Psalm 115: verse 4 - The chalice of salvation

As noted in the context of the previous verse, Verse 4 of Psalm 115 is said by the priest at Mass before he receives the Precious Blood:

Cálicem salutáris accípiam: * et nomen Dómini invocábo.

I will take the chalice of salvation; and I will call upon the name of the Lord.

Lectio

Cálicem (the chalice/cup) salutáris (of salvation) accípiam (I will take/receive/accept)

calix, icis, m. cup, goblet, drinking-vessel. Pars calicis, share, portion.

salutaris, e  a Savior, Helper, used of God;  help, saving help, rescue, salvation,

accipio, cepi, ceptum, ere 3  to take; seize, grasp; take away; receive or grasp mentally; receive

et nomen Dómini invocábo =and I will invoke the name of the Lord

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

invoco, avi, atum, are,  to invoke, call upon (God); to put trust in

Study

This is one of those verses that has multiple levels of meaning.

In the Christological sense, in the context of Monday Vespers, we can perhaps read it as Christ's acceptance, as he is about to commence his three year public mission, of all that is to come, including his suffering and death.  St Robert Bellarmine, for example, tells us that:

"This is universally understood of the sufferings and passion of Christ, concerning which our Savior himself said, "Can you drink of the chalice that I shall drink?" and again, "Let this chalice pass from me;" and again, John 18, "The chalice which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it?" And it is not only in the New Testament that the word chalice is used for a bitter draught of tribulation, but it also occurs in the same sense in many passages in the Old. Thus, in Psalm 74, "For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup of strong wine, full of mixture;" and in Isaias 51, "Stand up, O Jerusalem, which has drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath." In Jer. 25, "Take the cup of wine of this fury at my hand." In Ezech. 23, "Thus saith the Lord God: Thou shalt drink thy sister's cup deep and wide: thou shalt be had in derision and scorn, and thou shalt drink it, and drink it up, even to the dregs." In Hab. 2, "Thou art filled with shame instead of glory, drink thou also and fall fast asleep; the cup of the right hand of the Lord shall compass thee, and shameful vomiting shall be on thy glory." The just man, who loves God, then says, "When I have nothing better to offer my Lord in return for all he has conferred on one, 'I will take the chalice of salvation.' I will cheerfully drink the chalice of the Lord, however bitter it may be, whether it consists in tribulations, dangers; or even death itself. For his own honor's sake he will support me; for I know that this chalice, however bitter, will be wholesome. And, as I do not rely on my own strength, but, with God's help, can do everything, 'I will, therefore, call upon the name of the Lord' to give me the grace to drink this cup courageously." 

But, following 1 Cor 10:16 (which reads, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?') it can also be read more generally and positively as our participation in the sacraments, as St John Chrysostom points out:

Those, then, who take the expression in a spiritual sense say it is the participation in the sacraments, whereas we for the moment keep to the literal sense and say he is referring here to libations, sacrifices and thanksgiving hymns. In olden times, you see, there were different kinds of sacrifices: there was a sacrifice of praise, for sins, and burnt offerings, for personal welfare, and peace offerings and many others. So what he means is this: While I have nothing worthy to pay, I make a payment of what I have: I shall offer to God a thanksgiving sacrifice, and make mention of him for the sake of my salvation.

Meditation

This psalm is used in the Common of Martyrs, and that context, it is worth emphasizing that our offering here is dependent on God's power and the graces he gives us, as Cassiodorus points out:

This is indeed a worthy promise, but it would be hazardous presumption if it rested on human powers. Who can endow confessors with endurance of tortures except Him who deigned to accept the chalice of suffering on our behalf? To show with certainty that this is impossible for human powers, they next said: And I will call upon the name of the Lord. By relying on His help they believed that they were achieving what they thought their bodily frailty inadequate to perform. The death of martyrs is defined most beautifully and briefly as: The chalice of salvation. Chalice, because it is drunk in due measure; of salvation, because through the Lord's generosity it is served for eternal salvation. Of this chalice the Lord also said in the gospel: Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink?

Prayer

O Lord through your goodness you strengthen us in grace, pouring out life through the sacraments.  Strengthen us indeed so we may be worthy to drink the cup of salvation, calling on your name.  Save us from our enemies O Lord, that we may render a worthy sacrifice to you.

Contemplation

The prayer at Mass is completed by a verse from Psalm 17:

Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi?  Calicem salutaris accipiam, et nomen Domini invocabo.  Laudans invocabo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis salvus ero.  

Psalm 115

1 Crédidi, propter quod locútus sum: * ego autem humiliátus sum nimis.

2  Ego dixi in excéssu meo: * Omnis homo mendax.

3  Quid retríbuam Dómino, * pro ómnibus, quæ retríbuit mihi?

4  Cálicem salutáris accípiam: * et nomen Dómini invocábo.

5  Vota mea Dómino reddam coram omni pópulo ejus: * pretiósa in conspéctu Dómini mors sanctórum ejus:

6  O Dómine, quia ego servus tuus: * ego servus tuus, et fílius ancíllæ tuæ.

7  Dirupísti víncula mea: * tibi sacrificábo hóstiam laudis, et nomen Dómini invocábo.

8  Vota mea Dómino reddam in conspéctu omnis pópuli ejus: * in átriis domus Dómini, in médio tui, Jerúsalem.

You can find notes on the next verses of the psalm here.

