Psalm 118 (Jod, v 73-80): Why we should ask for grace

Continuing my series on Psalm 118,today, Jod, which covers verses 73-80.

Truth and mercy

Cassiodorus says of today’s stanza that:

“The splendid troop advances to the tenth letter, in which they ask that understanding of the commandments be granted them so that they may enjoy the benefit of truly genuine life. They pray that the Lord's mercy may be without stain, so that they may not be confounded at the Judgment.”

St Robert Bellarmine supplements this summation by suggesting that it advances a number of reasons for asking from God the grace to observe the law, namely:

• he created us, made us one of his creatures, and, therefore, we owe him implicit obedience;
• for the edification of others;
• because he has confessed his faults, and now throws himself on God’s mercy;
• to stop evildoers from succeeding in their schemes, prevent them from leading others astray by their bad example, and convert them; and
• so that he may not have to fear the disgrace of being confounded here or hereafter.

Two verses particularly worth focusing on are 75&76: and in your truth you have humbled me O! let your mercy be for my comfort.

Truth and mercy are often depicted as two angels in iconography. By truth we learn the reality of our sinful state: if God was truth alone we would stand forever condemned. But through his mercy, he offers us redemption through Christ’s resurrection, and invites us to share in eternal life.

The text of the stanza

In the Knox translation:

73 Jealous for the handiwork thou hast made, teach me to understand thy commandments.
74 Joy shall be theirs, thy true worshippers, to see the confidence I have in thy word.
75 Just are thy awards; I know well, Lord, it was in faithfulness thou didst afflict me.
76 Judge me no more; pity and comfort thy servant as thou hast promised.
77 Judge me no more; pardon and life for one that loves thy will!
78 Just be their fall, who wrong me scornfully; thy law is all my study.
79 Joined to my company be every soul that worships thee and heeds thy warnings.
80 Jealously let my heart observe thy bidding; let me not hope in vain.

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
73  Manus tuæ fecérunt me, et plasmavérunt me: * da mihi intelléctum, et discam mandáta tua.	Your hands have made me and formed me: give me understanding, and I will learn your commandments.
74  Qui timent te vidébunt me et lætabúntur: * quia in verba tua supersperávi.	They that fear you shall see me, and shall be glad: because I have greatly hoped in your words.
75  Cognóvi, Dómine, quia æquitas judícia tua: * et in veritáte tua humiliásti me.	I know, O Lord, that your judgments are equity: and in your truth you have humbled me.
76  Fiat misericórdia tua ut consolétur me: * secúndum elóquium tuum servo tuo.	O! let your mercy be for my comfort, according to your word unto your servant.
77  Véniant mihi miseratiónes tuæ, et vivam: * quia lex tua meditátio mea est.	Let your tender mercies come unto me, and I shall live: for your law is my meditation.
78  Confundántur supérbi, quia injúste iniquitátem fecérunt in me: * ego autem exercébor in mandátis tuis.	Let the proud be ashamed, because they have done unjustly towards me: but I will be employed in your commandments.
79  Convertántur mihi timéntes te: * et qui novérunt testimónia tua.	Let them that fear you turn to me: and they that know your testimonies.
80  Fiat cor meum immaculátum in justificatiónibus tuis, * ut non confúndar.	Let my heart be undefiled in your justifications, that I may not be confounded.

Verse by verse

73. Manus tuæ fecerunt me, et plasmaverunt me: da mihi intellectum, et discam mandata tua.
Your hands have made me and formed me: give me understanding, and I will learn your commandments.

manus, us, f, hand
facio, feci, factum, ere 3, to make, do, cause, bring to pass
plasmo, avi, atum, are to form, make, fashion
intellectus, us, m. understanding, insight.
disco, didici, ere 3, to learn
mandatum, i, n. law, precept, command, commandment (of God); commandments, precepts, decrees

Manus tuæ fecerunt me = Your hands have made/created me

God does not of course literally have hands (unless one is referring to Christ alone), but the metaphor is intended to help convey God’s creative power: without it we would not exist.

et plasmaverunt me= and they shaped/formed/fashioned me

da mihi intellectum= give me understanding

Through Adam’s sin we lost our uncorrupted knowledge of God’s la, the knowledge of natural and supernatural truths infused by God; but it can be restored through grace.

et discam mandata tua= and I will learn your commandments

74 Qui timent te videbunt me et lætabuntur, quia in verba tua supersperavi.
They that fear you shall see me, and shall be glad: because I have greatly hoped in your words.

qui who
timeo, ere 2, to fear, be afraid of.
video, vidi, vlsum, ere 2, to see, behold; consider; experience, undergo, suffer, realize; keep watch, look for, meditate on
laetor, atus sum, ari, to rejoice, be joyful, take delight in
quia, conj. for, because, that. truly, surely, indeed; nisi quia, unless, if not
verbum, i, n., words
superspero, avi, atum, are, with prep, in with the ace. or abl., to hope or trust in greatly.

Qui timent te = Those who fear you

Again we are reminded that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

videbunt me et lætabuntur =[they] will see me and they will rejoice

The Church rejoices in the conversion of sinners and the spiritual progress of members of her flock.

quia in verba tua supersperavi= because I have trusted greatly in your word

75 Cognovi, Domine, quia æquitas judicia tua, et in veritate tua humiliasti me.
I know, O Lord, that your judgments are equity: and in your truth you have humbled me.

cognosco, gnovi, gnitum, ere 3, to know, see, learn, perceive, be come acquainted with.
aequitas, atis, f, justice, fairness, uprightness, goodness
judicium, i, n. judgment, decrees; law, commandment; the power, or faculty of judging wisely; justice.
veritas, atis, f truth.
humilio, avi, atum, are to humble, bring low.

Cognovi (pf), Domine =I have known (I know) O Lord

The perfect tense in Latin is better translated by the present in English, since the clear meaning is, I know and continue knowing; the Greek makes it aorist. Indeed, the Neo-Vulgate makes it ‘scio’. Either way, ‘I know’ here means, I have experienced: through the humiliations we have experienced, we arrive at the truth about ourselves and God.

quia æquitas (acc) judicia tua =because of the fairness [of] your judgments

et in veritate tua humiliasti me = and with your truth you have humbled me

76 Fiat misericordia tua ut consoletur me, secundum eloquium tuum servo tuo.
O! let your mercy be for my comfort, according to your word unto your servant.

fio, factus sum, fieri , to be made or done, to become, happen
misericordia, ae, f, mercy, kindness, favor, compassion, loving-kindness.
consolor, atus sum, ari, Active, to comfort, console, encourage
secundus, a, um following in time or order; the next, the second.
eloquium, li, n. a word, oracle, speech, utterance, promise.
servus, i, m., a slave, servant; servants of the Lord, devout men who keep the law; the people, i.e., the Israelites

Fiat misericordia tua = May your mercy be [done/made]

ut consoletur me = in order that it encourage/comfort me

=May/let your mercy comfort me

secundum eloquium tuum servo tuo= according to your word to your servant

The previous verse spoe of truth; here comes its ever-present companion, mercy. Through truth we are humbled; through mercy saved.

