Christ ascends the cross - Psalm 122 (Gradual Psalm No 4)

Church of St. Peter in Santander, Spain

In the previous Gradual Psalm, the speaker focused his attention on the holy city.

Now, with the first psalm of Sext, Psalm 122, we are invited to look even higher, lifting our eyes towards God himself.  There may be something programmatic about this, for Sext of course, was traditionally said at (solar) midday when the Sun is at its highest point, and also the hour when Christ ascended the cross.

Psalm 122 - Ad te levavi

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum
1  Ad te levávi óculos meos, * qui hábitas in cælis.	To you have I lifted up my eyes, who dwell in heaven.
2  Ecce sicut óculi servórum, * in mánibus dominórum suórum.	2 Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters,
3  Sicut óculi ancíllæ in mánibus dóminæ suæ: * ita óculi nostri ad Dóminum, Deum nostrum, donec misereátur nostri.	As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.
4  Miserére nostri, Dómine, miserére nostri: * quia multum repléti sumus despectióne:	3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.
5  Quia multum repléta est ánima nostra: * oppróbrium abundántibus, et despéctio supérbis.	4 For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud

This psalm, I think, takes us to the fundamental orientation we need to cultivate as we undertake this earthly pilgrimage, namely our focus on God.   Beset by the effects of our own sins and the attacks of enemies, we wait anxiously and pray for God to show us the signs of his forgiveness, and wait for the second coming.  Origen, for example, interpreted the psalm as urging those who trust in God to follow the example of Christ in lifting their eyes to heaven in anticipation of receiving God's mercy.  

The opening verses set before us the idea of our total dependence of God for his gifts - and punishments - just as a slave is dependent on his or her master/mistress.  The analogy of the slave or servant’s relationship to their master or mistress, however, is not one that has many resonances to a modern Western reader.  Accordingly, we might, perhaps, better think of the psalm as being firstly about self-abandonment: the slave is totally dependent on his master for food, clothing, instructions on what to do, punishments and rewards; so too should we think of our relationship to God, acknowledging that nothing truly comes from our own efforts, but all requires his grace.  St Ambrose writes, 'Christ is everything for us'.

The second dimension of the slave/servant analogy that is worth considering is the implication of the reverent awe with which we should raise our eyes to God.  Several of the Fathers see this psalm as representing a progression from fear of God based on the threat of punishment (looking to the mountains), to filial fear, based on love of God.  Cassiodorus, for example, comments that:

First he raised his eyes to the mountains, but now he has lifted up the eyes of his heart to the Lord Himself. Thus in his struggle to mount higher by spiritual steps, he has sought happily to draw near to the divine mercy. What a fine sight to see men drawing close to God and raising this sluggish mass of flesh to the rewards of heavenly grace! But this is the doing only of Him who bade Lazarus emerge from the tomb, who stretched out His right hand and saved Peter when he was drowning, who translated Elias and Enoch to heaven while they were still alive,1 and who performed other similar miracles such as the Godhead's power performs every day. It is men who are one in charity on this earth who mount these steps; only those who have deserved to be Christ's members can hasten to their Head. So just as in our hearts we have observed this wonderful ascent, so now with attentive minds let us discuss this lofty psalm. 

The sense of verses 4 and 5 is that we are fed up with being looked down on by the rich and proud - noting that rich and proud doesn't just mean material wealth, but rather evildoers in general who pursue their own pleasure at everyone else's expense (though the two conditions often coincide). The psalm serves as reminder that adherence to the good is somehow affronting to many, and brings forth attempts to humiliate those who pursue truth.  The moral truth pointed to here is that we must bear our sufferings with patience, knowing that God will fill us up with good things.

Liturgical and Scriptural uses of the psalm

NT references	-
RB cursus	Sext Tues-Sat+AN 4473
Monastic feasts etc	Gradual Psalms; LOOL Sext AN 3775 (3);
Roman pre 1911	Tuesday Vespers
Responsories	-
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Tuesday Vespers . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Lent 1 Monday, IN (1-3); Lent 3 Sunday, TR (1-3)

You can find more detailed notes on the individual verses by following the links below:

• verses 1-3; and
• verses 4-5.

Or you can go on to Psalm 123.

Psalm 122 verses 4-5

The final verses of Psalm 122 describe that state of mind we have all surely felt at some point, of just having had enough!

