer - Tuesday of
the Fourth Week
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. On this first Wednesday
of Advent, a liturgical season of silence, watchfulness and prayer in
preparation for Christmas, let us meditate on Psalm 137[136], whose first words
in the Latin version became famous: Super flumina Babylonis. The
text evokes the tragedy lived by the Jewish people during the destruction of
This heartfelt invocation to
the Lord to free his faithful from slavery in
The background to the first
part of the Psalm (cf. vv. 1-4) is the land of exile with its rivers and
streams, indeed, the same that irrigated the Babylonian plain to which the Jews
had been deported. It is, as it were, a symbolic foreshadowing of the
extermination camps to which the Jewish people - in the century we have just
left behind us - were taken in an abominable operation of death that continues
to be an indelible disgrace in the history of humanity.
The second part of the Psalm
(cf. vv. 5-6) is instead pervaded by the loving memory of
2. The hand, tongue, palate,
voice and tears are included in the Psalmist’s words. The hand is indispensable
to the harp-player: but it is already paralyzed (cf. v. 5) by grief, also
because the harps are hung up on the poplars.
The tongue is essential to
the singer, but now it is stuck to the palate (cf. v. 6). In vain do the
Babylonian captors “ask... for songs..., songs... of joy” (v. 3). “
3. God, who is the ultimate
judge of history, will also know how to understand and accept, in accordance
with his justice, the cry of victims, over and above the tones of bitterness
that sometimes colours them.
Let us entrust ourselves to
And Augustine says that even
among the persecutors, among the non-believers, there are people who possess
this spark, with a sort of faith or hope, as far as is
possible for them in the circumstances in which they live. With this faith,
even in an unknown reality, they are truly on their way towards the true
And with this openness of
hope, Augustine also warns the “Babylonians” - as he calls them -, those who do
not know Christ or even God and yet desire the unknown, the eternal, and he
warns us too, not to focus merely on the material things of the present but to
persevere on the journey to God. It is also only with this greater hope
that we will be able to transform this world in the right way.
“If we are citizens of
Jerusalem... and must live in this land, in the confusion of this world and in
this Babylon where we do not dwell as citizens but are held prisoner, then we
should not just sing what the Psalm says but we should also live it:
something that is done with a profound, heartfelt aspiration, a full and
religious yearning for the eternal city”.
And he
adds with regard to the “earthly city called Babylon”, that it
“has in it people who, prompted by love for it, work to guarantee it peace -
temporal peace - nourishing in their hearts no other hope, indeed, by placing
in this one all their joy, without any other intention. And we see them making
every effort to be useful to earthly society”.
“Now, if they strive to do
these tasks with a pure conscience, God, having predestined them to be citizens
of
And let us pray to the Lord
that in all of us this desire, this openness to God, will be reawakened, and
that even those who do not know Christ may be touched by his love
so that we are all together on the pilgrimage to the definitive City, and that
the light of this City may appear also in our time and in our world.
PSALM 138
Wednesday, 7 December 2005
Psalm 138[137]
Judaic hymn of thanksgiving
Evening Prayer - Tuesday of
the Fourth Week
1. Psalm 138[137], the hymn
of thanksgiving that we have just heard, attributed by the Judaic tradition to
the patronage of David although it probably came into being in a later epoch,
opens with a personal hymn by the person praying. He lifts up his voice in the
setting of the assembly in the temple or at least makes a reference to the
Shrine of Zion, the chair of the Lord’s presence and the place of his encounter
with the people of the faithful.
Indeed, the Psalmist
confesses that he will “adore before your holy temple” in
2. He then briefly turns his
gaze to the past, to the day of affliction: at that time the divine voice
answered the anguished cry of the believer. Indeed, it instilled courage in the
distressed soul (cf. v. 3). The original Hebrew speaks literally of the Lord
who “increased the strength of soul” of the righteous one who is oppressed. It
is as if an impetuous wind had broken into it, sweeping away hesitations and
fears, instilling in it new, vital energy and making fortitude and faithfulness
flourish.
After this seemingly
personal premise, the Psalmist broadens his gaze to the world and imagines that
his testimony takes in the whole horizon: “all earth’s kings”, in a sort
of universalistic adherence, join with the Jewish person praying in a common
song of praise to honour the greatness and sovereign power of the Lord (cf. vv.
4-6).
3. The content of this
unanimous praise that rises from all people already shows the future Church of
the pagans, the future universal Church. The first theme of this content is the
“glory” and the “ways of the Lord” (cf. v. 5), that is, his projects of
salvation and revelation.
Thus, one discovers that God
is certainly “exalted” and transcendent, but he looks on the “lowly” with
affection while he turns his face away from the proud as a sign of rejection
and judgment (cf. v. 6).
As Isaiah proclaimed:
“For thus says he who is high and exalted, living eternally, whose name is the
Holy One: On high I dwell, and in holiness, and with the crushed and
dejected in spirit, to revive the spirits of the dejected, to revive the hearts
of the crushed” (Is 57: 15).
God therefore chooses to
take the side of the weak, victims, the lowliest: this is made known to
all kings so that they will know what their option should be in the governing
of nations.
Naturally, this is not only
said to kings and to all governments but also to all of us, because we too must
know what choice to make, what the option is: to side with the humble and
the lowliest, with the poor and the weak.
4. After calling into
question national leaders worldwide, not only those of that time but of all
times, the person praying returns to his personal prayer of praise (cf. Ps
138[137]: 7-8). Turning his gaze to his future life, he implores God for
help also for the trials that existence may still have in store for him. And we
all pray like this, with this prayerful person of that time.
He speaks in concise terms
of the “anger of the foes” (cf. v. 7), a sort of symbol of all the hostilities
that may spring up before the righteous person on his way through history. But
he knows, and with him we also know, that the Lord will never abandon him and
will stretch out his hand to save and guide him.
The finale of the Psalm,
then, is a last passionate profession of trust in God whose goodness is
eternal: he will not “discard... the work of [his] hands”, in other
words, his creature (v. 8). And we too must live in this trust, in this
certainty of God’s goodness.
We must be sure that however
burdensome and tempestuous the trials that await us may be, we will never be
left on our own, we will never fall out of the Lord’s hands, those hands that
created us and now sustain us on our journey through life. As St Paul was to
confess: “he who has begun the good work in you will carry it through to
completion” (Phil 1: 6).
5. Thus, we too have prayed
with a psalm of praise, thanksgiving and trust. Let us continue to follow this
thread of hymnodic praise through the witness of a Christian hymn-writer, the
great Ephrem the Syrian (fourth century), the author of texts with an
extraordinary poetic and spiritual fragrance.
“However great may be our
wonder for you, O Lord, your glory exceeds what our tongues can express”,
Ephrem sang in one hymn (Inni sulla Verginità, 7: L’Arpa dello
Spirito, Rome, 1999, p. 66); and in another: “Praise to you, to whom
all things are easy, for you are almighty” (Inni sulla Natività, 11:
ibid., p. 48). And this is a further reason for our trust: that
God has the power of mercy and uses his power for mercy. And lastly, a final
quote: “Praise to you from all who understand your truth” (Inni sulla
Fede, 14: ibid., p. 27).
PSALM 139 :1-18,23-24
(I) (II)
Psalm 139[138]
“O where can I go?’
Evening Prayer - Wednesday
of the Fourth Week
1. The Liturgy of Vespers -
on whose Psalms and Canticles we are meditating - offers us in two separate
phases the reading of a sapiential hymn of clear beauty and strong emotional
impact: Psalm 139[138]. Today, we have before us the first part of the
composition (cf. vv. 1-12), that is, the first two
strophes which respectively exalt God’s omniscience (cf. vv. 1-6) and his
omnipresence in space and in time (cf. vv. 7-12).
The purpose of the forceful
images and expressions is to celebrate the Creator: “If the greatness of
the works created is immense”, said Theodoret of Cyr, a Christian writer of the
fifth century, “how much greater their Creator must be!” (Discorsi
sulla Provvidenza, 4: Collana di Testi Patristici, LXXV, Rome,
1988, p. 115). The Psalmist’s meditation sought above all to penetrate
the mystery of God, transcendent yet close to us.
2. The substance of the
message he offers us is straightforward: God knows everything and is
present beside his creature who cannot elude him.
However, his presence is neither threatening nor inspectorial; of course, he
also looks reprovingly at evil, to which he is not indifferent.
Yet the basic element is
that of a saving presence which can embrace the whole being and the whole of
history. In practice, this is the spiritual scenario to which St Paul alluded
at the Areopagus of Athens, with recourse to a quotation from a Greek
poet: “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17: 28).
3. The first part (cf. Ps
139[138]: 1-6), as I said, is the celebration of the divine
omniscience: in fact, verbs suggesting knowledge are repeated, such as
“scrutinize”, “know”, “discern”, “penetrate”, “understand”, “be wise”.
As is well known, biblical
knowledge exceeds pure and simple intellectual learning and understanding; it
is a sort of communion between the One who knows and the one known:
hence, the Lord is intimately close to us while we are thinking and acting.
On the other hand, the
second part of our Psalm (cf. vv. 7-12) is dedicated to the divine
omnipresence. The illusory desire of human beings to flee from that presence is
vividly described in it. The whole of space is steeped in it: there is
first of all the vertical axis “heaven-hell” (cf. v. 8), which gives way to the
horizontal dimension which extends from dawn, that is, from the East, and
reaches as far as the Mediterranean “sea’s furthest end”, that is, the West
(cf. v. 9). Every sphere of space, even the most secret, contains God’s active
presence.
The Psalmist continues, also
introducing the other reality in which we are immersed: time,
symbolically portrayed by night and by light, by darkness and by day (cf. vv.
11-12).