77 Veniant mihi miserationes tuæ, et vivam, quia lex tua meditatio mea est.
Let your tender mercies come unto me, and I shall live: for your law is my meditation.

venio, veni, ventum, ire, to come.
miseratio, onis, f kindness, compassion, mercy
vivo, vixi, victum, ere 3 to live, to have life, be alive,
lex, legis, a law; the Law of God
meditatio, onis, f, thought, reflection, musing, meditation.

Veniant mihi = May they/let them come to me

miserationes tuæ = your mercies

et vivam = and I will live

Life here means everlasting life, St Augustine says: nor is any life save that which is everlasting and blessed understood, as though it alone were to be called life, compared with which that which we now lead ought rather to be called death than life..

quia lex tua meditatio mea est = because your law is my meditation.

78 Confundantur superbi, quia injuste iniquitatem fecerunt in me; ego autem exercebor in mandatis tuis.
Let the proud be ashamed, because they have done unjustly towards me: but I will be employed in your commandments.

confundo, fiidi, fiisum, ere 3, to put or bring to shame, to discomfit, confounded
superbus, a, um , raising one's self above others, proud, haughty, arrogant, insolent.
injuste, adv. unjustly, unrighteously; wrongfully, without cause
iniquitas, atis, f iniquity, injustice, sin.
facio, feci, factum, ere 3, to make, do, cause, bring to pass
ego , pers. pro., I.
autem, adversative conj., but, on the contrary, however
exerceo, cui, citum, ere 2 , to exercise ;ponder to meditate on, be occupied or employed
mandatum, i, n. law, precept, command, commandment (of God); commandments, precepts, decrees

Confundantur superbi= Let the godless be put to shame/confounded

Confounded here has several layers of meaning: firstly, Haydock suggests, it means not accomplishing their wicked designs; but also it suggests that they ‘may they be induced to entertain that shame for sin which bringeth life’, and hence cease to offend.

quia injuste iniquitatem fecerunt in me= for unjustly have they done wickedness to me

ego autem exercebor in mandatis tuis= but I will practice/meditate on your commandments

Bellarmine notes that: The fourth reason assigned for getting grace to observe the law, is derived from the confusion it will prove to the wicked, just as the second reason was derived from the satisfaction it would afford to the just. "Let the proud be ashamed." Grant me grace to observe your law to the letter, that those proud sinners, who by their persecutions and oppressions seek to make others follow their example, on seeing me, may be thus confounded and ashamed; and while they are thus confounded and ashamed, I will, with increased zeal and vigor, "be employed in thy commandments," in meditating on them and observing them.

79 Convertantur mihi timentes te, et qui noverunt testimonia tua.
Let them that fear you turn to me: and they that know your testimonies.

converto, verti, versum, ere 3, to turn, change, alter, bring back, quicken, refresh, restore, convert, turn from sin
timeo, ere 2, to fear, be afraid of.
nosco, novi, notum, ere 3 to know, to be acquainted with., regard with
testimonium, ii, n. testimonies, commands, decrees; commandments, ordinances, statutes, judgments, testimonies

Convertantur mihi timentes te= Let them turn to me who fear you

Cassiodorus notes that: It is right to interpret those who turn to the Lord as those who have begun to take their place in the gathering of the Church; at this stage they had begun to fear but had not yet been converted with full commitment of mind.

et qui noverunt testimonia tua= and those who know your testimonies

Cassiodorus continues: The additional phrase, And they that know thy testimonies, refers to those already steeped in the divine reading but not yet instructed in the work of salvation. Let them be converted could not refer to those made perfect who were radiant with both sacred reading and devoted activity.

80 Fiat cor meum immaculatum in justificationibus tuis, ut non confundar.
Let my heart be undefiled in your justifications, that I may not be confounded.

fio, factus sum, fieri , to be made or done, to become, happen
cor, cordis, n., the heart, regarded as the seat of the faculties, feelings, emotions, passions; the mind, the soul.
immaculatus, a, um undefiled, stainless, blameless, perfect.
justificatio, onis, f precepts, decrees, statutes, ordinances;
confundo, fudi, fusum, ere 3, to put or bring to shame, to discomfit.

Fiat cor meum =May my heart be [made]

immaculatum in justificationibus tuis= undefiled/perfect/immaculate in [through] your justifications

ut non confundar= so that I may not be put to shame/be confounded/be ashamed

Bellarmine comments that: He concludes by asking again for the grace he had so often asked for, to enable him to observe the commandments of God with a perfect heart, so that he may not have to fear the disgrace of being confounded here or hereafter.

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	-
RB cursus	Sunday Sext (3)
Monastic feasts etc	-
Roman pre 1911	Terce daily
Responsories	St Caecilia – v80 Nos 6072, 6257 (v71-73), 7127, 7645, not in current liturgical use,
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday Terce
Mass propers (EF)	Holy woman not a martyr, IN (75) Holy Woman martyr CO (78, 80)

And for notes on the next stanza of the psalm, go here.

Psalm 118 (119) Teth (v65-72): How God saves us from ourselves

Today in this Lenten series on Psalm 118, we come to the ninth stanza, headed up by the Hebrew letter Teth. In the traditional form of the Benedictine Office, it is the second ‘psalm’ said at Sunday Sext.

The text of the stanza

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
65  Bonitátem fecísti cum servo tuo, Dómine: * secúndum verbum tuum.	You have done well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word.
66  Bonitátem et disciplínam et sciéntiam doce me: * quia mandátis tuis crédidi.	Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge; for I have believed your commandments.
67  Priúsquam humiliárer ego delíqui: * proptérea elóquium tuum custodívi.	Before I was humbled I offended; therefore have I kept your word
68  Bonus es tu: * et in bonitáte tua doce me justificatiónes tuas.	You are good; and in your goodness teach me your justifications.
69  Multiplicáta est super me iníquitas superbórum: * ego autem in toto corde meo scrutábor mandáta tua.	The iniquity of the proud has been multiplied over me: but I will seek your commandments with my whole heart.
70  Coagulátum est sicut lac cor eórum: * ego vero legem tuam meditátus sum.	Their heart is curdled like milk: but I have meditated on your law.
71  Bonum mihi quia humiliásti me: * ut discam justificatiónes tuas.	It is good for me that you have humbled me, that I may learn your justifications.
72  Bonum mihi lex oris tui: * super míllia auri et argénti.	The law of your mouth is good to me, above thousands of gold and silver.

The Knox translation preserves the alphabetic character of the original:

65 In fulfilment of thy promise, Lord, what kindness thou hast shewn thy servant!
66 Inspire, instruct me still; all my hope is in thy covenant.
67 Idly I strayed till thou didst chasten me; no more shall thy warnings go unheeded.
68 Indeed, indeed thou art gracious; teach me to do thy bidding.
69 In vain my oppressors plot against me; thy will is all my quest.
70 Inhuman hearts, curdled with scorn! For me, thy law is enough.
71 It was in mercy thou didst chasten me, schooling me to thy obedience.
72 Is not the law thou hast given dearer to me than rich store of gold and silver?

