I want to turn now, in this series on the repeated psalms of the Benedictine Office, to the psalms of Lauds. In both the older form of the Roman Office and the Benedictine Rite, Psalm 66 is said daily at Lauds by way of an invitatory psalm.
The first point to note is that there is a certain symmetry in the opening and closing psalms of Lauds: the three closing psalms are calls to us, to praise and sing to God. The two opening psalms, though, Psalm 66 and 50, thrice ask God to have pity, or mercy, on us (misereatur, miserere).
That is not to suggest though, that this is a dark or penitential psalm; far from it.
Some
commentators argue that this was originally a harvest song. Perhaps, but if so, the harvest in question
is surely primarily a spiritual one, for the psalm asks us to pray for the
salvation of all the world.
You can find the first set of verse by verse notes on this psalm here.
Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm
The first point to note is that there is a certain symmetry in the opening and closing psalms of Lauds: the three closing psalms are calls to us, to praise and sing to God. The two opening psalms, though, Psalm 66 and 50, thrice ask God to have pity, or mercy, on us (misereatur, miserere).
That is not to suggest though, that this is a dark or penitential psalm; far from it.
Psalm 66: Deus misereátur nostri
Vulgate
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Douay-Rheims
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In finem, in hymnis. Psalmus cantici David.
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Unto the
end, in hymns, a psalm of a canticle for David.
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1 Deus
misereátur nostri, et benedícat nobis: * illúminet vultum suum super nos, et
misereátur nostri.
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May God have mercy on us,
and bless us: may he
cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on
us.
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2 Ut
cognoscámus in terra viam tuam, * in ómnibus Géntibus salutáre tuum.
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3 That we may know your way
upon earth: your salvation
in all nations.
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3 Confiteántur
tibi pópuli, Deus: * confiteántur tibi pópuli omnes.
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4 Let people confess to you, O
God: let all people
give praise to you.
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4 Læténtur
et exsúltent Gentes: * quóniam júdicas pópulos in æquitáte, et Gentes in
terra dírigis.
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5 Let the nations be glad and
rejoice: for you judge the people with justice, and direct the
nations upon earth.
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5 Confiteántur
tibi pópuli, Deus, confiteántur tibi pópuli omnes: * terra dedit fructum
suum.
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6 Let the people, O God, confess to you:
let all the people give praise to you: 7 The
earth has yielded her fruit.
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6
Benedícat nos Deus, Deus noster, benedícat nos Deus: * et métuant eum omnes
fines terræ.
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8 may God bless us: and all the
ends of the earth fear him
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Light in the darkness
The
use of the use of psalm as a Lauds invitatory
is surely due to the image it provides, in verse 1, of Christ as the
light of the world, making it particularly appropriate to this hour said at
daybreak.
Indeed,
the first two verses take us straight to what is surely the core of this
psalm's message, presenting Christ as the saviour of all nations, foreshadowing the words of the Nunc Dimittis
Canticle (Luke 2:30-32): "Because my eyes have
seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: A light
to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."
Psalm
66 is surely the quintessential psalm of the Church’s mission, and Acts 28: 28
quotes verse 2 in just this context, as the conclusion of St Paul
The
Benedictine Office is of course primarily an office for monks, but monks are
not of course exempt from the Gospel imperative of mission. Rather,
both their prayers and witness is vital to it.
Contemplative prayer, the Church teaches us, is a vital element of
evangelisation.
But so too is practical action, and it is of course no accident that monks have so often been missionaries. St Benedict himself, St Gregory the Great tells us, converted the shepherds who came across him in the wilds of Subiaco, and on his arrival at Monte Cassino converted the pagans who had worshipped there. This psalm, then, is a daily reminder of the connection we all have to the mission of the Church to the world.
But so too is practical action, and it is of course no accident that monks have so often been missionaries. St Benedict himself, St Gregory the Great tells us, converted the shepherds who came across him in the wilds of Subiaco, and on his arrival at Monte Cassino converted the pagans who had worshipped there. This psalm, then, is a daily reminder of the connection we all have to the mission of the Church to the world.
The blessing
Psalm
66 is above all a joyous and uplifting hymn of praise.
It
begins and ends with a request that God bless us, using a blessing formula
echoes that of Numbers 6:24-26. The
blessing in Numbers though, is for the people of Israel
"And
the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you
bless the children of Israel Israel
In
Psalm 66 though, the blessing is requested not just for us, but for all
people's that they may come to know and worship God. Twice
it asks for God to have mercy and loving kindness: a reminder that our own
merits could never win us anything; everything depends on God. Between
these two pleas for mercy, we ask for the blessing of the sense of God's
presence and approval (the light of his countenance). God of course is always present, always aware
of us; we however need prompts to practice our awareness of the presence of
God.
The
psalm asks God to guide us, and all the nations
in his ways. And it ends with a warning:
God's reach extends everywhere, and we should fear him, albeit out of filial
devotion.
You can find the first set of verse by verse notes on this psalm here.
Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm
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Lk 2:30-32, 3:6; Act 28:28 (2) |
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RB cursus |
Lauds daily |
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Monastic feasts etc |
AN 1253, 1254, 2169, 4973, 2170, 3294, 4924, 3557, 4919, 3252, 3846, 1272, 3725, 3408 |
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Responsories |
- |
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Roman pre 1911 |
Tuesday Lauds |
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Roman post 1911 |
1911-62: Lauds daily .
1970: |
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Mass propers (EF) |
- |
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