4	V/NV	Miserére nostri, Dómine, miserére nostri: * quia multum repléti sumus despectióne:
	JH	Miserere nostri, Domine, miserere nostri : quoniam multum repleti sumus despectione.
	Sept	ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς κύριε ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς ὅτι ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐπλήσθημεν ἐξουδενώσεως

Text notes: Have mercy on us, Lord (Miserere nostri Domine) is a very familiar prayer, but here in the plural, not the singular as in Psalm 50 and elsewhere, giving the appearance of a communal plea.  The RSV perhaps best conveys the sense of the second phrase: ‘for we have had more than enough of contempt’.  The Knox translation provides a nice sense of the text of the second phrase and the next verse: "we have had our fill of man’s derision. Our hearts can bear no more to be the scorn of luxury, the derision of the proud".

multus, a, um, much; many, numerous; much, great.

despectio, onis, a looking down upon; fig., a despising, contempt, shame

repleo, plevi, pletum, ere 2, to fill, sate, satisfy.

DR	Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.
Brenton	Have pity upon us, O Lord, have pity upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
MD	Have mercy on us, O Lord, be gracious to us, for we are overfilled with reproach.
RSV	Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Cover	Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us; for we are utterly despised.

The solution to the contempt of the world, the psalmist tells us, is to pray for God's mercy.  St John Chrysostom comments:

"Do you see a contrite mind? They beg to be saved for mercy's sake -and not even mercy deservedly, but for having paid a heavy pen­alty, as Daniel too said, "We are reduced in numbers by compari­son with all the nations on earth," which is exactly what they say in their petition. We have endured the ultimate tragedy: we were driven from homeland and freedom, made slaves of savages, passed our days in reproach, overcome by hunger and hardship and thirst, spending all the time spat upon and trampled under­foot. For these reasons, then, spare us and have mercy on us." 

The cultivation of this sense of contrition, and constant petition for God's help is vital, because the world will inevitably persecute those who embark on the pilgrimage to heaven, as Bellarmine reminds us:

Because man, created to God's image, placed over all created things by him, very often even adopted by him as a son, and predestined to enjoy the kingdom of heaven, is so despised in this our pilgrim­age, not only by men and demons, and so constantly annoyed, not only by the aforesaid, but even by animals, even to the minut­est of them, and even by the very elements, that the Prophet could say with the greatest truth, not only that we are despised, but that we are "greatly filled with contempt." For what is there that does not look down upon man, even on the just and the holy, in this valley of tears? However, the contempt principally meant by the Prophet here is that which the just suffer from the unjust, and the good from the bad; because most true and universal is that expression of the apostle, "And all who live piously in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution;" as well as those words of the Lord, "If you had been of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you." This is easily understood; for good and evil, being essentially opposed to each other, they cannot possibly be at peace. And, as the just are patient and mild, and have learned of their Master to turn the other cheek to him who strikes on one, and thus to make no resistance to injuries, they are, in consequence, proudly despised, harassed, and ridiculed by the wicked.

5	V	Quia multum repléta est ánima nostra: * oppróbrium abundántibus, et despéctio supérbis.
	NV	quia multum repleta est anima nostra derisione abundantium et despectione superborum.
	JH	Multum repleta est anima nostra obprobrio abundantium, et despectione superborum.
	Sept	ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐπλήσθη ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν τὸ ὄνειδος τοῖς εὐθηνοῦσιν καὶ ἡ ἐξουδένωσις τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις

Text notes: The first phrase repeats the sentiment of the previous verse.  The second phrase is rather ambiguous.  If one assumes a verb in the present tense, sumus, it could be either ‘we are filled with reproaches from the proud and carefree’, a line followed by the Diurnal, RSV and Coverdale translations, and adopted by the Neo-Vulgate.  But the Greek implies it is a curse, so the verb would be ‘sit’, the line taken by the Douay-Rheims.  Boylan translates it as ‘let there be contempt for the wealthy, and mockery for the proud’. The second interpretation seems a more satisfactory way of ending the psalm!

quia, conj. for, because, that. truly, surely, indeed;  nisi quia, unless, if not.

anima, ae soul

opprobrium, ii, n. a reproach, taunt, byword; an object of scorn, mockery, derision; a disgrace.

abundantia, ae, /.  greatness, abundance; prosperity, abundance.

superbus, a, um raising one's self above others, proud, haughty, arrogant, insolent.