The gaze and the
manifestation of the Lord of being and time even penetrates
the darkness, in which it is difficult to move about and see. His hand is
always ready to grasp ours, to lead us on our earthly journey (cf. v. 10). This
is not, therefore, a judgmental closeness that inspires terror, but a closeness
of support and liberation.
And so we can understand
what the ultimate, essential content of this Psalm is: it is a song of
trust. God is always with us. Even in the darkest nights of our lives, he does
not abandon us. Even in the most difficult moments, he remains present. And
even in the last night, in the last loneliness in which no one can accompany
us, the night of death, the Lord does not abandon us.
He is with us even in this
final solitude of the night of death. And we Christians can therefore be
confident: we are never left on our own. God’s goodness is always with
us.
4. We began with a citation
by the Christian writer Theodoret of Cyr. Let us end by entrusting ourselves
once again to him and to his Fourth Discourse on Divine Providence, because
in the ultimate analysis this is the theme of the Psalm. He reflects on v.
Theodoret comments on this
passage by examining the interiority of the conscience and personal experience,
and says: “Having turned to me and become intimate with me, after
removing me from the external din, he wanted to immerse me in contemplation of
my nature.... Reflecting on these things and thinking of the harmony between
the mortal and the immortal natures, I am won over by so much wonder and, not
succeeding in contemplating this mystery, recognize my defeat; furthermore,
while I proclaim the victory of the Creator’s knowledge and sing hymns of
praise to him, I cry: “Too wonderful for me, [your] knowledge, too high,
beyond my reach” (Collana di Testi Patristici, LXXV, Rome, 1988, pp.
116, 117).
Wednesday, 28 December 2005
Psalm 139[138]
“The wonder of my being’
Evening Prayer - Wednesday
of the Fourth Week
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. At this General Audience
on Wednesday of the Octave of Christmas, the liturgical Feast of the Holy
Innocents, let us resume our meditation on Psalm 139[138], proposed in the
Liturgy of Vespers in two distinct stages. After contemplating in the first
part (cf. vv. 1-12) the omniscient and omnipotent God, the Lord of being and
history, this sapiential hymn of intense beauty and deep feeling now focuses on
the loftiest, most marvellous reality of the entire universe: man, whose
being is described as a “wonder” of God (cf. v. 14).
Indeed, this topic is deeply
in tune with the Christmas atmosphere we are living in these days in which we
celebrate the great mystery of the Son of God who became man, indeed, became a
Child, for our salvation.
After pondering on the gaze
and presence of the Creator that sweeps across the whole cosmic horizon, in the
second part of the Psalm on which we are meditating today God turns his loving
gaze upon the human being, whose full and complete
beginning is reflected upon.
He is still an “unformed
substance” in his mother’s womb: the Hebrew term used has been understood
by several biblical experts as referring to an “embryo”, described in that term
as a small, oval, curled-up reality, but on which God has already turned his
benevolent and loving eyes (cf. v. 16).
2. To describe the divine
action within the maternal womb, the Psalmist has recourse to classical
biblical images, comparing the productive cavity of the mother to the “depths
of the earth”, that is, the constant vitality of great mother earth (cf. v.
15).
First of all, there is the
symbol of the potter and of the sculptor who “fashions” and moulds his artistic
creation, his masterpiece, just as it is said about the creation of man in the
Book of Genesis: “the Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground”
(Gn 2: 7).
Then there is a “textile”
symbol that evokes the delicacy of the skin, the flesh, the
nerves, “threaded” onto the bony skeleton. Job also recalled forcefully these
and other images to exalt that masterpiece which the human being is, despite
being battered and bruised by suffering: “Your hands have formed me and
fashioned me.... Remember that you fashioned me from clay...! Did you not pour
me out as milk and thicken me like cheese? With skin and flesh you clothed me,
with bones and sinews knit me together” (Jb 10: 8-11).
3. The idea in our Psalm
that God already sees the entire future of that embryo, still an “unformed
substance”, is extremely powerful. The days which that
creature will live and fill with deeds throughout his earthly existence are
already written in the Lord’s book of life.
Thus, once again the
transcendent greatness of divine knowledge emerges, embracing not only
humanity’s past and present but also the span, still hidden, of the future.
However, the greatness of this little unborn human creature, formed by God’s
hands and surrounded by his love, also appears: a biblical tribute to the
human being from the first moment of his existence.
Let us now entrust ourselves
to the reflection that St Gregory the Great in his Homilies on Ezekiel has
interwoven with the sentence of the Psalm on which we commented earlier:
“Your eyes beheld my unformed substance; in your book were written every one of
them [my days]” (v. 16). On those words the Pontiff and Father of the Church
composed an original and delicate meditation concerning all those in the
Christian Community who falter on their spiritual journey.
And he says that those who
are weak in faith and in Christian life are part of the architecture of the
Church. “They are nonetheless added... by virtue of good will. It is true, they
are imperfect and little, yet as far as they are able to understand, they love
God and their neighbour and do not neglect to do all the good that they can.
Even if they do not yet attain spiritual gifts so as to open their soul to
perfect action and ardent contemplation, yet they do not fall behind in love of
God and neighbour, to the extent that they can comprehend it.
“Therefore, it happens that
they too contribute to building the Church because, although their position is
less important, although they lag behind in teaching, prophecy, the grace of
miracles and complete distaste for the world, yet they are based on foundations
of awe and love, in which they find their solidity” (2, 3, 12-13, Opere di
Gregorio Magno, III/2, Rome, 1993, pp. 79, 81).
St Gregory’s message,
therefore, becomes a great consolation to all of us who often struggle wearily
along on the path of spiritual and ecclesial life. The Lord knows us and
surrounds us all with his love.
PSALM 141:1-9
Wednesday, 5 November 2003
Psalm 141[140]
“Prayer in danger”
Let us begin with Psalm
141[140], which opens Sunday Vespers of the first of the four weeks when,
following the Second Vatican Council, the evening prayer of the Church was
adopted.
2. “Let my prayer come like
incense before you; the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice”.
Verse two of this Psalm can be considered as the distinctive sign of the entire
hymn and as the apparent justification of the fact that it has been included in
the Liturgy of Vespers. The idea expressed reflects the spirit of
prophetic theology that intimately unites worship with life, prayer with
existence.
The same prayer made with a
pure and sincere heart becomes a sacrifice offered to God. The entire being of
the person who prays becomes a sacrificial act, a prelude to what St Paul would
suggest when he invited Christians to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God: this is the spiritual sacrifice acceptable to
him (cf. Rom 12: 1).
Hands raised in prayer are a
bridge to communication with God, as is the smoke that rises as sweet odour
from the victim during the sacrificial rite of the evening.
3. The Psalm continues in a
tone of supplication, transmitted to us by a text which in the original Hebrew
is unclear and presents certain interpretative difficulties (especially in vv.
4-7).
The general sense may,
however, be identified and transformed into meditation and prayer. Above all
else, the person praying calls upon the Lord that He not permit his lips (cf.
v. 3) and the motions of his heart to be attracted and enticed by evil, thus
inclining him to commit “wicked deeds” (cf. v. 4). In fact, a person’s words
and actions express his or her moral choice. Evil exercises such an attraction
that it easily provokes even the faithful to taste “the delights” that sinners
can offer, sitting down at their table; that is, taking part in their perverse
actions.
The Psalm even acquires the
character of an examination of conscience, which is followed by the commitment
to always choose the ways of God.
4. At this point, however,
the person praying starts by bursting out with a passionate declaration that he
will not associate with the evildoer; he will not be a guest of the sinner, nor
let the fragrant oil that is reserved for privileged guests (cf. Ps 23[22]: 5)
bear witness to his connivance with the evildoer (cf. Ps 141[140]: 5). To
express his downright disassociation from the wicked with greater vehemence,
the Psalmist then declares an indignant condemnation in his regard, in vivid
images of vehement judgment.
It is one of the typical
imprecations of the Psalter (cf. Ps 58[57] and 109[108]), whose purpose is to
affirm, in a realistic and even picturesque way, hostility towards evil, the
choice of good and the certainty that God intervenes in history with his
judgment of severe condemnation of injustice (cf. vv. 6-7).
5. The Psalm closes with a
final invocation of trust (cf. vv. 8-9): it is a hymn of faith, thankfulness
and joy in the certainty that the faithful one will not be engulfed by the
hatred that the perverse reserve for him and will not fall into the trap they
set for him, after having noted his firm choice to do what is right. In this
way, the righteous person is able to surmount every deceit unscathed, as it is
said in another Psalm: “We were rescued like a bird from the fowler’s
snare; broken was the snare, and we were freed” (Ps 124[123]: 7).
Let us end our reading of
Psalm 141[140] by returning to the first image: that of evening prayer as a
sacrifice pleasing to God. John Cassian, a great spiritual master and native of
the East, who lived between the fourth and fifth centuries and spent the last
part of his life in Southern Gaul, re-read these words in a Christological vein: ”Indeed, in them, one perceives an allusion made to
the evening sacrifice in a more spiritual way, brought to fulfilment by the
Lord and Saviour during his Last Supper and consigned to the Apostles when he
sanctioned the beginning of the Church’s holy mysteries. Or (might one perceive
an allusion) to that same sacrifice that he offered of himself the following
day in the evening, with the raising of his own hands: a sacrifice
prolonged until the end of time for the salvation of the whole world” (cf. Le
Istituzioni Cenobitiche [The Cenobitic Institutions], Abbey of Praglia,
Padua 1989, p. 92).
PSALM 142
Wednesday, 12 November 2003
Psalm 142[141]
“I cry with my voice to the
Lord!’
1. On the evening of 3
October
The Psalm is an intense
petition, marked by a series of verbs of entreaty addressed to the Lord. “I
cry... to the Lord”, “I make supplication to the Lord”, “I pour out my
complaint before him”, “I tell my trouble” (vv. 1-2). The central part of the
Psalm is dominated by trust in God who is not indifferent to the suffering of
his faithful (cf. vv. 3-7). With this attitude, St. Francis approached his end.
