Standing in the house of God - Psalm 133 v2 - Gradual Psalm No 15/3

2	V	Qui statis in domo Dómini, * in átriis domus Dei nostri.
	NV	qui statis in domo Domini per noctes.
	JH	qui statis in domo Domini  in noctibus.
		οἱ ἑστῶτες ἐν οἴκῳ κυρίου ἐν αὐλαῖς οἴκου θεοῦ ἡμῶν

Text notes:  References to the night office in the Temple can be found in Is 30:29 and 1 Chron 23:30.  In those references, ‘To stand before the Lord’ means to take part in the public worship of God in the Temple, or for us the public liturgy of the Church.   But as Britt points out, “To be or to dwell in God's courts does not necessarily imply physical presence, but rather a close union with God, and a consciousness of His presence.”

sto, steti, statum, are, to stand, stand up, remain standing; Continue; stand at the side of, to support, to stand opposite

domus, us, /.  house, structure; Temple: domus Dei, God's house

atrium, li, n., a court, often pi., courts; esp. the open courts surrounding the Tabernacle and Temple. To be or to dwell in God's courts does not necessarily imply physical presence, but rather a close union with God, and a consciousness of His presence.

DR	Who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God
B	who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God
MD	Who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God;
C	Ye that by night stand in the house of the Lord, even in the courts of the house of our God
RSV	who stand by night in the house of the LORD!
K	you that wait on the Lord’s house at midnight
G	who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.

Liturgical praxis: At the literal level, this psalm reminds us firstly of the importance of keeping the first commandment and actually taking the time to worship God properly.   In saying the Office liturgically we unite ourselves to the prayers of the Church around the world, as well as the heavenly liturgy to maintain a constant hymn of praise to God.  Nor should such worship be undertaken casually.

Body postures – standing, sitting, kneeling, bowing - all have important meanings and purposes in a liturgical context, helping to ensure that mind and body are united in worship.  St Ambrose, for example, suggests that standing promotes alertness:

Men sit when speaking against others, they stand when they praise the Lord, to whom it is said: “Behold now, praise the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, ye that stand in the house of the Lord.” He who sits, to speak of the bodily habit, is as it were loosened by ease, and relaxes the energy of his mind. But the careful watchman, the active searcher, the watchful guardian, who keeps the outposts of the camp, stands. The zealous warrior, too, who desires to anticipate the designs of the enemy, stands in array before he is expected. Letter 63 (to Christians at Vercellae)

Do we too stand in the house of God?  At the spiritual level, the Gradual psalms remind us that life is a pilgrimage towards our heavenly home.  In order to do this, we have to stand with the Lord.  The Fathers provide a number of different takes, all worth considering on just what it means to stand in God's house.

St Jerome sees the verse as pointing to holding the truths taught by the Church:

Standing – not falling.  …The Church does not consist in walls, but in the truths of her teachings.  The Church is where there is true faith…In this city, Christ reigns; in this city the inhabitants themselves are both dwellers and gates, both houses and dwellers.  Would you know how they are houses?  Christ dwells in them; Christ moves about in them…You are the temple of God, he says, and the Holy Spirit dwells in you.  Let us make ready our temple, that Christ may come and take up his abode in us, that our soul may be Sion, that it may be set upon the heights, that it may be ever up, never down….

St John Chrysostom adds to this the necessity of good works:

Now, he wishes servants of the Lord to be in keeping not only with his teachings but also with the exact way of life – hence he added, who stand in the house of the Lord….  It is not proper, you see, for the impure and profane person to enter the sacred precincts.  And so if any are worthy to enter, they are worthy also to bless: the house of the Lord is like heaven, and, as it is not proper for any opposing powers to enter there, so neither is it in the house of God.

Reflect, human being that you are, on the great dignity you enjoy, and the degree of purity it would be right for you to exhibit, at least on those occasions when you become a temple in your own right…If you were to expel every evil thought, if you were to deny entry of the devil’s workings to the precincts of your mind, if you continue to embellish your mind as though in the holy sanctuary...

Similarly, as I mentioned in the introduction to this psalm, St Augustine suggests that the reference to the 'courts' is pointing us to the idea of wide spaces, suitable for one whose heart is enlarged through love of God.

Our aim is to reach heaven: St Benedict ends his Rule with a reference to those who hasten to the heavenly country, reminding us that our aim must be to stand as closely to God as is possible in this life.  Each night this psalm serves as a reminder that our objective is union with God.

Each day we must try to build and maintain the house of God, both physically around us in our surroundings, and within us.

Psalm 133: Compline daily; Gradual Psalm No 15

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum	A gradual canticle
1 Ecce nunc benedícite Dóminum, * omnes servi Dómini	Behold now bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
2 Qui statis in domo Dómini, * in átriis domus Dei nostri.	Who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God
3 In nóctibus extóllite manus vestras in sancta, * et benedícite Dóminum.	In the nights lift up your hands to the holy places, and bless the Lord.
4 Benedícat te Dóminus ex Sion, * qui fecit cælum et terram.	May the Lord out of Sion bless you, he that made heaven and earth.

And for the next part in this series, go here.