St Benedict

Today's stanza is an important one in Benedictine spirituality, since the saint quotes it in his Rule:

The seventh degree of humility is that he consider himself lower and of less account than anyone else, and this not only in verbal protestation but also with the most heartfelt inner conviction, humbling himself and saying with the Prophet, "But I am a worm and no man, the scorn of men and the outcast of the people", "After being exalted, I have been humbled and covered with confusion". And again, "It is good for me that You have humbled me, that I may learn Your commandments" (Ps. 118:71,73).

These verses are one’s to cling to at times when life seems to be kicking us in the teeth!

They serve as a reminder that the bad things that happen to us happen for a reason, and that we should learn from them.

And St Benedict’s spin on them is a reminder that most of us have a long way to go before we can truly regard ourselves as having been sufficiently humbled.

There are really, I think two key themes in this stanza: how we should approach the bad things that happen to us in life; and three key gifts we need from God to progress, namely ‘goodness’, discipline and knowledge.

God’s chastisements

Let’s look first at verses 67 and 71:

67 Priusquam humiliarer ego deliqui : propterea eloquium tuum custodivi.
Before I was humbled I offended; therefore have I kept your word.

71 Bonum mihi quia humiliasti me, ut discam justificationes tuas.
It is good for me that you have humbled me, that I may learn your justifications.

It is fashionable these days to deny that God ever punishes anyone, or indeed that anyone should ever be punished, whether children disobeying parents or teachers, or outright criminals. Yet Scripture and Tradition testify to the fact that God does punish, for justice requires that actions have consequences that are proportionate to the offence, unless we are granted mercy.

That's not to say that everything bad that happens to us is meant as a punishment of course - the consequences of original sin, in the form of our mortality, combined with free will have inevitable impacts on the world. Still, everything that happens is providentially arranged, and there are times when God does directly punish. And he does so, often through the agency of the evildoers that the psalmist so decries in the other verses of this stanza.

But the kind of punishments we are talking about here are, the Fathers tell us, are not those of the angel striking down Herod for blasphemy (Acts 12), or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Rather they are those things that happen to bring us to our senses, akin to the actions of a surgeon lancing a wound, or a parent chastising a child. They are meant to provide us with the incentive to repent and get back on track. As Benedict says in the Prologue to his Rule:

“…the Lord daily expects us to make our life correspond with his holy admonitions. And the days of our life are lengthened and a respite allowed to us for this very reason, that we might amend our evil ways…For the merciful Lord saith: I will not the death of a sinner, but that he should be converted and live.”

The final verse of the stanza likewise serves to put the troubles we face in this life into context, as St Robert Bellarmine comments:

"For he that is truly good looks upon any humiliation, arising from tribulation, as a great good, inasmuch as it leads to a better observance of God's law, the value of which he expresses, when he says, "The law of thy mouth is good to me above thousands of gold and silver” and so it is, because through the observance of the law we acquire life everlasting, to which no treasures can be compared."

Goodness, knowledge and discipline

So what is it in particular that we are meant to learn from our humiliations? Verse 63 provides us with the answer:

“Bonitatem, et disciplinam, et scientiam doce me”, or teach me goodness and discipline and wisdom.

Goodness here means essentially kindness, or an attitude of love of neighbour. St Robert Bellarmine suggests that it must be learnt “that I may not wish to hurt, deceive, or defraud anyone”.

Discipline, he suggests, means prudence, “to guard against the deceiver and the fraudulent, so that I may have the sweetness and the mildness of the dove, without being devoid of the counsel and the prudence of the serpent”.

And knowledge of the mysteries of God’s ways is the third virtue sought here, for knowledge without goodness and discipline can be destructive.

Teth

65 Bonitatem fecisti cum servo tuo, Domine, secundum verbum tuum.
You have done well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word.

bonitas, atis, f goodness, kindness.
facio, feci, factum, ere 3, to make, do, cause, bring to pass
cum, with, together with, in company with .before, in the presence of. to be with as a helper, when, as soon as, as often as.
servus, i, m., a slave, servant; servants of the Lord, devout men who keep the law; the people, i.e., the Israelites
secundus, a, um following in time or order; the next, the second
verbum, i, n.,word, command, edict, also a promise; saying, speech; Law, the Eternal Son.

Bonitatem fecisti (pf) = You have made good/done well/wrought kindly/dealt graciously

St Augustine comments that the Greek word χρηστότης, rendered in the Vulgate as bonitatem, can be translated as sweetness or goodness, and should be understood as meaning spiritual blessings, so that the phrase means ‘You have made me feel delight in that which is good. For when that which is good delights, it is a great gift of God’.

cum servo tuo, Domine = with your servant, O Lord

secundum verbum tuum= according to your word

66 Bonitatem, et disciplinam, et scientiam doce me, quia mandatis tuis credidi.
Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge; for I have believed your commandments.

bonitas, atis, f goodness, kindness
disciplina, ae, f instruction, correction, discipline, chastening visitation, discernment, good judgment.
scientia, ae, f, knowledge.
doceo, dociii, doctum, ere 2 to teach, instruct..
mandatum, i, n. law, precept, command, commandment (of God); commandments, precepts, decrees
credo, didi, ditum, ere 3, to believe, to be faithful to, loyally devoted to

Bonitatem, et disciplinam, et scientiam= sweetness/goodness/kindness and discipline/instruction and knowledge/wisdom

St Augustine focuses in on the Greek word used for discipline here, παιδεία, pointing out that when it is employed in Scripture, instruction through tribulation is to be understood: Whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and scourges every son whom He receives.

doce me = Teach me

Cassiodorus notes: The human teacher utters words, but cannot impart understanding of these matters, but God first enlightens the heart so that the words may sink into the thoughts of the elect.

quia mandatis tuis credidi= because I have believed your commands

67 Priusquam humiliarer ego deliqui : propterea eloquium tuum custodivi.
Before I was humbled I offended; therefore have I kept your word.

priusquam or prius quam, adv., before, before that.
humilio, avi, atum, are to humble, bring low.
delinquo, liqui, lictum, ere 3, to fail, offend, sin, transgress.
propterea, adv., therefore, on that account, for that cause; but now
eloquium, ii, n. , a word, oracle, speech, utterance, promise.
custodio, ivi or ii, itum, ire (cutos), to guard, watch, keep, to maintain, to hold steadfastly.