DR	For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud
Brenton	Yea, our soul has been exceedingly filled with it: let the reproach be to them that are at ease, and contempt to the proud.
MD	We are overfilled with the taunts of the rich, and with the contempt of the proud.
RSV	Too long our soul has been sated with the scorn of those who are at ease, the contempt of the proud.
Cover	Our soul is filled with the scornful reproof of the wealthy, and with the despitefulness of the proud.

St John Chrysostom provides a number of different versions of the text which perhaps help provide a better sense of it:

"...The reproach of the prosper­ous, the scorn of the arrogant. A different version, "Our soul has had its share of many things, the mockery of the prosperous, the dis­paragement of the arrogant;" another, "the sneering of the over­bearing;" another, "of reproach of those who are prosperous," whereas the Septuagint says something else, "Let these things change in their case, and let them have a taste of their actions, and their conceit and gall be checked." 

Disasters, he argues, a meant as a remedy for us:

"In fact, you could often see this happening: God is accustomed to do this without fail, repress­ing those who have fallen victim to conceit and bringing down those whose passions are out of control so as to remove them from the way leading to evil. Nothing, after all, is worse than arrogance: it is the reason for trials and tribulations, a body subject to death, and the many difficult situations; it is the reason for ailments and illnesses, so that many curbs may be applied to the soul easily car­ried away and lifted up to self-importance. Consequently, do not panic if temptation comes, dearly beloved; rather, recall the words of the inspired author, "It was good for me that you humbled me so that I might learn your decrees," accept disaster as a medicine, use temptation properly, and you will suc­ceed in attaining greater relief." 

Psalm 122 - Ad te levavi

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum
1  Ad te levávi óculos meos, * qui hábitas in cælis.	To you have I lifted up my eyes, who dwell in heaven.
2  Ecce sicut óculi servórum, * in mánibus dominórum suórum.	2 Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters,
3  Sicut óculi ancíllæ in mánibus dóminæ suæ: * ita óculi nostri ad Dóminum, Deum nostrum, donec misereátur nostri.	As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.
4  Miserére nostri, Dómine, miserére nostri: * quia multum repléti sumus despectióne:	3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.
5  Quia multum repléta est ánima nostra: * oppróbrium abundántibus, et despéctio supérbis.	4 For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud

And for notes on Psalm 123, continue on here.

Psalm 122 verses 1-3

The opening verses of Psalm 122 instruct us to cultivate a sense of our total dependence on God.

1	V/NV/JH	Ad te levávi óculos meos, * qui hábitas in cælis.
	Septuagint	πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου τὸν κατοικοῦντα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ

Text notes: ‘Ad te’ (To you) is emphatic, that is, ‘to you only’.  Lifting the eyes (levavi oculos) suggests an attitude of prayer.

levo, avi, atum, are  to rise, lift up, elevate.

oculus, i, , the eye.

habito, avi, atum, are  to dwell, abide, live.

caelum, i, n., or caeli, orum, m.  heaven, the abode of God; the heavens as opposed to the earth; the air;

DR	To you have I lifted up my eyes, who dwell in heaven.
Brenton’s Septuagint	Unto thee who dwellest in heaven have I lifted up mine eyes.
MD	Unto Thee I lift up mine eyes, Who art enthroned in heaven
RSV	To thee I lift up my eyes, O thou who art enthroned in the heavens!
Cover	Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

St Augustine puts the text in the context of the pilgrimage of life:

"What makes the heart of a Christian heavy? Because he is a pilgrim, and longs for his country. If your heart be heavy on this score, although you have been prosperous in the world, still thou dost groan: and if all things combine to render you prosperous, and this world smile upon you on every side, thou nevertheless groanest, because you see that you are set in a pilgrimage; and feelest that you have indeed happiness in the eyes of fools, but not as yet after the promise of Christ: this you seek with groans, this you seek with longings, and by longing ascendest, and while you ascend dost sing the Song of Degrees..."