2. God is called upon with
[the familiar form of] “you” as a person who provides security: “You are my
refuge” (v. 5). “You know my path!”, that is, the journey of my life, a route
marked by the choice of justice. However, on that path the wicked have set a
hidden snare (cf. v. 3); this typical image taken from hunting scenes recurs in
the Psalms of petition to indicate the dangers and threats to which the just
are subjected.
Facing this nightmare, the
Psalmist, as it were, sounds the alarm so that God may see his situation and
intervene: ”I look to the right and watch” (v.
4). In the Eastern tradition, the person would have on his right his defender
or favourable witness in a court or, in the case of war, his bodyguard. Hence,
the believer feels lonely and abandoned: “there is none who takes notice
of me”; and he makes an anguished observation: “no refuge remains to me,
no man cares for me” (v. 4).
The Psalmist calls upon him
insistently, because he has been “brought very low” (v. 6). He entreats the
Lord to intervene to break the chains of his prison of solitude and hostility
(cf. v. 7) and to bring him out of the abyss of trial.
4. As in other Psalms of
petition, the final prospect is the thanksgiving that will be offered to God
when he has anwered the prayer: “Bring me out of prison, that
I may give thanks to your name!” (ibid.). When
he has been saved, the faithful one will thank the Lord in the midst of the
liturgical assembly (cf. ibid.). The righteous will surround him and
will see the salvation of their brother as a gift that is also offered to them.
This atmosphere must also
pervade Christian celebrations. The suffering of the individual must echo in
the hearts of all; likewise, the joy of each one must be vibrant in the whole
of the praying community. “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers
dwell in unity” (Ps 133[132]: 1), and the Lord Jesus said: ”Where two or three are gathered in my name there am
I in the midst of them” (Mt 18: 20).
5. Christian tradition has
applied Psalm 142[141] to the persecuted and suffering Christ. In this
perspective, the luminous goal of the Psalm’s plea is transfigured into a
paschal sign on the basis of the glorious outcome of the life of Christ and of
our destiny of resurrection with him. This is also what St Hilary of
He comments on the Latin
translation of the last verse of the Psalm, which speaks of a reward for the
person of prayer and the expectation of being with the just: “Me expectant
iusti, donec retribuas mihi”. St Hilary explains that “the Apostle
teaches us what reward the Father gave to Christ: “God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’
(Phil 2: 9-11). This is the reward: to the body that has ascended is
given the everlasting glory of the Father”.
“Then the same Apostle
teaches us what the expectation of the just consists in, saying: “Our
commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the
power which enables him even to subject all things to himself’ (Phil
3: 20-21). Indeed, the just await his coming so that he will reward them,
that is, by changing them to be like his glorious body that is blessed for ever
and ever. Amen” (PL 9, 833-837).
PSALM 143:1-11
Wednesday, 9 July 2003
Psalm 143[142]: 1-11
“Penitential Psalms”
1. The last of the so-called
“Penitential Psalms” in the seventh supplication contained in the Psalter was
just now proclaimed in Psalm 142 (cf. Ps 6; 31; 37; 50; 101; 129; 142). The
Christian tradition has used all of them to seek pardon from God for its sins.
The text that we want to examine today was particularly dear to
The Liturgy of Lauds
proposes to us this supplication as a proposition of faith and an imploring of
divine help at the beginning of the day. The Psalm, in fact, has us say to God:
“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I put my trust”
(v. 8).
2. The Psalm begins with an
intense and insistent invocation directed to God, faithful to his promise of
salvation offered to the people (cf. v. 1). The person in prayer recognizes his
unworthiness and therefore humbly asks God not to act as a judge (cf. v. 2).
Then he traces a dramatic
situation, similar to an earthly nightmare, which he is battling; the enemy,
who represents evil in history and in the world, has led him to the threshold
of death. He has fallen, in fact, into the dust of the earth, which is probably
an image of the grave; then there is the darkness which is the absence of the
light, a divine sign of life; then finally, “the deaths of great time”, that
is, the long-gone dead (cf. v. 3), among which he seems to be already
relegated.
3. The Psalmist’s very being
is devastated: he cannot even breathe and his heart seems like
a piece of ice, incapable of continuing to fight (cf. v. 4). To the
faithful, knocked down and trampled, only the hands are left free, which
stretch towards the sky in a gesture that is, at the same time, one of
imploring help and seeking assistance (cf. v. 6). The thought, in fact, recalls
the past when God wrought marvels (cf. v. 5).
This spark of hope warms the
ice of suffering and the test in which the person in prayer feels immersed and
at the point of being swept away (cf. v. 7). The tension, however, remains
ever strong; but a ray of light seems to appear on the horizon. We continue,
then, to the other part of the Psalm (cf. vv. 7-11).
4. It opens with a new,
pressing invocation. The faithful, feeling life almost ebbing away, raises his
cry to God: ”Make haste to answer me, O Lord! My
spirit fails!” (v. 7). Then, he fears that God may be
hiding his face and may be far away, abandoning and leaving his creature alone.
Indeed, the disappearance of
the divine face plunges the man into desolation, into death itself, because the
Lord is the giver of life. Trust in the Lord, who does not abandon, flowers
precisely in this sort of extreme perspective. The person in prayer redoubles
his supplications and supports them with a declaration of faith in the Lord: ”for in you I put my trust... for to you I lift up my
soul... I have fled to you... for you are my God...”.
He asks to be saved from his enemies (cf. vv. 8-10) and freed from anguish (cf.
v. 11), but he also repeatedly makes another request that manifests a profound
spiritual aspiration: ”Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!” (v. 10a; cf. vv. 8b, 10b).
This admirable request we
must make our own. We need to understand that the greatest good is the union of
our will with the will of our heavenly Father, because only in this way are we
able to receive in ourselves all his love, which brings us salvation and the
fullness of life. If it is not accompanied by a strong desire of docility to
God, our faith in him is not authentic. Thus, the person in prayer is aware of
it and so he expresses this wish. His is therefore a true and proper profession
of faith in God the Saviour, who removes the anguish and restores the taste for
life, in the name of his “justice”, namely, of his loving and salvific
faithfulness (cf. v. 11). Starting with a very distressing situation, the
person in prayer is led to hope, to joy and to light, thanks to a sincere union
to God and to his will that is a will of love. This is the power of prayer,
generator of life and of salvation.
5. Turning the gaze to the
light of the morning of grace (cf. v. 8), St Gregory the Great, in his
commentary of the seven Penitential Psalms, described this dawn of hope and of
joy thus: ”It is the day illuminated by that only
truth which does not set, which the clouds do not darken and the rain does not
obscure.... When Christ, our life, appears, and we begin to see God with open
eyes, then every haze of darkness will flee, every puff of ignorance will
dissolve, every cloud of temptation will be dissipated.... That will be the
glorious and splendid day, prepared for all the elect by the One who has freed
us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into the reign of his
beloved Son.
“The morning of that
day is the future resurrection.... On that morning, the faithfulness of the just
will be brilliant, the glory will appear, the exaltation will be seen, when God
will wipe away every tear from the eyes of the saints, when death will finally
be destroyed, when the just will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of the
Father.
“On that day, the Lord will
use his mercy, saying: ”Come, blessed of my
Father’ (Mt 25: 34). Then, the mercy of God will be made manifest, which
in the present life the human mind cannot conceive. The Lord has in fact
prepared, for those who love him, that which eye has not seen, nor ear has
heard, nor has entered the heart of man” (PL 79, coll. 649-650).
PSALM 144:1-10 (alt)
Wednesday, 21 May 2003
Psalm 144[143]
“Blessed be the Lord, my
rock!’
1. We have just heard the
first part of Psalm 144[143]. It appears to be a royal hymn, interwoven
with other biblical texts so as to give life to a new prayerful composition
(cf. Ps 8: 5; 18[17]: 8-15; 33[32]: 2-3; 39[38]: 6-7). The Davidic sovereign
himself, speaking in the first person, recognizes the divine origin of his
success.
The Lord is portrayed in
martial images, in accordance with the ancient use of symbols: indeed, he is
seen as a military instructor (cf. Ps 144[143]: 1), an impregnable fortress, a
protective shield, a victor (cf. v. 2). It is desired in this way to exalt the
personality of God, who battles against the evil in history: he is neither a
dark or fateful power, nor an imperturbable sovereign indifferent to human
vicissitudes. The citations and tone of this celebration of the divine echo the
hymn of David preserved in Psalm 18[17] and in chapter 22 of the Second Book
of Samuel.
2. Compared with the
mightiness of God, the Jewish king recognizes that he is as frail and weak as
all human creatures. To express his feeling, the royal person in his prayer
makes use of two sentences, found in Psalms 8: 4 and 39[38]: 5 and,
interweaving them, produces a powerful new effect: “O Lord, what is man that
you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath,
his days are like a passing shadow” (vv. 3-4). Here the firm conviction emerges
that like a puff of wind we have no substance, if the Creator does not keep us
alive, the One in whose “hand”, as Job says, “is the life of every living thing
and the breath of all mankind” (12: 10).
Only with divine support can
we overcome the dangers and difficulties which beset our daily life. Only by
counting on help from Heaven will we have the determination to set out, like
the ancient king of
3. Divine intervention is
pictured in the traditional cosmic and historical images in order to illustrate
the divine supremacy over the universe and human events. Here, then, are the
mountains smoking in sudden volcanic eruptions (cf. 144[143]: 5). Here are the
flashes of lightning that seem like arrows released by the Lord, ready to
destroy evil (cf. v. 6). Here, lastly, are the “many waters” which in biblical
language symbolize chaos, evil and the void, in a word, the negative elements
within history (cf. v. 7). These cosmic images are juxtaposed with others of a
historical kind: like the “enemies” (cf. v. 6), the “aliens” (cf. v. 7), the
liars and perjurers, that is, idolaters (cf. v. 8).