Priusquam humiliarer = Before I was humiliated/humbled

Humiliarer here is an imperfect passive subjunctive, but priusquam indicates that this a temporal clause, with no difference in meaning between the subjunctive and indicative in English.

ego (I, emphatic) deliqui = I sinned/offended/transgressed

St Augustine suggests this should be interpreted as a reference to Adam’s sin, but the more obvious meaning of the verse is that provided by Liguori: I sinned, and then Thou didst humble me with tribulations; these have taught me to keep Thy law.

propterea eloquium tuum custodivi =but now/therefore I have kept your word

Bellarmine suggests: He explains the necessity of the three gifts aforesaid, stating he had good reason for asking for them, inasmuch as it was through the want of them he transgressed, and for his transgressions was humbled by God in his justice. "Before I was humbled," by being visited with tribulations, "I offended," through ignorance; "therefore have I kept thy word," the promise I made of thenceforward observing your law more attentively

68 Bonus es tu, et in bonitate tua doce me justificationes tuas.
You are good; and in your goodness teach me your justifications.

bonus, a, um, good; pleasant; upright good things, possessions, prosperity.
bonitas, atis, f goodness, kindness
doceo, docui, doctum, ere 2 to teach, instruct
justificatio, onis, f precepts, decrees, statutes, ordinances;

Bonus es tu = you are good

et in bonitate tua = and in your goodness

The unction of grace…

doce me justificationes tuas= teach me your commandments/justifications/ordinances/statutes

69 Multiplicata est super me iniquitas superborum; ego autem in toto corde meo scrutabor mandata tua.
The iniquity of the proud has been multiplied over me: but I will seek your commandments with my whole heart.

multiplico, avi, atum, are to multiply, increase; to grow, flourish
super +acc=above, upon, over, in, on;+abl= about, concerning; with, on, upon, for, because of.
iniquitas, atis, f niquity, injustice, sin.
superbus, a, um raising one's self above others, proud, haughty, arrogant, insolent.
autem, adversative conj., but, on the contrary, however
in+acc=into, onto, against, for (the purpose of); +abl = with, in, on among, by means of
totus a um all, the whole
cor, cordis, n., the heart, regarded as the seat of the faculties, feelings, emotions, passions; the mind, the soul.
scrutor, atus sum, ari, to search, examine, scrutinize; search out, examine carefully; keep, to obey.
mandatum, i, n. law, precept, command, commandment (of God); commandments, precepts, decrees

Multiplicata est super me= It [the iniquity of…] has been multiplied against me/heaped upon me

iniquitas superborum = the sins/iniquity/injustice/malice of the proud

The Latin verb multiplico is used quite often in the Vulgate, but it is very hard to translate into English, and perhaps for that reason the neo-Vulgate changes the text to follow the Hebrew MT: ‘Excogitaverunt contra me dolosa superbi’. The RSV translates it as: The godless besmear me with lies. The sense of the verse is, the proud do their best to get me to sin, by spreading lie after lie, but I am committed to staying on track.

ego autem in toto corde meo = but I with my whole heart.

scrutabor mandata tua= I will search out your commandments

70 Coagulatum est sicut lac cor eorum; ego vero legem tuam meditatus sum.
Their heart is curdled like milk: but I have meditated on your law.

coagulo, avi, atum, are to curdle
sicut, adv., as, just as, like.
lac, lactis, n. milk
vero, in truth, in fact, really, certainly, even, but, truly
meditor, atus sum, ari, to think, plan, devise, meditate

Coagulatum est = it [their heart] is curdled

sicut lac =like milk

cor eorum = their (the proud of the previous verse) heart

Britt translates the first phrase as ‘Their heart is curdled like milk’.Curdled milk could mean either off-smelling milk, signifying corruption, or hardened into cheese, or a hardened heart, as Cassiodorus and others take it. The Hebrew MT (followed by NV here) makes it ‘Their heart is as fat as grease’, saying that Fat implies on the part of the sinner insensibility to the divine law.
ego vero = but/truly I

legem tuam= on your law

meditatus sum= I have meditated

ie I dismissed them in favour of God.

71 Bonum mihi quia humiliasti me, ut discam justificationes tuas.
It is good for me that you have humbled me, that I may learn your justifications.

bonus, a, um, good; pleasant; upright good things, possessions, prosperity
quia, conj. for, because, that. truly, surely, indeed;
humilio, avi, atum, are to humble, bring low.
disco, didici, ere 3, to learn.

Bonum mihi = [It is] good for me

quia humiliasti me= that you have humbled/afflicted me

ut discam (subj) justificationes tuas= so that I may learn your commandments/justifications/

72 Bonum mihi lex oris tui, super millia auri et argenti.
The law of your mouth is good to me, above thousands of gold and silver.

bonus, a, um, good; pleasant; upright good things, possessions, prosperity
lex, legis, a law; the Law of God, the will of God
os, oris, n., the mouth.
super - as a comparative ‘more than’/above
millia, mm, n., thousands; used generally in the sense of an indefinitely large number, a host, multitude
aurum, i, n., gold
argentum, i, n silver.

Bonum mihi = good for me [is]

lex oris tui = the law of your mouth

super (comparative) millia auri et argenti= more than/above thousands/a ton of/pile of gold and silver.

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the stanza

NT references	-
RB cursus	Sunday Sext (2);
Monastic feasts etc	-
Roman pre 1911	Daily Terce
Responsories	6257 (v71-73) – not in current liturgical use; Lent 3
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday) Terce
Mass propers (EF)

And for notes on the next stanza of the psalm, continue on here.

Psalm 118 Heth/3: On why our 'worship space' should be an isoceles triangle...

Continuing my series on Psalm 118, today a look at the last two verses of the Heth stanza, which I think neatly link together my previous two posts on the Psalm.

Pie chart vs triangle?

I read, recently, a comment from a Mr Walsh over at Cath News, attacking the New Liturgical Movement blog and attempting to justify the wreckovation and monstrosities of churches that arose out of the spirit of Vatican IIism. The commenter suggested that "The geometric icon of the worship group should be that of a pie chart, not an isosceles triangle."

I have to say I haven't actually seen too many isosceles triangles in pre-Vatican II Church designs! Still, the point he was trying to make, I suppose, was that the older style Church reflected a hierarchical theology where one looks up to an altar, rather than downwards into a central 'well' (as in some of our unfortunate new cathedrals); where the sanctuary where the Blessed Sacrament was reserved was separated out from the rest of the Church; and where no one would ever stand around in a semi-circle around the table (rather than altar) as occurs in some modern monasteries.

Mr Walsh wants instead to have a "worship space expresses in design, and celebration the work of all in worship."

But does Scripture support this interesting reconceptualization of the nature of worship? Does it ever suggest liturgy should be about 'celebrating the work of all' as opposed to celebrating the work of God for example! I think not!

O God my portion...

In fact these verses of Psalm 118 set out quite clearly firstly the importance of the vertical dimension of our spiritual life: our relationship to God, who is ‘our portion’, our inheritance that we receive because of God's goodness and our obedience to his will. Consider again the opening verse of the stanza in the RSV translation: 'The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep thy words'.

The subsequent verses deal with our response to his call: the psalmist talks about reflecting on our own past actions and beliefs, makes a renewed commitment to God, prays for the aid of grace. The climax of the stanza, that I talked about yesterday, is his commitment to ‘rising’ even at the darkest times, when under attack from fierce enemies, to praise God steadfastly.

There is certainly a circular element to this (kind of like a piechart?!), but only in the sense of evildoers trying to tie us up!

The last verses of the stanza, that I want to focus on today do however turn to the horizontal communion with other believers. But there is no piechart at work here! Rather, we are joined together first and foremost through our relationship to God.