Psalm 115: verses 3 - What can I give him, poor as I am?

The third (and fourth) verse of Psalm 115 feature in the Ordinary of the Mass (Vetus Ordo) as the prayer the priest says before he receives the Precious Blood, and thus completes the sacrifice of the Mass:

Quid retríbuam Dómino, * pro ómnibus, quæ retríbuit mihi?
What shall I render to the Lord, for all the things that he has rendered to me?

Lectio

Quid (what) retríbuam (I shall repay/render/give back) Dómino (to the Lord)

retribuo, tribui, tributum, ere 3, to repay, requite, reward, recompense, render; give back, return; make requital for

pro (for) ómnibus (all), quæ (that) retríbuit (he has rewarded/rendered) mihi (to me)? = for all that he has rendered to me?

Study

This verse poses an important question: what can we possibly offer God?

God, after all, made all things, including us.  And, as the previous verse points out, in the main we have repaid him with lies and deceit.  As St Augustine comments:

"What had preceded, on the man's part, save sins? ...for such was the return of those who said, This is the heir: come, let us kill him (Matthew 21:38)."

Yet what has God rendered to us?  Cassiodorus instructs that it is the hope of the Resurrection, and promise of the kingdom of heaven.  God, in short, repays good for our evil.

All the same, the question models for us an attitude of thankfulness that we ought to cultivate, as Chrysostom comments:

"...this is the mark of a thankful attitude, busying oneself and searching how to repay something to the benefactor for what had been received, and after paying everything to think one has given nothing worthwhile."

Meditation

Christina Rossetti's poem, In the Bleak Midwinter provides a wonderful meditation on this verse.  Here it is:

In the bleak mid-winter Frosty wind made moan, 
Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,Snow on snow, 
In the bleak mid-winter / Long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him Nor earth sustain; 
Heaven and earth shall flee away When He comes to reign: 
In the bleak mid-winter A stable-place sufficed The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim Worship night and day, 
A breastful of milk And a mangerful of hay; Enough for Him, whom angels Fall down before, 
The ox and ass and camel Which adore.

Angels and archangels May have gathered there, Cherubim and seraphim Thronged the air, 
But only His mother In her maiden bliss, Worshipped the Beloved With a kiss.

What can I give Him, Poor as I am? 
If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb, 
If I were a wise man I would do my part, 
Yet what I can I give Him, Give my heart.

Contemplation

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (222-4) teaches:

Believing in God, the only One, and loving him with all our being has enormous consequences for our whole life.  It means coming to know God's greatness and majesty: "Behold, God is great, and we know him not." Therefore, we must "serve God first".  It means living in thanksgiving: if God is the only One, everything we are and have comes from him: "What have you that you did not receive?" "What shall I render to the LORD for all his bounty to me?"

The text

1 Crédidi, propter quod locútus sum: * ego autem humiliátus sum nimis.
2  Ego dixi in excéssu meo: * Omnis homo mendax.
3  Quid retríbuam Dómino, * pro ómnibus, quæ retríbuit mihi?
4  Cálicem salutáris accípiam: * et nomen Dómini invocábo.
5  Vota mea Dómino reddam coram omni pópulo ejus: * pretiósa in conspéctu Dómini mors sanctórum ejus:
6  O Dómine, quia ego servus tuus: * ego servus tuus, et fílius ancíllæ tuæ.
7  Dirupísti víncula mea: * tibi sacrificábo hóstiam laudis, et nomen Dómini invocábo.
8  Vota mea Dómino reddam in conspéctu omnis pópuli ejus: * in átriis domus Dómini, in médio tui, Jerúsalem.



You can find notes on the next verse of the psalm here.

Psalm 115: verses 1-2 - All men are liars

Epimenides (c600BC)  

Epimenides, a Cretan (c600 BC), is generally credited as the originator of the liar paradox with his claim that 'All Cretans are liars'.  Yet this psalm is probably much older than that, and our faith has long offered a different philosophical resolution of the supposed paradox to those of modern philosophy.

The opening verses of Psalm 115 are:

Crédidi, propter quod locútus sum: * ego autem humiliátus sum nimis.

I have believed, therefore have I spoken; but I have been humbled exceedingly.

Ego dixi in excéssu meo: * Omnis homo mendax.

I said in my excess: Every man is a liar. 

Lectio

Crédidi (I have believed) propter quod (therefore/on that account) locútus sum (I have said/spoken) when I said)

credo, didi, ditum, ere 3, to believe, with the dative, or with in followed by the ace. or abl.; passive, to be

faithful to, loyally devoted to.

propter  quod = propterea or quando, therefore, on that account.

loquor, locutus sum, loqui, to speak, utter, tell

ego (I) autem (but) humiliátus sum (I have been humbled) nimis (exceedingly/greatly)

humilio, avi, atum, are  to humble, bring low.

nimis, adv., exceedingly, greatly, beyond measure.