This is a very concrete and
Oriental way of portraying wickedness, perversion, oppression and injustice:
terrible realities from which the Lord frees us as we make our way in the
world.
4. Psalm 144[143], which the
Liturgy of Lauds presents to us, ends with a short hymn of thanksgiving
(cf. vv. 9-10). It is inspired by the certainty that God will not abandon us in
the fight against evil. For this reason, the person praying intones a melody,
accompanying it with his ten-stringed harp, in the certainty that the Lord
“gives victory to kings” and “rescues David [his anointed] servant” (vv. 9-10).
In Hebrew, the word
“consecrated” is “Messiah”: thus, we are looking at a royal Psalm, transformed
into a messianic hymn, as was the liturgical custom of ancient
5. Let us therefore conclude
with a thought suggested to us by St John Cassian, a monk who lived in
He continues: “The Psalmist
implored... the Lord to manifest himself in the flesh, to appear visibly in the
world, to be visibly taken up in glory (cf. I Tm 3:
16) and lastly, to enable the saints to see, with their own eyes, all that they
had spiritually foreseen” (L’Incarnazione del Signore, V, 13, Rome 1991,
pp. 208-209). It is precisely this that every baptized person witnesses to in
the joy of faith.
Wednesday, 11 January 2006
Psalm 144[143]
“He is my stronghold’
Evening Prayer - Wednesday
of the Fourth Week
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. Our journey through the
Psalter used by the liturgy of Vespers now comes to a royal hymn, Psalm
144[143], the first part of which has just been proclaimed: in fact, the
liturgy divides this hymn into two separate sections.
The first part (cf. vv. 1-8)
shows clearly the literary character of this composition: the Psalmist
has recourse to citations of other texts of psalms, presenting them in a new
project of song and prayer.
Precisely because the Psalm
is of a later epoch, it is easy to imagine that the king who is exalted might
no longer possess the features of the Davidic sovereign, since the Jewish royal
house came to an end with the Babylonian Exile in the sixth century B.C., but
rather represents the shining and glorious figure of the Messiah, whose triumph
is no longer an event of war or politics but an intervention of liberation from
evil. The “messiah” - a Hebrew word that means “anointed one”, as was a
sovereign - thus gives way to the “Messiah” par excellence, who in the
Christian interpretation has the Face of Jesus Christ, “son of David, son of
Abraham” (cf. Mt 1: 1).
2. The hymn opens with a
blessing, that is, with an exclamation of praise addressed to the Lord,
celebrated with a brief litany of saving titles: he is the rock, safe and
sound, he is loving grace, he is the protected fortress, the stronghold of
defence, liberation, the shield that keeps at bay any assault by evil (cf.
144[143]: 1-2). There is also the martial image of God who trains his
faithful one for battle so that he will be able to face the hostilities of the
environment, the dark powers of the world.
Before the all-powerful
Lord, the person of prayer feels weak and frail, despite his royal dignity. He
therefore makes a profession of humility that is formulated, as was said, with
words from Psalms 8 and 39[38]. Indeed, he feels like “a breath”, similar to a
fleeting shadow, ephemeral and inconsistent, plunged into the flow of time that
rolls on and marked by the limitations proper to the human creature (cf. Ps
144[143]: 4).
3. Here then, is the
question: why does God care for and think about this creature who is so wretched and ephemeral?
This question (cf. v. 3)
elicits the great manifestation of the divine, the so-called theophany that is
accompanied by a procession of cosmic elements and historical events, directed
at celebrating the transcendence of the supreme King of being, of the universe
and of history.
Here, mountains smoke in
volcanic eruptions (cf. v. 5), lightning like arrows routs the wicked (cf. v.
6), here are the “mighty waters” of the ocean that are the symbol of the chaos
from which, however, the king is saved by the action of the divine hand itself
(cf. v. 7).
In the background remain the
wicked who tell “lies” and swear false oaths (cf. vv.
7-8): a practical depiction, in the Semitic style of idolatry, of moral perversion
and evil that truly oppose God and his faithful.
4. Now, for our meditation,
we will reflect initially on the profession of humility made by the Psalmist,
and entrust ourselves to the words of Origen, whose commentary on our text has
come down to us in
“The Psalmist speaks of the
frailty of the body and of the human condition”, because “with regard to the
human condition, the human person is nothing. “Vanity of vanities, all is
vanity’, said Ecclesiastes”.
But the marvelling, grateful
question returns: ”“Lord, what is man that you
manifested yourself to him?’... It is a great happiness for men and women to
know their Creator. In this we differ from wild beasts and other animals,
because we know we have our Creator, whereas they do not”.
It is worth thinking a bit
about these words of Origen, who sees the fundamental difference between the
human being and the other animals in the fact that man is capable of
recognizing God, his Creator, that man is capable of truth, capable of a
knowledge that becomes a relationship, friendship. It is important in our time
that we do not forget God, together with all the other kinds of knowledge we
have acquired in the meantime, and they are very numerous! They all become
problematic, at times dangerous, if the fundamental knowledge that gives
meaning and orientation to all things is missing: knowledge of God the
Creator.
Let us return to Origen. He
says: ”You will not be able to save this wretch
that is man unless you take it upon yourself. “Lord..., lower
your heavens and come down’. Your lost sheep cannot find healing unless it is
placed on your shoulders.... These words are addressed to the Son: ”Lord, lower your heavens and come down’.... You have
come down, lowered the heavens, stretched out your hand from on high and
deigned to take our human flesh upon yourself, and many believed in you”
(Origen-Jerome, 74 Homilies on the Book of Psalms, Milan, 1993, pp.
512-515).
For us Christians God is no
longer a hypothesis, as he was in the philosophy that preceded Christianity,
but a reality, for God “lowered the heavens and came down”. Heaven is God
himself and he came down among us.
Origen rightly sees in the
Parable of the Lost Sheep that the shepherd takes upon his shoulders the
Parable of God’s Incarnation. Yes, in the Incarnation, he came down and took
upon his shoulders our flesh, we ourselves.
Thus, knowledge of God
became reality, it became friendship and communion. Let us thank the Lord
because he “lowered the heavens and came down”, he took our flesh upon his
shoulders and carries us on our journey through life.
The Psalm, having started
with our discovery that we are weak and far from divine splendour, ends up with
this great surprise of God’s action: beside us, with us, is God-Emmanuel,
who for Christians has the loving Face of Jesus Christ, God made man, God made
one of us.
Wednesday, 25 January 2006
Psalm 144[143]
“Sing a new song!’
Vespers of Thursday of the 4
Week
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. Today concludes the
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, during which we reflected on the
constant necessity to invoke the Lord for the immense gift of full unity among
all of Christ’s disciples. Indeed, this prayer contributes in an essential way
to make the common ecumenical effort of the Churches and Ecclesial Communities
more sincere and fruitful.
At this gathering of ours, I
would like to take up once more the meditation on Psalm 144[143], proposed by
the Liturgy of Vespers in two distinct moments (cf. vv. 1-8 and vv. 9-15). The
tone is still hymnal and entering into the scene is, also in the second
movement of this Psalm, the figure of the “Anointed One”, that is, the
“Consecrated One” par excellence, Jesus, who draws everyone to himself to make
of all “one” (cf. Jn 17:11, 21). It is not by chance that the scene dominating
the hymn is marked by prosperity and peace, symbols typical of the messianic
era.
2. For this reason, the hymn
is defined as “new”, a term which, in biblical language, evokes not so much the
exterior novelty of the words, as the ultimate fullness that seals hope (cf. v.
9). It sings, therefore, of the destination of history where the voice of evil,
described by the Psalmist as “lies” and “perjury”, expressions which indicate
idolatry (cf. v. 11), will finally be silenced.
But this negative aspect is
replaced by a more spacious positive dimension, that of the new world, a joyful
one about to appear. This is the true shalom or messianic “peace”, a
luminous horizon that is articulated with a series of images drawn from social
life: they too can become for us an auspice for the birth of a more just
society.
3. It is above all the
family (cf. v. 12) that is founded on generations of young people. Sons, the
hope of the future, are compared to strong saplings; daughters are like sturdy
columns supporting the house, similar to those of a temple.
From the family we pass on
to agriculture and farming, to the fields with its crops stored in the barns,
with large flocks of grazing sheep and the working animals that till the
fertile fields (cf. vv. 13-14).
Our gaze then turns to the
city, that is, to the entire civil society which finally enjoys the precious
gift of public peace and order. Indeed, the city walls are never more to be
“breached” by invaders during assaults; raids are over, that mean plundering
and deportation, and finally, the “sound of weeping” of the despairing, the
wounded, victims and orphans, the sad inheritance of war, is no longer raised
(cf. v. 14).
4. This portrait of a
different yet possible world is entrusted to the work of the Messiah and also
to that of his people. Under the guidance of Christ the Messiah, we must work
together for this project of harmony and peace, stopping war’s destructive
action of hatred and violence. It is necessary, however, to make a choice,
choosing to be on the side of the God of love and justice.
It is for this reason that
the Psalm ends with the words: “Happy the people whose God is the Lord” (v.
15). God is the Good of goods, the condition of all other goods.
Only a people
that knows God and defends spiritual and moral values can truly go
towards a profound peace and also become a strength of peace for the world and
for others; therefore, together with the Psalmist they can sing the “new song”,
full of trust and hope.
Spontaneous reference is
made to the new covenant, to the novelty itself of Christ and his Gospel.