We are partakers with those who fear God and keep his commandments

Here are the verses:

63 Particeps ego sum omnium timentium te, et custodientium mandata tua.
I am a partaker with all them that fear you, and that keep your commandments

64 Misericordia tua, Domine, plena est terra; justificationes tuas doce me.
The earth, O Lord, is full of your mercy: teach me your justifications.

Verse 63 is in effect a statement of the unity of the Church: we are not just a random collection of individuals, but rather joined in communion 'with all those who fear God'.

Fear of the Lord is an important concept in Scripture, even if one out of favour with many in the Church today. Fortunately the newly released paper from the International Theological Commission provides some corrective points on this, noting that:

"In the Old Testament, the central message of wisdom theology appears three times: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (Ps 111:10; cf. Prov 1:7; 9:10). The basis of this motto is the insight of the sages of Israel that God’s wisdom is at work in creation and in history and that those who appreciate that will understand the meaning of the world and of events (cf. Prov 7ff., Wis 7ff.). ‘Fear of God’ is the right attitude in the presence of God (coram Deo). Wisdom is the art of understanding the world and of orientating one’s life in devotion to God…"(Theology today, 87)

But the key point to note here is that communion with other believers comes about not through horizontal “community building” activities, not through our 'exercize of ministry in community', and not through superficial conformity in external gestures or action, but is established by our faith in God.

It doesn’t matter, from this perspective, whether we are hearing Mass in the Mozarabic Rite, the Sarum, the Maronite, the Extraordinary Form or the Novus Ordo. It doesn’t matter whether we are ‘ministers’ or not.

All that matters is our shared faith and our shared commitment to obeying God, that we each, in ways appropriate to our state in life, 'rise' to praise God.

And the traditional understanding of what it means to be a 'partaker' refers, first and foremost to spiritual benefits. As Haydock puts it “The true living members of Christ enjoy the great benefit of partaking in the prayers and good works of the whole Church militant and triumphant, in the communion of saints.”

The social life of a parish, and concrete activities are not really means of building a community, but rather of making the invisible bonds visible, bonds flowing vertically from our relationship to God who must always come first, and then horizontally to love of neighbour. Kind of like three points of a triangle really, with God at the top...

And yet in reality, we stand not at different points of a triangle, but next to one another, part of the cloud of believers stretching down the generations. And it is indeed on this note that the stanza ends, with a paen of praise for God’s mercy in offering redemption to us all, for his mercy that fills the earth even though we are but sinners.

Verse notes

63 Particeps ego sum omnium timentium te, et custodientium mandata tua.
I am a partaker with all them that fear you, and that keep your commandments.

particeps, cipis sharing, participating in. Subst., a sharer, partaker, companion, friend.
ego , pers. pro., I.
omnis, e, all, each, every; subst., all men, all things, everything
timeo, ere 2, to fear, be afraid of.
custodio, ivi or li, itum, ire to guard, watch, keep;to maintain, to hold steadfastly
mandatum, i, n. law, precept, command, commandment (of God); commandments, precepts, decrees

Particeps ego sum = I am sharing/joining/a partaker/companion

omnium (gen pl) timentium (participle) te = of all fearing you = with all who fear you

et custodientium mandata tua = and keeping your commandments = and who keep your commandments

64 Misericordia tua, Domine, plena est terra; justificationes tuas doce me.
The earth, O Lord, is full of your mercy: teach me your justifications.

misericordia, ae,, mercy, kindness, favor, compassion, loving-kindness
plenus, a, um full, filled.
terra, ae, f the earth; orbis terrae, the world; a country, esp. the Land of Israel
doceo, docui, doctum, ere 2 to teach, instruct.

Misericordia tua, Domine = your mercy O Lord

plena est terra = the earth is full

=the earth is full of your mercy O Lord

justificationes tuas doce (imperative) me = teach me your justifications/statutes/law

And to continue on to the next set of notes in this series, click here.

Psalm 118 Heth/2: Dark times for the Church and the need for faithful monasticism

Continuing my series on Psalm 118, I want to build today, on yesterday's post on the stanza labeled Heth. I had originally planned to devote two posts to this stanza, but I find I have some important things to say on it, so I’ll spread it over today and tomorrow.

Today I particularly want to focus on verses 61&62:

61 The cords of the wicked have encompassed me: but I have not forgotten your law.
62 I rose at midnight to give praise to you; for the judgments of your justification.

And I want to dedicate this post to all those who say their Office (and/or other prayers) where and when as best they can, as well as to the monks and nuns who rise in the night and pray on our behalf in their chapels with the full ritual!

The spiritual meaning

In a reverse of the normal practice, let's start with the spiritual, rather than literal meaning of these verses.

Verse 61, funes peccatorum circumplexi sunt me et legem tuam non sum oblitus, echoes the imagery of Psalm 17, talking about the snares of our enemies, the temptations that cause us to trip and fall into sin.

St Augustine sees the reference to midnight in verse 62, Media nocte surgebam ad confitendum tibi super judicia justificationis tuæ, as a reference to the tribulations facing the Church:

“This very fact, that the bands of the ungodly surround the righteous, is one of the righteous judgments of God. On which account the Apostle Peter says, The time has come when judgment must begin at the house of the Lord. 1 Peter 4:17 For he says this of the persecutions which the Church suffered, when the bands of the ungodly surrounded them. I suppose, therefore, that by midnight we should understand the heavier seasons of tribulation.”

‘Midnight’ has a lot of symbolism around it, as Cassiodorus points out:

“They knew that at that hour the first-born of the Egyptians were smitten, that at that time the bonds of Peter, Paul and Silas who lay in prison were loosed, that the Bridegroom would also come at midnight. So at that same time they rise to give praise, so that they may not stand among the foolish virgins, and the door remain closed on them.”

So this verse is arguably particularly apt for our times, which are arguably one of the darker periods in the history of the Church.

But at such times, St Augustine argues, the Church arises strengthened, he says, “that through this very tribulation he might advance unto a bolder confession.” Bad times, as Father Barron has pointed out, call forth great saints.

But what about the literal meaning of the text?

This spiritual meaning of the verse is all well and good, but it has to be said that some of the saints interpret this verse very literally indeed. St Benedict in his Rule, for example, cites it as the reason for the inclusion of the long monastic Vigil of now known as Matins in his Office, and the instructions he gives to his monks to rise in the darkness so the hour is completed before first light.

But here I think we have to understand the prophetic sign that religious life is meant to represent. Scripture records that God often tells the prophets to do very odds things in order to make a point, to make the invisible truth visible to us. The most famous example of this is probably God’s instruction to Hosea to ‘marry a whore’, an instruction that we have every reason to think was meant and taken literally, but which served to show Israel for what she was, with her addiction to false idols.

For us today, monastic life is meant to serve a similarly prophetic function of making invisible truths visible at times by doing things others either cannot or should not! Medieval monastic theology, for example, as Dom Lecelercq’s magisterial book The Love of Learning and the Desire for God draws out, often portrayed monastic life as the vita angelica, the angelic life, where the monastery was ‘a Jerusalem in anticipation’.