The saint pictures our ascent in terms of Jacob's ladder:

"Where then are the ladders? For we behold so great an interval between heaven and earth, there is so wide a separation, and so great a space of regions between: we wish to climb there, we see no ladder; do we deceive ourselves, because we sing the Song of Degrees, that is, the Song of ascent? We ascend unto heaven, if we think of God, who has made ascending steps in the heart. What is to ascend in heart? To advance towards God. As every man who fails, does not descend, but falls: so every one who profits does ascend: but if he so profit, as to avoid pride: if he so ascend as not to fall: but if while he profits he become proud, in ascending he again falls. But that he may not be proud, what ought he to do? Let him lift up his eyes unto Him who dwells in heaven, let him not heed himself…" 

Our ascent is, of course, spiritual, not literal.   Though we only truly dwell in heaven after we die, there is a sense in which heaven can dwell in us even now:

"If, my brethren, we understand by heaven the firmament which we see with our bodily eyes, we shall indeed so err, as to imagine that we cannot ascend there without ladders, or some scaling machines: but if we ascend spiritually, we ought to understand heaven spiritually: if the ascent be in affection, heaven is in righteousness. What is then the heaven of God? All holy souls, all righteous souls. For the Apostles also, although they were on earth in the flesh, were heaven; for the Lord, enthroned in them, traversed the whole world. He then dwells in heaven. How?...How long are they the temple according to faith? As long as Christ dwells in them through faith; as the Apostle says, That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. But they are already heaven in whom God already dwells visibly, who see Him face to face; all the holy Apostles, all the holy Virtues, Powers, Thrones, Lordships, that heavenly Jerusalem, wanderers from whence we groan, and for which we pray with longing; and there God dwells."

2	V	Ecce sicut óculi servórum, * in mánibus dominórum suórum.
	NV	Ecce sicut oculi servorum ad manus dominorum suorum,
	JH	Ecce sicut oculi seruorum ad manum dominorum suorum,
	Sept	ἰδοὺ ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ δούλων εἰς χεῖρας τῶν κυρίων αὐτῶν

ecce, adv.  lol see! behold

sicut, adv., as, just as, like.

servus, i, m., a slave, servant; servants of the Lord, devout men who keep the law; the people, i.e., the Israelites

in+abl - into , onto, against, for (the purpose of)

manus, us, ,  hand

Dominus, i, m. a master, lord, ruler, owner, possessor

DR	Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters,
Brenton	Behold, as the eyes of servants are directed to the hands of their masters,
Cover	Behold, even as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters,

Pope Benedict XVI sought to explain the analogy for modern readers:

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. 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).

3	V	Sicut óculi ancíllæ in mánibus dóminæ suæ: * ita óculi nostri ad Dóminum, Deum nostrum, donec misereátur nostri.
	NV	sicut oculi ancillae ad manus dominae suae, ita oculi nostri ad Dominum Deum nostrum, donec misereatur nostri.
	JH	sicut oculi ancillae ad manum dominae suae, sic oculi nostri ad Dominum Deum nostrum, donec misereatur nostri.
	Sept	ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ παιδίσκης εἰς χεῖρας τῆς κυρίας αὐτῆς οὕτως οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν ἕως οὗ οἰκτιρήσαι ἡμᾶς

Text notes: The sense is of complete dependence – just as the female slave (ancilla) is dependent (in the hands of) her mistresses’ whims, so we wait for God to have mercy on us.

ancilla, ae, a handmaid, maidservant.

ita – so, thus, even, in this manner

donec, conj., till, until

misereor, sertus sum, eri 2 to pity, have mercy on.

DR	As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.
Brenton	and as the eyes of a maidservant to the hands of her mistress; so our eyes are directed to the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us.
Cover	and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, even so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us.

St John Chrysostom points to the importance of the reference to mercy:

Note how those who had previously been summoned to direct their steps to God, and had been halfhearted and recalcitrant, now were made so much better by the experience of disaster as to be unwilling to desert him, and instead persisted in his service and sought his interests until he has pity on us. The psalmist did not say, "Until he pays," or "Until he gives a reward," but until he has mercy. You for your part, then, human being that you are, persist without fail, whether you receive or do not receive, and if you do not re­ceive, do not give up and you will receive. After all, if the importu­nity of a widow wore down that inflexible official, what excuse would you have for giving in, losing heart and becoming supine? Do you not see how the maidservants hang on the words of their mistresses, not permitting thought or eye to be distracted? Do like­wise in your case, too: follow God alone, ignore everything else, be one of his, and in every respect you will receive everything you ask to your advantage.