This is what
But we must find the right
peg for these ten strings, these Ten Commandments. And only if these ten cords
of the Ten Commandments - as
Charity is the fullness of
the law. He who lives the Commandments as a dimension
of the one charity, truly sings the “new song”. Charity that is united to the
sentiments of Christ is the authentic “new song” of the “new man”, able to create
also a “new world”.
This Psalm invites us to
sing “on the ten-stringed harp” with a new heart, to sing with the sentiments
of Christ, to live the Ten Commandments in the dimension of love and to thereby
contribute to the peace and harmony of the world (cf. Esposizioni sui Salmi,
143, 16: Nuova Biblioteca Agostiniana, XXVIII, Rome, 1977, p. 677).
PSALM 145 (I) (II)
Wednesday, 1st February 2006
Psalm 145[144],1-13
“I will give you glory!’
Vespers of Friday of the 4th
Week
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. We have just prayed Psalm
145[144], a joyful song of praise to the Lord who is exalted as a tender and
loving King, concerned for all his creatures. The liturgy presents this hymn to
us in two separate parts that also correspond to the two poetical and spiritual
movements of the Psalm itself. We now reflect on the first part, which
corresponds to verses 1-13.
The Psalm is raised to the
Lord who is invoked and described as “King” (cf. Ps 145[144]: 1), a
depiction of the divine that is also dominant in other psalmic hymns (cf. Ps
47[46], 93[92]; 96[95]-99[98]).
Indeed, the spiritual centre
of our canticle is constituted precisely by an intense and passionate
celebration of the divine kingship. The Hebrew word malkut, “reign”,
is repeated in it four times, almost as if to indicate the four cardinal points
of being and of history (cf. Ps 145[144]: 11-13).
We know that this royal
symbolism, which was also to be central in Christ’s preaching, is the
expression of God’s saving project: he is not indifferent to human
history; on the contrary, he desires to put a plan of harmony and peace for
human history into practice with us and for us.
The whole of humanity is
called together to implement this plan in order that it comply with the divine
saving will, a will that is extended to all “men”, to “all generations”, from
“age to age”.
It is a universal action
that uproots evil from the world and instils in it the “glory” of the Lord,
that is, his personal, effective and transcendent presence.
2. The prayerful praise of
the Psalmist, who makes himself the voice of all the faithful and today would
like to be the voice of all of us, is directed to this heart of the Psalm,
placed precisely at the centre of the composition. The loftiest biblical prayer
is in fact the celebration of the works of salvation, which reveal the Lord’s
love for his creatures.
In this Psalm the Psalmist
continues to praise the divine “name”, that is, the person of the Lord (cf. vv.
1-2), who manifests himself in his historical action: indeed, his
“works”, “splendour”, “wonderful works”, “mighty deeds”, “greatness”,
“justice”, “patience”, “compassion”, “grace”, “goodness” and “love” are
mentioned.
It is a prayer in the form
of a litany which proclaims God’s entry into human events in order to bring the
whole of created reality to a salvific fullness. We are not at the mercy of
dark forces nor alone with our freedom, but rather, we are entrusted to the
action of the mighty and loving Lord, who has a plan for us, a “reign” to
establish (cf. v. 11).
3. This “kingdom” does not
consist of power and might, triumph and oppression, as unfortunately is often
the case with earthly kingdoms; rather, it is the place where compassion, love,
goodness, grace and justice are manifested, as the Psalmist repeats several
times in the flow of verses full of praise.
Verse 8 sums up this divine
portrait: the Lord is “slow to anger, abounding in love”. These words are
reminiscent of God’s presentation of himself on Sinai when he said: “The
Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in
steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34: 6).
We have here a preparation
for the profession of faith in God of St John the Apostle, who simply tells us
that he is love: “Deus caritas est” (cf. I Jn
4: 8, 16).
4. Our attention, as well as
being fixed on these beautiful words that portray to us a God who is “slow to
anger” and “full of compassion”, always ready to forgive and to help, is also
fixed on the very beautiful verse 9 which follows: “How good is the Lord
to all, compassionate to all his creatures”. These are words to meditate upon,
words of consolation, a certainty that he brings to our lives.
In this regard, St Peter
Chrysologus (c. 380 c. 450) says in his Second Discourse on
Fasting: ““Great are the works of the Lord’; but this grandeur that
we see in Creation is surpassed by the greatness of his mercy. Indeed, after
the Prophet has said, “Great are the works of God’, in another passage he
adds: “His compassion is greater than all his works’. Mercy, brothers and
sisters, fills the heavens, fills the earth.... That is why the great,
generous, unique mercy of Christ, who reserved every judgment for a single day,
allotted all of man’s time to the truce of penance.... That is why the Prophet
who did not trust in his own justice abandons himself entirely to God’s mercy;
“Have mercy on me, O God’, he says, “according to your abundant mercy’ (Ps
51[50]: 3)” (42, 4-5: Sermoni 1-62bis, Scrittori dell’Area
Santambrosiana, 1, Milan-Rome, 1996, pp. 299, 301).
And so, let us too say to
the Lord, “Have mercy on me, O God, you who are great in your mercy”
Wednesday, 8 February 2006
Psalm 145[144]: 14-21
“The Lord is faithful in all
his words’
Vespers of Friday of the 4th
Week
1. Following the liturgy that
divides it into two parts, let us return to , a
wonderful hymn in honour of the Lord, a loving King who is attentive to his
creatures. Let us now meditate upon the second part of the Psalm: they
are verses 14 to 21, which take up the fundamental theme of the hymn’s first
part.
In them are exalted the
divine compassion, tenderness, fidelity and goodness which are extended to the
whole of humanity, involving every creature. The Psalm now focuses on the love
that the Lord reserves particularly for the poor and the weak.
Divine kingship is not,
therefore, detached and haughty, as can be the case in the exercise of human
power. God expresses his sovereignty by bending down to meet the frailest and
most helpless of his creatures.
2. Indeed, he is first and foremost
a father who supports those who falter and raises those who have fallen into
the dust of humiliation (cf. v. 14). Consequently, living beings are reaching
out to the Lord like hungry beggars and he gives them, like a tender parent,
the food they need to survive (cf. v. 15).
At this point the profession
of faith in justice and holiness, the two divine qualities par excellence,
emerges from the lips of the person praying: “The Lord is just in all his
ways and loving in all his deeds” (cf. v. 17).
In Hebrew we have two
typical adjectives to illustrate the Covenant between God and his People:
saadiq and hasid. They
express justice that seeks to save and to liberate from evil, and the
faithfulness that is a sign of the Lord’s loving
greatness.
3. The Psalmist takes the
side of those who have benefited, whom he describes in various words: in
practice, these terms portray true believers. They “call on” the Lord in
trusting prayer, they seek him in life with a sincere heart (cf. v. 18); they
“fear” their God, respecting his will and obeying his word (cf. v. 19), but
above all “love” him, certain that he will take them under the mantle of his
protection and his closeness (cf. v. 20).
Then, the Psalmist’s closing
words are the ones with which he opened his hymn: an invitation to praise
and bless the Lord and his “name”, that is, as a living and holy Person who
works and saves in the world and in history.
Indeed, his call is an
assurance that every creature marked by the gift of life associates himself or
herself with the prayerful praise: “Let all mankind bless his holy name
for ever, for ages unending” (v. 21). This is a sort of perennial hymn that
must be raised from earth to heaven; it is a community celebration of God’s
universal love, source of peace, joy and salvation.
4. To conclude our
reflection, let us return to that sweet verse which says: “[The Lord] is
close to all who call him, who call on him from their hearts” (v. 18). This
sentence was particularly dear to Barsanuphius of Gaza, an ascetic who died in
the mid-sixth century, to whom monks, ecclesiastics and lay people would often
turn because of the wisdom of his discernment.
Thus, for example, to one
disciple who expressed his desire “to seek the causes of the various
temptations that assailed him”, Barsanuphius responded: “Brother John, do
not fear any of the temptations that come to test you, for the Lord will not
let you fall prey to them. So, whenever one of these temptations comes to you,
do not tire yourself by endeavouring to discern what is at stake, but cry out
Jesus’ Name: “Jesus, help me!’. And he will hear you, for he “is close to
all who call on him’. Do not be discouraged, but run on with enthusiasm and you
will reach the destination in Christ Jesus, Our Lord” (Barsanuphius and John of
Gaza, Epistolario, 39: Collana di Testi Patristici, XCIII, Rome,
1991, p. 109).
And these words of the
ancient Father also apply to us. In our difficulties, problems, temptations, we
must not simply make a theoretical reflection - where do they come from? - but must react positively; we must call on the Lord, we must
keep alive our contact with the Lord. Indeed, we must cry out the Name of
Jesus: “Jesus, help me!”.
And let us be certain that
he hears us, because he is close to those who seek him. Let us not feel
discouraged, but let us run on with enthusiasm, as this Father says, and we too
will reach the destination of our lives: Jesus, the Lord.
PSALM 146
Wednesday, 2 July 2003
Psalm 146[145]
“Praise the Lord, O my soul!
1. Psalm 146[145] that we
have just heard is an “alleluia”, the first of five which complete the entire
collection in the Psalter. The Jewish liturgical tradition formerly used this
hymn as a morning song of praise; it culminates in the proclamation of God’s
sovereignty over human history. Indeed, the Psalm ends with the declaration:
“The Lord will reign for ever” (v. 10).
From this follows a
comforting truth: we are not left to ourselves, the events of our days are not
overshadowed by chaos or fate, they do not represent a
mere sequence of private acts without sense or direction. From this conviction
develops a true and proper profession of faith in God, celebrated in a sort of
litany in which the attributes of his love and kindness are proclaimed (cf.
vv. 6-9).