Pope John Paul II’s Vita Consecrata built on this idea that we need spiritual athletes, an elite if you will, in order to encourage the rest of us on. Just as I go swimming even though I know I will never achieve the Olympic time the swimmers I enjoy watching compete on tv do, so we should pray as best we can, not letting the perfect get in the way of the good!

St Benedict’s night vigil then, when carried out faithfully by monks or nuns, serves to remind all of us of that need to push back the metaphorical night wherever and whenever we can. In an ideal world, we might all attempt to join with them spiritually now and then. But in the end, it is a particularly monastic function to offer this vigil on behalf of all of us. Monks and nuns can (in theory at least) rise at midnight, can sing all of the hours of the Office because they do not have children to raise, work to go to or an outside world that they must engage in. For a layperson with such duties, however, attempting to fulfill a full monastic regime may be positively harmful, just as marrying a woman who lacks virtue might be!

‘Rising’ and praising God

So should we get out of our beds at midnight to pray? Must we adopt all of the choir rubrics when we pray the Office?

To do so is certainly virtuous and to be encouraged, and we should certainly be mindful of who God really is when we pray.

And we desperately need more faithful monasteries to make this symbolism real for us and spur us on to greater heights in our own efforts.

But I want to end by going back to the spiritual meaning of the verse here. In Psalm 126, we are presented with this verse: Vanum est vobis ante lucem surgere, or It is vain for you to rise before light. In that context, the point is that unless God gives us grace, nothing we do will bear fruit.

On Sunday’s during Lent, the Invitatory antiphon at Matins actually turns this verse around, making it ‘Non sit nobis vanum mane surgere ante lucem: quia promissit Dominus coronam vigilantibus’, or Let it not be in vain to rise before the light, for the Lord has promised the crown to who keep vigil.

All of us are called to keep vigil in ways proper to our state of life, and those who do so semi-recumbent in bed, whether saying some part or form of the Office, the rosary or some other prayer, however brief, can take heart, I think, from Cassiodorus’ comment on Psalm 118 that “we always rise when we hasten to the Lord's praises.”

Notes on the Latin

61 Funes peccatorum circumplexi sunt me, et legem tuam non sum oblitus.
The cords of the wicked have encompassed me: but I have not forgotten your law.

funis, is, m., lit., a line, cord, rope,
peccator, oris, m., a sinner, transgressor; the wicked, the godless.
circumplector, plexus sum, plecti 3, to clasp around, enfold, encompass, surround
obliviscor, oblitus sum, oblivisci to forget

Funes peccatorum =The cords/snares of the wicked

Psalm 17 uses similar imagery to refer to the hindrances of our enemies – they set snares or tripwires, in the form of temptations, which entangle us. St Augustine comments: “The bands of the ungodly are the hindrances of our enemies, whether spiritual, as the devil and his angels, or carnal, the children of disobedience, in whom the devil works. The bands of the ungodly are the hindrances of our enemies, whether spiritual, as the devil and his angels, or carnal, the children of disobedience, in whom the devil works.”

circumplexi sunt me = have tied me up/encompassed/ensnared me

62 Media nocte surgebam ad confitendum tibi, super judicia justificationis tuæ.
I rose at midnight to give praise to you; for the judgments of your justification.

medius, a, um in the middle, midst
nox, noctis, f. night
surgo, surrexi, surrectum, ere 3, rise, stand up; to awake; to rise, to get up from bed or from sleep
confiteor, fessus sum, eri 2 to praise, give thanks; to confess, acknowledge one's guilt
super+abl= about, concerning; with, on, upon, for, because of.
judicium, i, n. judgment, decrees; law, commandment; the power, or faculty of judging wisely; justice.
justificatio, onis, f precepts, decrees, statutes, ordinances;

Media nocte surgebam (impf, repeated action) = I rose in the middle of the night

ad confitendum (gerund) tibi = for giving praise = in order to praise you/to give praise/thanks to you


super judicia justificationis tuæ = because of/on account of the justice/ of your precepts/laws.

The Greek suggests more ‘the judgments of your righteousness’.



And you can find the next part in this series here.

Psalm 118 Heth (v57-64)/1: Our portion is God; God’s portion is the Church

Continuing on with my Lenten series on Psalm 118, today I want to move to the next stanza of Psalm 118, which in the Hebrew starts with the letter Heth, and I'm going to do this in two parts; today verses 57-60.

But first a quick overview of the stanza and its liturgical uses.

The text of the stanza

Here is the Knox translation

57 Heritage, Lord, I claim no other, but to obey thy word.
58 Heart-deep my supplication before thee for the mercies thou hast promised.
59 Have I not planned out my path, turned aside to follow thy decrees?
60 Haste such as mine can brook no delay in carrying out all thy bidding.
61 Hemmed in by the snares which sinners laid for me, never was I forgetful of thy law.
62 Hearken when I rise at dead of night to praise thee for thy just dealings.
63 How well I love the souls that fear thee, and are true to thy trust!
64 How thy mercy fills the earth, Lord! Teach me to do thy will.

And here is the Latin with the Douay-Rheims translation:

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
57  Pórtio mea, Dómine, * dixi custodíre legem tuam.	O Lord, my portion, I have said, I would keep your law.
58  Deprecátus sum fáciem tuam in toto corde meo: * miserére mei secúndum elóquium tuum.	58 I entreated your face with all my heart: have mercy on me according to your word.
59  Cogitávi vias meas: * et convérti pedes meos in testimónia tua.	59 I have thought on my ways: and turned my feet unto your testimonies.
60  Parátus sum, et non sum turbátus: * ut custódiam mandáta tua.	60 I am ready, and am not troubled: that I may keep your commandments.
61  Funes peccatórum circumpléxi sunt me: * et legem tuam non sum oblítus.	61 The cords of the wicked have encompassed me: but I have not forgotten your law.
62  Média nocte surgébam ad confiténdum tibi: * super judícia justificatiónis tuæ.	62 I rose at midnight to give praise to you; for the judgments of your justification.
63  Párticeps ego sum ómnium timéntium te: * et custodiéntium mandáta tua.	63 I am a partaker with all them that fear you, and that keep your commandments.
64  Misericórdia tua, Dómine, plena est terra: * justificatiónes tuas doce me	64 The earth, O Lord, is full of your mercy: teach me your justifications.

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the stanza

In the Benedictine Office it marks the start of Sunday Sext; in the Roman 1962, it is said at Sunday Terce.

NT references	Acts 16:25 (62)
RB cursus	Sunday Sext/1
Monastic feasts etc	-
Roman pre 1911	daily Terce
Responsories	[no 7353; v63 - Lent 1, not used in current liturgy]
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Sunday Terce (iv);
Mass propers (EF)	Lent 2 OF, v, 57-59 Passion Sunday OF, v, 58

My portion it is...

And on this one, Pope Benedict XVI has provided extensive catechesis on the first verse, Verse 57 of the Psalm. So today I want to present and reflect on his comments; over the next two posts I’ll look at the rest of the verses in this important stanza.