Cassiodorus provides an interesting commentary on the feminine imagery:

Some com­mentators wish to attach this verse too to the Lord, to the point of identifying the mistress with the Lord God, because of the text: Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. But in case the difference of sex may alienate some people, the passage can perhaps be understood like this: earlier he made the comparison with servants and masters, and so that the female sex should not consider itself excluded, another parallel is provided for them, for the handmaid attends on the hands of her mistress as do male servants on the hands of their masters. Then follows the statement embracing both sexes, So are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us. The preceding parallel is clarified by the use of so. Whether we seek some success from the Lord, or when we bear torments of mind or body, we always raise our eyes to the Lord. He also added our to eyes, so that both sexes could interpret this as spoken of themselves. He appended: Until he have mercy on us, to show that both men and women should patiently seek divine blessings, and continually make entreaty to Him. 

Psalm 122 - Ad te levavi

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum
1  Ad te levávi óculos meos, * qui hábitas in cælis.	To you have I lifted up my eyes, who dwell in heaven.
2  Ecce sicut óculi servórum, * in mánibus dominórum suórum.	2 Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters,
3  Sicut óculi ancíllæ in mánibus dóminæ suæ: * ita óculi nostri ad Dóminum, Deum nostrum, donec misereátur nostri.	As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.
4  Miserére nostri, Dómine, miserére nostri: * quia multum repléti sumus despectióne:	3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.
5  Quia multum repléta est ánima nostra: * oppróbrium abundántibus, et despéctio supérbis.	4 For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud

Gradual Psalms - Introduction to Psalm 122

In the previous Gradual Psalm, the last psalm of Terce, the speaker focuses his attention on the holy city.

Now, with the first psalm of Sext, Psalm 122, we are invited to look even higher, lifting our eyes towards God himself.  There may be something programmatic about this, for Sext of course, was traditionally said at (solar) midday when the Sun is at its highest point, and also the hour when Christ ascended the cross.

Psalm 122 - Ad te levavi

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Canticum graduum
1  Ad te levávi óculos meos, * qui hábitas in cælis.	To you have I lifted up my eyes, who dwell in heaven.
2  Ecce sicut óculi servórum, * in mánibus dominórum suórum.	2 Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters,
3  Sicut óculi ancíllæ in mánibus dóminæ suæ: * ita óculi nostri ad Dóminum, Deum nostrum, donec misereátur nostri.	As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.
4  Miserére nostri, Dómine, miserére nostri: * quia multum repléti sumus despectióne:	3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.
5  Quia multum repléta est ánima nostra: * oppróbrium abundántibus, et despéctio supérbis.	4 For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud

Attempts to assign this psalm to a particular time period in Israel’s history are entirely speculative, and probably unhelpful in my view.  

A more important question is why it fits in with the psalms of Ascent.  But perhaps the answer is that it speaks of the normal state of the earthly pilgrim: beset by the effects of our own sins and the attacks of enemies, we wait anxiously and pray for God to show us the signs of his forgiveness.  Some commentators also suggest that the psalm alludes to the hope of the second coming.

The opening verses set before us the idea of our total dependence of God for his gifts - and punishments - just as a slave is on his or her master/mistress.  The analogy of the slave or servant’s relationship to their master or mistress is not one that has many resonances to a modern Western reader, perhaps.  Accordingly, we might better think of the psalm as being firstly about self-abandonment: the slave is totally dependent on his master for food, clothing, instructions on what to do, punishments and rewards; so too should we think of our relationship to God, acknowledging that nothing truly comes from our own efforts, but all requires his grace.  St Ambrose writes, Christ is everything for us.

The second dimension of the slave/servant analogy that is worth considering is the implication of the reverent awe with which we should raise our eyes to God.  It is true of course, that we are invited to progress from fear of God based on the threat of punishment and dread of hell, to a filial fear based on love.  But as the Rule of St Benedict makes clear in Chapter 7, on humility, we do need to ground ourselves in the fear of punishment first, and remind ourselves of it from time to time even when we have progressed.  And no matter how far we progress, we should never forget that our salvation is God’s free gift, not a right, or something we can ever merit through our own efforts.

The sense of verses 4 and 5 is that we are fed up with being looked down on by the rich and proud - noting that rich and proud doesn't just mean material wealth, but rather evildoers in general who pursue their own pleasure at everyone else's expense (though the two conditions often coincide). The psalm serves as reminder that adherence to the good is somehow affronting to many, and brings forth attempts to humiliate those who pursue truth.  The moral truth pointed to here is that we must bear our sufferings with patience, knowing that God will fill us up with good things.