2. God is the Creator
of heaven and earth who faithfully keeps the covenant that binds him to his
people; it is He who brings justice to the oppressed, provides food to sustain
the hungry and sets prisoners free. It is He who opens the eyes of the blind,
who picks up those who have fallen, who loves the just, protects the foreigner,
supports the orphan and the widow. It is he who
muddles the ways of the unjust and who reigns sovereign over all beings and
over all ages.
These are 12 theological
assertions which, with their perfect number, are intended as an expression of
the fullness and perfection of divine action. The Lord is not a Sovereign
remote from his creatures but is involved in their history as the One who metes
out justice and ranks himself on the side of the lowliest, of the victims, the
oppressed, the unfortunate.
3. Man, therefore, finds
himself facing a radical choice between two contrasting possibilities: on one
side there is the temptation to “trust in princes” (cf. v. 3), adopting their
criteria inspired by wickedness, selfishness and pride. In fact, this is a
slippery slope, a ruinous road, a “crooked path and a devious way” (cf. Prv 2:
15), whose goal is despair.
Indeed, the Psalmist reminds
us that man is a frail, mortal being, as the very word ‘adam
implies; in Hebrew, this word is used to signify earth, matter, dust. Man - the
Bible constantly states - is like a palace that crumbles [to dust] (cf. Eccl
12: 1-7), a spider’s web that can be torn apart by the wind (cf. Jb 8:
14), a strip of grass that is green at dawn but has withered by evening (cf. Ps
90[89]: 5-6; 103[102]: 15-16). When death assails him, all his plans
disintegrate and he returns to dust: “When his breath departs he returns to his
earth; on that very day his plans perish” (Ps 146[145]: 4).
4. However, there is another
possibility open to man, and the Psalmist exalts it with a
beatitude: “Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in
the Lord his God” (v. 5). This is the path of trust in God, eternal and
faithful. The amen, which is the Hebrew
word for faith, precisely means being based on the steadfast solidity of the
Lord, on his eternity, on his infinite power. Above all, however, it means
sharing his choices, on which the profession of faith and praise described
above has shed light.
We must live in consistency
with the divine will, offer food to the hungry, visit prisoners, sustain and
comfort the sick, protect and welcome foreigners, devote ourselves to the poor
and the lowly. In practice this corresponds exactly to the spirit of the
Beatitudes; it means opting for that proposal of love which saves us already in
this life and will later become the object of our examination at the last
judgment, which will seal history. Then we will be judged on our decision to
serve Christ in the hungry, the thirsty, the foreigner, the naked, the sick, the prisoner. “As you did it to one of the least of these my
brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25: 40): this is what the Lord will say at that
time.
5. Let us conclude our
meditation on Psalm 146[145] with an idea for reflection which is offered to us
by the Christian tradition that followed.
When Origen, the great
third-century writer, reaches verse 7 of our Psalm which says: “[the Lord]
gives food to the hungry, the Lord sets the prisoners free”, he finds in it an
implicit reference to the Eucharist: “We hunger for Christ and he himself will
give us the bread of heaven. “Give us this day our daily bread’. Those who say
these words are hungry; those who feel the need for bread are hungry”. And this
hunger is fully satisfied by the Sacrament of the Eucharist, in which man is
nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ (cf. Origene-Gerolamo, 74 Omelie
sul Libro dei Salmi, Milan 1993, pp. 526-527).
PSALM 147:1-11; 12-20 (alt)
Wednesday, 23 July 2003
Psalm 147[146]
“Praise the Lord!’
1. The Psalm just sung is
the first part of a composition that also includes the next Psalm, n. 147[146], that the original Hebrew had kept as one. It was the
ancient Greek and Latin versions which divided the song into two different
Psalms.
The Psalm begins with an
invitation to praise God and then lists a long series of reasons to praise him,
all expressed in the present tense. These are activities of God considered as
characteristic and ever timely, but they could not be more different:
some concern God’s interventions in human life (cf. Ps 147[146]: 3, 6, 11)
and in particular for Jerusalem and Israel (cf. v. 2); others concern the
created cosmos (cf. v. 4) and more specifically, the earth with its flora and
fauna (cf. vv. 8-10).
Finally, in telling us what
pleases the Lord, the Psalm invites us to have a two-dimensional outlook:
of religious reverence and of confidence (cf. v. 11). We are not left to
ourselves nor to the mercy of cosmic energies, but are
always in the hands of the Lord, for his plan of salvation.
2. After the festive
invitation to praise the Lord (cf. v. 1), the Psalm unfolds in two poetic and
spiritual movements. In the first (vv. 2-6), God’s action in history is
introduced with the image of a builder who is rebuilding
Let us make room for St
Augustine who, in the Enarrationes in Psalmos 146 which he gave at
Carthage in the year 412, commented on the sentence “the Lord heals the
brokenhearted” as follows: “Those whose hearts are not broken cannot be
healed.... Who are the brokenhearted? The humble. And those who are not brokenhearted? The
proud. However, the broken heart is healed, and the heart swollen with
pride is cast to the ground. Indeed, it is probable that once broken it can be
set aright, it can be healed. “He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their
wounds...’. In other words, he heals the humble of heart, those who confess,
who are punished, who are judged with severity so that they may experience his
mercy. This is what heals. Perfect health, however, will be achieved at the end
of our present mortal state when our corruptible being is reinvested with incorruptibility, and our moral being with immortality” (cf.
5-8: Esposizioni sui Salmi, IV, Rome 1977, pp. 772-779).
3. God’s action, however,
does not only concern uplifting his people from suffering. He who surrounds the
poor with tenderness and care towers like a severe judge over the wicked (cf.
v. 6). The Lord of history is not impassive before the domineering who think they are the only arbiters in human affairs: God
casts the haughty to the dusty ground, those who arrogantly challenge heaven
(cf. I Sam 2: 7-8; Lk 1: 51-53).
God’s action, however, is
not exhausted in his lordship over history; he is also the King of
creation: the whole universe responds to his call as Creator. Not only
does he determine the boundless constellations of stars, but he names each one
and hence defines its nature and characteristics (cf. Ps 147[146]: 4).
The Prophet Isaiah sang:
“Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these [the stars]? He who
brings out their host by number, calling them all by name” (Is 40: 26).
The “hosts” of the Lord are therefore the stars. The Prophet Baruch continued:
“The stars shone in their watches and were glad; he called them, and they said,
“Here we are!’. They shone with gladness for him who
made them” (Bar 3: 34-35).
4. Another joyful invitation
to sing praises (cf. Ps 147[146]: 7) preludes the second phase of Psalm
147[146] (cf. vv. 7-11). Once again God’s creative action in the cosmos comes
to the fore. In a territory where drought is common, as it is in the East, the
first sign of divine love is the rain that makes the earth fertile (cf. v. 8).
In this way the Creator prepares food for the animals. Indeed, he even troubles
to feed the tiniest of living creatures, like the young ravens that cry with
hunger (cf. v. 9). Jesus was to ask us to look at the birds of the air; “they
neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds
them” (Mt 6: 26; cf. also Lk 12: 24, with an explicit reference to “ravens”).
Yet once again our attention
shifts from creation to human life. Thus, the Psalm ends by showing the Lord
stooping down to the just and humble (cf. Ps 147[146]: 10-11), as was
declared in the first part of our hymn (cf. v. 6). Two symbols of power are
used, the horse and the legs of a man running, to intimate that divine conduct
does not give in to or let power intimidate it. Once again, the Lord’s logic is
above pride and the arrogance of power, and takes the side of those who are
faithful, who “hope in his steadfast love” (v. 11), that is, who abandon
themselves to God’s guidance in their acts and thoughts, in their planning and
in their daily life.
It is also among them that
the person praying must take his place, putting his hope in the Lord’s grace,
certain that he will be enfolded in the mantle of divine love: “The eye
of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death, and keep them alive in famine....
Yea, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name” (Ps
33[32]: 18-19, 21).
Wednesday 5 June 2002
Psalm 147, Lauds on Friday
of the second week of the year
The Lauda Jerusalem that we have just proclaimed
is dear to Christian liturgy that often used Psalm 147 to refer to the Word of
God which “runs swiftly” on the face of the earth, and also to the Eucharist,
the true “bread of finest wheat” that God generously gives to “satisfy” human
hunger (cf. vv. 14-15).
Origen, who comments on our
Psalm in one of his homilies, translated and disseminated by
Biblical scholars point out
that this Psalm should be joined to the previous one, so as to form a single
composition, as is the case in the original Hebrew. Indeed, we have here a
single, coherent canticle in honour of the creation and redemption brought
about by the Lord. It begins with a joyful call to praise: “Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of
praise is seemly” (Ps 146 [147],1).
2. If we focus on the
passage we have just heard, we can identify three moments of praise, introduced
by an invitation to the
In the first part (cf. vv.
13-14), God’s historical action is referred to. It is described in a series of
symbols that represent the Lord’s protection and his support of the city of
First of all, there is a
reference to the “bars” that reinforce and make impregnable the gates of
Among other things, the gate
is a sign that indicates the whole city in its compactness and tranquillity.
Inside the city, likened to a safe womb, live the children of
The image of the joyful,
tranquil city is exalted by the highest and precious gift of the peace that
makes its borders safe. However, precisely because, for the Bible, peace-shalôm
is not a negative concept that evokes merely the absence of war, but a positive
gift of wellbeing and prosperity, the Psalmist speaks of being satisfied with
“the finest of wheat”, that is, of excellent grain, with ears full of grains.
So the Lord reinforced the ramparts of
Here, under the banner of
the divine Word, the two fundamental seasons burst forth and are stabilized. On
the one hand, the Lord’s order makes winter descend on the earth, picturesquely
described as snow white as wool, by hoarfrost like ashes, by hail like bread
crumbs, and by ice that freezes everything (cf. vv. 16-17). On the other hand,
another divine command causes the warm wind to blow, bringing summer and
melting the ice: so the rainwater and torrents can run freely, water the earth
and make it fruitful.