Here is verse 57 once again:

57 Portio mea, Domine, dixi custodire legem tuam. O Lord, my portion, I have said, I would keep your law.

This verse focuses on the idea that God is our portion or inheritance. This is a mutual relationship though, for we are utterly dependent in realizing it, on God’s grace, which will come if we but pray for it, as the lesson for yesterday’s Mass (Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent) reminds us. In that reading, from Esther 13, Mordecai prayed to God imploring him to save the Israelites, depicting them – and for us the Church – from the destruction they faced:

“And now, O Lord, O king, O God of Abraham, have mercy on your people, because our enemies resolve to destroy us, and extinguish your inheritance. Despise not your portion, which you have redeemed for yourself out of Egypt. Hear my supplication, and be merciful to your lot and inheritance, and turn our mourning into joy, that we may live and praise your name, O Lord, and shut not the mouths of them that sing to you.”

God, in other words, has chosen his Church and called us into it, and we in turn must actively respond, and choose him over all other things.

The idea that God is the portion or inheritance of the psalmist features in several other of the psalms, two of which (Psalms 15 and 141) are explicitly attributed in Scripture to King David. Pope Benedict XVI comments:

“In other Psalms too the person praying affirms that the Lord is his “portion”, his inheritance: “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup”, Psalm 16[15] says. “God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever” is the protestation of faith of the faithful person in Psalm 73 [72]: v. 26b, and again, in Psalm 142[141], the Psalmist cries to the Lord: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” (v. 5b).”

The priestly portion

In the Old Testament, the Pope notes, the notion of God as the ‘portion’ elsewhere generally has a particular application to priests:

“This term “portion” calls to mind the event of the division of the promised land between the tribes of Israel, when no piece of land was assigned to the Levites because their “portion” was the Lord himself. Two texts of the Pentateuch, using the term in question, are explicit in this regard, the Lord said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel”, as the Book of Numbers (18:20) declares and as Deuteronomy reaffirms “Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God said to him” (Deut 10:9; cf. Deut 18:2; Josh 13:33; Ezek 44:28).

The Priests, who belong to the tribe of Levi cannot be landowners in the land that God was to bequeath as a legacy to his people, thus bringing to completion the promise he had made to Abraham (cf. Gen 12:1-7). The ownership of land, a fundamental element for permanence and for survival, was a sign of blessing because it presupposed the possibility of building a house, of raising children, of cultivating the fields and of living on the produce of the earth.

Well, the Levites, mediators of the sacred and of the divine blessing, unlike the other Israelites could not own possessions, this external sign of blessing and source of subsistence. Totally dedicated to the Lord, they had to live on him alone, reliant on his provident love and on the generosity of their brethren without any other inheritance since God was their portion, God was the land that enabled them to live to the full.”

Pope Benedict draws out the implications of this verse first for priests today, who have embraced the choice of celibacy:

“Dear brothers and sisters, these verses are also of great importance for all of us. First of all for priests, who are called to live on the Lord and his word alone with no other means of security, with him as their one possession and as their only source of true life. In this light one understands the free choice of celibacy for the Kingdom of Heaven in order to rediscover it in its beauty and power.”

A priestly people

It is worth noting, however, that the person speaking in this psalm is almost certainly not a priest: while the psalm is not explicitly attributed to David, the general consensus is that he did in fact compose it. In any case, as noted above, David certainly did appropriate the sentiment to himself in other psalms. Pope Benedict continues:

“The person praying in Psalm 119 then applies this reality to himself: “the Lord is my portion”. His love for God and for his word leads him to make the radical decision to have the Lord as his one possession and also to treasure his words as a precious gift more valuable than any legacy or earthly possession. There are two different ways in which our verse may be translated and it could also be translated as “my portion Lord, as I have said, is to preserve your words”. The two translations are not contradictory but on the contrary complete each other: the Psalmist meant that his portion was the Lord but that preserving the divine words was also part of his inheritance, as he was to say later in v. 111: “your testimonies are my heritage for ever; yea, they are the joy of my heart”. This is the happiness of the Psalmist, like the Levites, he has been given the word of God as his portion, his inheritance.”

This idea is important for us all:

“Yet these verses are also important for all the faithful, the People of God that belong to him alone, “a kingdom and priests” for the Lord (cf. 1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:6, 5:10), called to the radicalism of the Gospel, witnesses of the life brought by Christ, the new and definitive “High Priest” who gave himself as a sacrifice for the salvation of the world (cf. Heb 2:17; 4:14-16; 5:5-10; 9, 11ff.). The Lord and his word: these are our “land”, in which to live in communion and in joy.

Let us therefore permit the Lord to instil this love for his word in our hearts and to grant that we may always place him and his holy will at the centre of our life. Let us ask that our prayers and the whole of our life be illuminated by the word of God, the lamp to light our footsteps and a light on our path, as Psalm 119 (cf. 105) says, so that we may walk safely in the land of men. And may Mary, who generously welcomed the Word, be our guide and comfort, the polestar that indicates the way to happiness.

Then we too shall be able to rejoice in our prayers, like the praying person of Psalm 16, in the unexpected gifts of the Lord and in the undeserved legacy that fell to us: “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup... the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage” (Ps 16:5, 6).”

A verse by verse look

Today notes on the first four verses of the stanza; I'll provide the rest in the next post.

57 Portio mea, Domine, dixi custodire legem tuam.
O Lord, my portion, I have said, I would keep your law.

portio, onis, f., portion, lot, inheritance
dico, dixi, dictum, ere 3, to say, speak; to sing; in the sense of to think, plan, desire; to praise.
custodio, ivi, itum, ire , to guard, watch, keep; to maintain, to hold steadfastly

Portio mea, Domine = My portion O Lord.

In the absence of a verb, this phrase is ambiguous. It could be ‘My portion [is] (to keep your law)’, or ‘[You are] my portion, O Lord’.

dixi = I have said.

custodire legem tuam = [is] to keep your law.

Latin makes custodire an active infinitive; the Greek has it as a middle aorist, hence Brenton’s from the Septuagint translation is “I would keep’ to try and convey that flavour, while the New English Translation of the Greek makes it ‘I should keep’. The word law used for law (lex) in the Masoretic Text here is davar – elsewhere else in this psalm the Vulgate translates this term as ‘sermo’, that is commands or edicts.

58 Deprecatus sum faciem tuam in toto corde meo secundum eloquium tuum
I entreated your face with all my heart: have mercy on me according to your word.

deprecor, atus sum, ari, to entreat, beg
facies, ei, f. face, countenance, appearance; presence.
misereor, sertus sum, eri 2, to pity, have mercy on.
secundum +acc according to, by reason of, as, after the manner of, like
eloquium, ii, n. a word, oracle, speech, utterance, promise.

Deprecatus sum (deponent) faciem tuam in toto corde meo = I entreated/begged your presence/face with my whole heart

God’s face or presence can be understood here as in the sense of awareness of his presence, but also literally, as looking forward to the promise of the Incarnation.

miserere mei = have mercy on me

secundum (governs accusative) eloquium tuum = according to your word/promise

59 Cogitavi vias meas, et converti pedes meos in testimonia tua.
I have thought on my ways: and turned my feet unto your testimonies.

cogito, avi, atum, are to think, plan, devise, take counsel.
via, ae, a way, road, path, street. God's way, God's policy, way of life
converto, verti, versum, ere 3, to turn, change, alter, bring back; quicken, refresh; bring back; convert, turn from sin;
pes, pedis, m. the foot
testimonium, ii, n. witness, testimony; the Law; precepts, commandments, ordinances, statutes, judgments, testimonies.

Cogitavi vias meas = I have thought on my ways

First we must examine our consciences.

et converti pedes meos = and [have] turned my feet

Only then can we decide what is the right path.

in testimonia tua= to your testimonies

60 Paratus sum, et non sum turbatus, ut custodiam mandata tua.
I am ready, and am not troubled: that I may keep your commandments.

paro, avi, atum, are, to prepare, make ready, furnish, equip, fit out, provide, make firm, establish
turbo, avi, atum, are, to trouble, disturb, dismay, throw into disorder or confusion

Paratus sum = I am prepared

et non sum turbatus =and I am not afraid/troubled/dismayed

ut custodiam (subjunctive = purpose clause) mandata tua = that I may keep = to keep your commandments

And now enjoy an aria from one of my favourite Bach Cantatas, which so beautifully expresses the sense of longing in these verses. The opening words are, When will you come, my saviour? I come, your portion...

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

Psalm 118 (119) Zayin/2 - Sing to the Lord!

Yesterday I started talking about the stanza of Psalm 118 (119) starting with the Hebrew letter zayin; today I want to focus in on a particular verse of that stanza, namely verse 54:

54 Cantabiles mihi erant justificationes tuæ in loco peregrinationis meæ.
Your justifications were the subject of my song, in the place of my pilgrimage.

Both phrases of this verse are important: the first because it reminds us of the importance of song as prayer; the second because it reminds us once again that this life is but fleeting.

Life is a pilgrimage

Let’s focus on the second phrase of verse 53 first. Too often today, the mark of our Christianity is seen as our effect on this world. I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t be concerned about righting wrongs, helping the poor and so forth: of course we should.

But we should always remember that this world is peripheral, what really counts is the next. And if we remember that, our good works will be motivated first and foremost by spiritual zeal, the zeal for souls.

As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est, a pure and generous love can be a wonderful witness to Christ. Yet we must always keep in mind as we carry out works of practical charity or engage on issues of justice that “Often the deepest cause of suffering is the very absence of God.”

Singing God’s praises

And music is one of the ways people down the centuries have made God's presence heard by many.

As well as reminding us that we stand before eternity, the image of the pilgrimage put before us here reinforces the idea of the first phrase that the best way of internalizing God’s law, his will for us, is to sing!

Many of the psalms contain references to them being sung; indeed many of the psalm titles contain what seem to be (now incomprehensible) instructions as to just how they should be sung.

The Church has long since developed its own solution to this, in the form of the Gregorian Chant proper to the Mass and Office. As Vatican II’s Sacrosanctum Concilium stated:

“The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.” (116)

It is one of those instructions of Vatican II that is pretty much totally ignored these days!

There are many reasons we should consider singing the psalms rather than just saying them.

First they were composed as songs, and I think convey more if they are sung. So if you are using this psalm as a Lenten penance, can I urge you to consider chanting the day’s verses rather than just reading them. You can sing it on just one note if necessary, or use a simple psalm tone if you are familiar with them. Try it and see the impact!

Secondly, singing helps make us more joyful in our prayer. Cassiodorus comments that “The phrase, fit for my song, suggests psalm-singing to be con¬ducted with great delight. As Paul has it: Singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. Singing always lightens labours, and does not allow weariness to creep into the mind consoled by the great sweetness of contemplation.”

Thirdly, the chant settings of the psalms found in the antiphons of the Office, the Mass propers and so forth provide us with an authentic interpretation of those verses, helping us to read them in the light of the tradition. Even if you aren’t familiar with the Latin, listening to the settings, will, I think, convey some of that context, helping us penetrate the meaning of the verses. So I would encourage you to listen to the recordings I’m providing along with each days notes!

Verse by verse commentary (continued)

54 Cantabiles mihi erant justificationes tuæ in loco peregrinationis meæ.
Your justifications were the subject of my song, in the place of my pilgrimage.

Cantabiles mihi erant = Worthy of being sung to me they [your statutes] were

Cassiodorus comments that “The phrase, fit for my song, suggests psalm-singing to be conducted with great delight. As Paul has it: Singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. Singing always lightens labours, and does not allow weariness to creep into the mind consoled by the great sweetness of contemplation.”

cantabilis, e worthy of praise, worthy of being sung.

justificationes tuæ = your statutes

in loco peregrinationis meæ = in the place of my pilgrimage

Cassiodorus notes that this phrase “denotes this world in which all devoted to the Lord Christ are foreigners. We have been expelled in the person of Adam from our abode in paradise, and we have our lodging in this land because we do not possess the blessedness of that native land; so we are seen to be foreigners in this world.”

locus, i, m. a place.
peregrinatio, onis, f a pilgrimage, sojourning.

The neo-Vulgate changes the verse to something like ‘Your statutes have been made my songs in the place of my pilgrimage’.

55 Memor fui nocte nominis tui, Domine, et custodivi legem tuam.
In the night I have remembered your name, O Lord: and have kept your law.

Memor fui nocte nominis tui, Domine= I have been mindful of your name in the night, O Lord

Night here, St Augustine points out, can have several connotations: it can refer to our mortality; to sin and those who carry out evil under cover of darkness; and to this period in the history of creation when we remain still in darkness, waiting until the Lord comes again to bring full light to the world.

nox, noctis, f night.
nomen, mis, n. name; God himself; the perfections of God, His glory, majesty, wisdom, power, goodness

et custodivi legem tuam= and I have kept your law.

custodio, ivi or li, itum, ire to guard, watch, keep;to maintain, to hold steadfastly.

56 Hæc facta est mihi, quia justificationes tuas exquisivi.
This happened to me: because I sought after your justifications.

Hæc facta est mihi =This has happened/has fallen to me

What does 'this' refer to? The Fathers offer various suggestions. St Augusitne sees it as referring back to the night, and the gift the Christian has of seeing the truth despite the darkness that surrounds us in this world. Cassiodorus suggests adding ‘consolation’. Bellarmine’s view is: "This," that is to say, my having reflected on God's promises, and drawn so much hope from them, and the other advantages that followed, "happened to me, because I sought after thy justifications;" for the Prophet wishes, in this Psalm, which is entirely devoted to praising the law, to attribute everything to a diligent study and love of the law, that he may thus stimulate man to reflect on it, and to observe it.”

facio, feci, factum, ere 3, to make, do, cause, bring to pass

quia justificationes tuas exquisivi = because I have sought after your precepts.

exquiro quaesivi itum ere 3, to seek, seek after

PS I'm still fiddling with the format and content of these posts, so do let me know if  you have any preferences!

And you can find the next part in this series here.