Therefore, the Word of God
is the source of the cold and the heat, of the cycle of the seasons and of the
flow of life in nature. Humanity is invited to recognize and thank the Creator
for the fundamental gift of the universe that surrounds it, allows it to
breathe, feeds and sustains it.
4. We now move on to the
third and last part of our hymn of praise (cf. vv. 19-20). We return to the
Lord of history with whom we began. The divine Word brings
Thus the Bible is the
treasure of the Chosen People who must draw on it with love and with faithful
devotion. This is what Moses says to the Hebrews in Deuteronomy: “And what
great nation is there that has statutes and ordinances so
righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?” (Dt 4,8).
5. Just as there are two
glorious actions of God in creation and in history, so there are also two
revelations: one is inscribed in nature itself and open to all; the other given
to the Chosen People, who must witness to it and communicate it to all humanity
what is contained in Sacred Scripture. Two distinct Revelations, but God is one
and his Word is one. All things were made through the Word - as the Prologue of
John’s Gospel says - and without him nothing was made of all that exists. Yet
the Word also became “flesh”, namely, he entered history and pitched his tent
among us (cf. Jn 1,3.14).
Wednesday, 20 August 2003
Psalm 147
“Praise the Lord, O
1. The Psalm now offered for
our reflection makes up the second part of the preceeding Psalm 147[146]. However,
the ancient Greek and Latin translations, followed by the Liturgy, considered
it as an independent hymn, since its opening is clearly distinguishable from
what goes before it. This beginning has also become famous because it has often
been put to music in Latin: Lauda,
Mention is made, first of
all, of the reason for which the praying community must raise its praise to the
Lord. Its nature is historic: it was He, the Liberator of Israel from the
Babylonian exile, who gave security to his people by “strengthening the bars of
the gates” of the city (cf. v. 13).
When
2. Indeed, peace, shalom,
is evoked without hesitation, as it is contained symbolically in the very name
of
However, other than
repairing the walls of the city, blessing and reconciling her in security, God
offers
In this way, the election of
3. So far, we have described
the first reason to give praise to the Lord: it is a historical reason, one
linked to the liberating and revealing action of God with his people.
There remains, however,
another reason for exultation and praise: it is of a cosmic nature, connected
to the divine creative action. The divine Word bursts in to give life to being.
Like a messenger, it runs from one corner of the earth to the other (cf. Ps
147: 15). And suddenly, there is a flowering of wonders.
Now winter arrives, its
climatic phenomena painted with a touch of poetry: the snow is like wool
because of its whiteness, the frost with its delicate particles is like the
dust of the desert (cf. v. 16), the hail is like morsels of bread thrown to the
ground, the ice congeals the earth and halts vegetation (cf. v. 17). It is a
winter scene that invites one to discover the wonders of creation which will be
taken up again in a very picturesque page of another book of the Bible, that of
Sirach (43: 18-20).
4. Behold, then, the
reblossoming of springtime, always through the action of the divine Word: the
ice melts, the warm wind blows and the waters flow (cf. Ps 147: 18), repeating
the perennial cycle of the seasons and therefore the same possibility of life
for men and women.
Naturally, metaphorical
readings of these divine gifts are not lacking. The “finest of wheat” makes one
think of the immense gift of the Eucharistic bread. Indeed, Origen, the great
Christian writer of the third century, identified that wheat as a sign of
Christ himself and, in particular, of Sacred Scripture.
This is his commentary: “Our
Lord is the grain of wheat that falls to the earth, and multiplies itself for
us. But this grain of wheat is supremely copious. The Word of God is supremely copious, it encloses all delights in itself. All that you see, comes from the Word of God, in the same way as the Jews
recount: when they ate the manna, it took on the taste in the mouth that each
one desired. So also with the flesh of Christ, which is the word of the
teaching, namely, understanding of the Sacred Scriptures, the greater our
desire, the greater the nourishment we receive. If you are holy, you find
refreshment; if you are a sinner, you find torment” (Origen-Jerome, 74
omelie sul libro dei Salmi [74 Homilies on the Book of Psalms], Milan 1993,
pp. 543-44).
5. The Lord, therefore, acts
with his Word not only in creation but also in history. He reveals himself with
the silent language of nature (cf. Ps 19[18]: 2-7), but expresses himself
in an explicit way through the Bible and his personal communication through the
prophets and fully through the Son (cf. Heb 1: 1, 2). They are two different
but converging gifts of His love.
For this reason, our praise
must rise to heaven each day. It is our gratitude which blossoms at dawn in the
prayer of Lauds to bless the Lord of life and freedom, of existence and faith,
of creation and redemption.
PSALM 148
Wednesday 17 July 2002
Praise to him who sits upon
the throne
Psalm 148, Lauds for Sunday
of the third week
1. Psalm 148 that we have
just lifted up to God is a true “canticle of creatures”, a kind of Old
Testament Te Deum, a cosmic “alleluia” that involves everyone and
everything in divine praise.
This is how a contemporary
exegete has commented on it: “The Psalmist, calling them by name, puts
beings in order. Above are the heavens with two heavenly bodies, that move
according to time, and then the stars; on the one side are the fruit-trees and
on the other the cedars; on one level the reptiles, on the other birds; here
the princes, over there the people; in two lines, perhaps holding hands, young
men and maidens .... God has established them, giving them their place and
role; the human being accepts them, giving them their place in language, and
arranged in this way, introduces them into the liturgical celebration. Man is
the “shepherd of being’ or the liturgist of creation” (L. Alonso Schökel, Trenta
salmi: poesia e preghiera [Thirty Psalms, Poetry and Prayer], Bologna,
1982, p. 499).
Let us too follow this
universal chorus that echoes in the apse of heaven and whose temple is the
whole cosmos. Let us join in the breathing forth of the praise that all
creatures raise to their Creator.
2. We find in the heavens
the singers of the starry universe: the remotest heavenly bodies, the
choirs of angels, the sun and moon, the shining stars, the “highest heavens”
(v. 4), that is, the starry space and the waters above the heavens, which the
man of the Bible imagines were stored in reservoirs before falling on the earth
as rain.
The “alleluia”, that is, the
invitation to “praise the Lord”, resounds at least eight times, and has as its
final goal the order and harmony of the heavenly bodies: “He fixed their
bounds which cannot be passed” (v. 6).
We then lift our eyes to the
earthly horizon where a procession of at least 22 singers unfolds: a sort
of alphabet of praise whose letters are strewn over our planet. Here are the
sea monsters and the depths of the sea, symbols of the watery chaos on which
the earth is founded (cf. Ps 23[24],2), according to
the ancient Semite conception of the cosmos.
St Basil, a Father of the
Church observed: “Not even the deep was judged as contemptible by the
Psalmist, who included them in the general chorus of creation, and what is
more, with its own language completes the harmonious hymn to the Creator” (Homiliae
in hexaemeron, III 9: PG 29,75).
3. The procession continues
with the creatures of the atmosphere: the flash of lightening, hail,
snow, frost and stormy winds, thought to be a swift messenger of God (Ps 148,8).
Then the mountains and hills
appear, popularly held to be the most ancient creatures (cf. v. 9a). The
vegetable kingdom is represented by the fruit-trees and cedars (cf. v. 9b). The
animal kingdom is represented by the beasts, cattle, reptiles and flying birds
(cf. v. 10).
Finally, the human being,
who presides over the liturgy of creation, is represented according to all ages
and distinctions: boys, youth and the old, princes, kings and nations
(cf. vv. 11-12).
4. Let us now entrust to St
John Chrysostom the task of casting a comprehensive look upon this immense
chorus. He does so in words that refer also to the
Canticle of the three young men in the fiery furnace, which we meditated upon
in the last catechesis.
The great Father of the
Church and Patriarch of Constantinople says: “Because of their great
rectitude of spirit, when the saints gather to thank God, they used to invite
many to join with them in singing his praise, urging them to take part with
them in this beautiful liturgy. This is what the three young men in the furnace
also did, when they called the whole of creation to praise and sing hymns to
God for the benefit received” (Dn 3).
This Psalm does the same
calling both parts of the world, that which is above and that which is below,
the sentient and the intelligent. The Prophet Isaiah also did this, when he
said: “Sing for joy, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth! ... for
the Lord has comforted his people and shows mercy to his afflicted” (Is 49,13).
The Psalter goes on: “When Israel went forth from Egypt, the house of
Jacob from a people of strange language ... the mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs” (Ps 113[114],1,4); and elsewhere in Isaiah, “Let the
heavens rain down justice like dew from above” (Is 45,8). Indeed, considering
themselves inadequate on their own to sing praise to the Lord, the saints “turn
to all sides involving all things in singing a common hymn” (Expositio in
psalmum CXLVIII: PG 55, 484-485).
5. We are also invited to
join this immense choir, becoming the explicit voice of every creature and
praising God in the two fundamental dimensions of his mystery. On the one hand,
we must adore his transcendent greatness, “for his name alone is exalted; his
glory is above earth and heaven” as our Psalm says (v. 13). On the other hand,
we should recognize his goodness in coming down to us because God is close to
his creatures and comes especially to help his people: “He has raised up
a horn for his people ... for the people of Israel who are near to him” (v. 14),
as the Psalmist re-affirms.
Before the almighty and
merciful Creator, let us take up St Augustine’s invitation to praise him, exalt
him and celebrate him in his works: “When you observe these creatures and
enjoy them and rise up to the Architect of all things and of created things,
when you contemplate his invisible attributes intellectually, then a confession
rises on earth and in heaven.... If creation is beautiful, how much more
beautiful must its Creator be?” (Esposizioni sui Salmi
[Expositions on the Psalms], IV, Rome, 1977, pp. 887-889).
PSALM 149
Wednesday 23 May 2001
Song of praise, joy sung by
festive chorus and instruments
1. “Let the faithful
exult in glory, let them rise joyfully from their couches”. The order which
you have just heard in Psalm 149, points to a dawn which is breaking and finds
the faithful ready to chant their morning praise. With a suggestive phrase,
their song of praise is defined as “a new song” (v. 1), a solemn and perfect
hymn, perfect for the final days, in which the Lord will gather together the
just in a renewed world. A festive atmosphere pervades the entire Psalm; it
begins with the initial Alleluia and then continues with chant, praise,
joy, dance, the sound of drums and of harps. The Psalm
inspires a prayer of thanksgiving from a heart filled with religious
exultation.
2. The protagonists of the
Psalm in the original Hebrew text are given two terms that are taken from the
spirituality of the Old Testament. Three times they are defined as the hasidim (vv. 1, 5, 9), “the pious, the
faithful ones”, who respond with fidelity and love (hesed) to the
fatherly love of the Lord.
The second part of the Psalm
provokes surprise because it is full of warlike sentiments. It is strange that
in the same verse, the Psalm brings together “the praises of God on the lips”
and “the two-edged sword in their hands” (v. 6). Upon reflection, we can
understand why the Psalm was composed for the use of the “faithful” who were
involved in a struggle for liberation; they were fighting to free an oppressed
people and to give them the possibility of serving God. During the Maccabean
era, in the 2nd century B.C., those fighting for freedom and faith, who
underwent a severe repression from the Hellenistic power, were defined as the hasidim,
the ones faithful to the Word of God and the tradition of the fathers.
Referring to the instruments
mentioned in the Psalm he asks: “Why does the Psalmist take in hand the
drum and the harp?”. He answers, “Because we praise
the Lord not just with the voice, but also with our works. When we take up the
drum and the harp, the hands have to be in accord with the voice. The same goes
for you. When you sing the Alleluia, you must give bread to the poor, give
clothes to the naked, give shelter to the traveler. If you do it, not only does
your voice sing, but your hands are in accord with your voice because the works
agree with the words” (ibid., 8, 1-4).
5. There is a second term
which we use to define those who pray in the Psalm: they are the anawim,
“the poor and lowly ones” (v. 4). The expression turns up often in the Psalter.
It indicates not just the oppressed, the miserable, the
persecuted for justice, but also those who, with fidelity to the moral teaching
of the
6. The “day of the Lord’s
wrath” is really the day described in the second part of the Psalm when the
“poor” are lined up on the side of God to fight against evil. By themselves
they do not have sufficient strength or the arms or the necessary strategies to
oppose the onslaught of evil. Yet the Psalmist does not admit hesitation:
“The Lord loves his people, he adorns the lowly (anawim) with victory”
(v. 4). What
With such confidence the
“sons of
PSALM 150 (alt)
Wednesday 9 January 2002
Psalm 150
Let every living being
praise the Lord’
1. The hymn which just
served as a support of our prayer is Psalm 150, the last canticle in the
Psalter. The last word that rings out in
The brief text is punctuated
with a set of 10 imperatives repeating the same word, “hallelû”,
“praise!”. As if they were eternal music and song,
they never seem to end, rather like what happens with the famous Alleluia chorus
of Handel’s Messiah. Praise of God becomes like the continuous breath of
the soul. As has been written, “this is one of the rewards for being
human: quiet exaltation and the capacity for celebration; it is
summed up well in a phrase that Rabbi Akiba offered his
disciples: A song every day, / a song for every day” (A.J. Heschel, Chi
è l’uomo?, Milan 1971, p. 178, the English title is Who is Man?).
2. Psalm 150 seems to unfold
in three moments. At the beginning, in the first two verses (vv. 1-2) we fix
our gaze on “the Lord” in “his sanctuary”, on “his power”, “his wonderful
works”, his “greatness”. Then, in the second moment, as in a genuine musical
movement, the orchestra of the
The “sanctuary” is the first
place where the musical and the prayerful theme unfolds
(cf. v. 1). The original Hebrew speaks of the pure, transcendent “sacred” area
in which God dwells. It is then a reference to the horizon of heaven and
paradise where, as the Book of the Apocalypse will explain, the eternal,
perfect liturgy of the Lamb is celebrated (cf. for example, Apoc 5,6-14). The mystery of God, in which the saints are welcomed
for full communion, is a place of light and joy, of revelation and love. We can
understand why the Septuagint translation and the Latin Vulgate use
the word “saints” instead of “sanctuary”: “Praise the Lord in his
saints!”
4. From heaven our thought
moves to earth, with an emphasis on the “mighty deeds” wrought by God that
manifest “his great majesty” (v. 2). These mighty deeds are described in Psalm
104 [105], that invites the Israelites to “meditate on all his wonderful works”
(v. 2), to remember “the wonderful works that he has done, his prodigies, and
the judgements he uttered” (v. 5). The Psalmist then recalls “the covenant
which he [the Lord] made with Abraham” (v. 9), the extraordinary story of
Joseph, the miracles of the liberation from
Thus in our Psalm we can
understand the reference to “mighty deeds” as the original Hebrew says, that
is, the powerful “prodigies” (cf. v. 2) that God disseminates in the history of
salvation. Praise becomes a profession of faith in God the Creator and
Redeemer, a festive celebration of divine love that is revealed by creating and
saving, by giving life and by delivering.
5. Thus we come to the last
verse of Psalm 150 (cf. v. 5c[6]). The Hebrew word
used for the “living” who praise God refers to
“breathing”, as I said earlier, but also to something intimate and profound
that is inherent in man.
Although one might think
that all created life should be a hymn of praise to the Creator, it is more
correct to maintain that the human creature has the primary role in this chorus
of praise. Through the human person, spokesman for all creation, all living
things praise the Lord. Our breath of life that also presupposes
self-knowledge, awareness and freedom (cf. Prv 20,27)
becomes the song and prayer of the whole of life that vibrates in the universe.
That is why all of us should
address one another “with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody to the Lord” with all our hearts (Eph 5,19).
In union with the Son,
perfect voice of the whole universe that he created, let us too become a
constant prayer before God’s throne.
Wednesday 26 February 2003
Psalm 150
Music, hymnody should be
worthy of the greatness of the Liturgy
1. Psalm 150, which we have
just proclaimed, rings out for the second time in the Liturgy of Lauds:
a festive hymn, an “alleluia” to the rhythm of music. It sets a spiritual
seal on the whole Psalter, the book of praise, of song, of the liturgy of
The text is marvelously
simple and transparent. We should just let ourselves be drawn in by the
insistent call to praise the Lord: “Praise the Lord ... praise him ...
praise him!”. The Psalm opens presenting God in the
two fundamental aspects of his mystery. Certainly, he is transcendent,
mysterious, beyond our horizon: his royal abode is the heavenly “sanctuary”,
“his mighty heavens”, a fortress that is inaccessible for the human being. Yet
he is close to us: he is present in the “holy place” of Zion and acts in
history through his “mighty deeds” that reveal and enable one to experience
“his surpassing greatness” (cf. vv. 1-2).
2. Thus between heaven and
earth a channel of communication is established in which the action of the Lord
meets the hymn of praise of the faithful. The liturgy unites the two holy
places, the earthly temple and the infinite heavens, God and man, time and
eternity.
During the prayer, we
accomplish an ascent towards the divine light and together experience a descent
of God who adapts himself to our limitations in order to hear and speak to us,
meet us and save us. The Psalmist readily urges us to find help for our praise
in the prayerful encounter: sound the musical instruments of the
orchestra of the
3. Hence, it is necessary to
discover and to live constantly the beauty of prayer and of the liturgy. We must
pray to God with theologically correct formulas and also in a beautiful and
dignified way.
In this regard, the
Christian community must make an examination of conscience so that the beauty
of music and hymnody will return once again to the liturgy. They should purify
worship from ugliness of style, from distasteful forms of expression, from
uninspired musical texts which are not worthy of the great act that is being
celebrated.
In this connection in the Epistle
to the Ephesians we find an important appeal to avoid drunkenness and
vulgarity, and to make room for the purity of liturgical hymns: “Do not
get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit,
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father” (5,18-20).
4. The Psalmist ends with an
invitation to “every living being” (cf. Ps 150,5), to give praise, literally
“every breath”, “everything that breathes”, a term that in Hebrew means “every
being that breathes”, especially “every living person” (cf. Dt 20,16; Jos
10,40; 11,11.14). In the divine praise then, first of all, with his heart and
voice, the human creature is involved. With him all living beings, all
creatures in which there is a breath of life (cf. Gn 7,22)
are called in spirit, so that they may raise their hymn of thankgiving to the
Creator for the gift of life.
Following up on this
universal invitation, St Francis left us his thoughtful “Canticle of Brother
Sun”, in which he invites us to praise and bless the Lord for all his
creatures, reflections of his beauty and goodness (cf. Fonti Francescane
[Franciscan Sources], 263).
5. All the faithful should
join in this hymn in a special way, as the Epistle to the Colossians suggests:
“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one
another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3,16).
On this subject, in his Expositions
on the Psalms (Enarrationes in Psalmos), St Augustine sees the musical
instruments as symbolizing the saints who praise God: “You are the
trumpet, lute, harp, tambourine, choir, strings, organ, and cymbals of
jubilation sounding well, because sounding in harmony. You are all of these. Do
not here think of anything vile, anything transitory or anything ridiculous”...
“every spirit (who) praises the Lord” is a voice of
song to God (cf. Exposition on the Psalms, vol. VI, Oxford, 1857, p.
456).
So the highest music is what
comes from our hearts. In our liturgies this is the harmony God wants to hear.