 Ego (I) dixi (I said)  in (in) excéssu (dismay/excess/distress/consternation) meo (my)

excessus, us, m.   a going out, going forth, departure;  transport (terror, perturbation, emotion, dismay)

Omnis (all) homo (men) [are] mendax (liars)

mendax, acis  , given or prone to lying, mendacious; deceitful, unreliable. 

Study

Faith calls forth action, in this case testimony, even though we may suffer for speaking up. Indeed, St John Chrysostom cites a version of the Greek that provides an alternate reading for the second phrase, 'Yet I was severely abused'.  And St Augustine comments on the verse:

"For he suffered many tribulations, for the sake of the word which he faithfully held, faithfully preached; and he was sorely brought down; as they feared who loved the praise of men better than that of God."

The traditional resolution of the paradoxical nature of a man claiming that all men are liars is twofold.  First, though all men lie, they do not lie all the time.  St Jerome, for example, suggested:

"...It only takes one lie to be a liar, and even a regular liar may tell the truth on occasion. Had the statement been: 'Every man lies at every opportunity, and therefore not a word of truth is ever spoken by a man', a case could have been made for the existence of a paradox in what David reportedly said, although this also would probably have a perfectly rational explanation based entirely on semantics."

The other part of the resolution lies in the fact that Scripture is inspired directly by God: through grace we can see and speak truth.  St Augustine comments:

"In consternation he has had regard to his infirmity, and has seen that he ought not to presume on himself; for as far as pertains to the man himself, he is a liar, but by the grace of God he is made true; lest yielding to the pressure of his enemies he might not speak what he had believed, but might deny it; even as it happened to Peter, since he had trusted in himself, and was to be taught that we ought not to trust in man. And if every one ought not to trust in man, surely not in himself; because he is a man. Rightly therefore in his fear did he perceive that every man was a liar; since they also whom no fear robs of their presence of mind, so that they never lie by yielding to the persecutors, are such by the gifts of God, not by their own strength...."

Meditation

The reference to suffering is not just to the reaction of evil men to truth, but also to the transient suffering that God allows the would-be saint to suffer, the carrying of our cross, necessary to our spiritual development.  Pope Benedict XVI for example comments:

The Apostle feels in spiritual harmony with the Psalmist, in serene trust and sincere witness, notwithstanding suffering and human weakness…. In our text the memory of a distressing past surfaces: the person praying has held high the torch of faith, even when on his lips played the bitterness of despair and unhappiness (cf. Ps 116[115]: 10).

The point, as Pope Benedict XVI has pointed out, is that God saves us from the false culture around us that promotes a false concern with the present over eternal happiness:

Writing to the Romans, Paul takes up again verse two of the Psalm and highlights a difference between God who is faithful and man who is inconsistent: "God must be proved true even though every man be proved a liar" (Rom 3: 4)… Indeed, around him an icy curtain of hatred and deceit is being raised, as the neighbour shows himself to be false and unfaithful (cf. v. 11). The supplication, however, is now transformed into gratitude because the Lord has remained faithful in this context of infidelity and has saved his faithful [servant] from the dark vortex of lies (cf. v. 11).

Prayer

Help us Lord when we struggle in the depths of unhappiness and distress, help us always to believe and speak your truth.

Help us Lord to carry our cross, to grow in humble realization of our own inadequacy; to trust in your perfecting grace.

Contemplation

Cassiodorus reminds us, in his commentary on the psalm, of St Benedict's 'Tool of Good Work' of attributing to God whatever good we see in ourselves, and to recognize that the evil is our own doing:

"Just as unreflective and foolish people lyingly say that they are most truthful, so enlightened persons know that they are liars. So this undeviating rule should bind us: when we lie through the frailty of the flesh, we should confess the fault as ours, but when we are truthful we should attribute it to God's gift."

Psalm 115

1 Crédidi, propter quod locútus sum: * ego autem humiliátus sum nimis.
2  Ego dixi in excéssu meo: * Omnis homo mendax.
3  Quid retríbuam Dómino, * pro ómnibus, quæ retríbuit mihi?
4  Cálicem salutáris accípiam: * et nomen Dómini invocábo.
5  Vota mea Dómino reddam coram omni pópulo ejus: * pretiósa in conspéctu Dómini mors sanctórum ejus:
6  O Dómine, quia ego servus tuus: * ego servus tuus, et fílius ancíllæ tuæ.
7  Dirupísti víncula mea: * tibi sacrificábo hóstiam laudis, et nomen Dómini invocábo.
8  Vota mea Dómino reddam in conspéctu omnis pópuli ejus: * in átriis domus Dómini, in médio tui, Jerúsalem.

You can notes on the next verse here.

Psalm 115 - I have believed

The third psalm of Monday Vespers in the Benedictine Office is Psalm 115.

Psalm 114 opened with words 'I loved'; Psalm 115 (with Psalm 116 to which it is joined under the same Gloria), with the words 'I have loved'.  That opening perhaps points to the three psalms forming something of a triptych within Monday Vespers by recapitulating the key themes of Psalm 113, starting from its opening word, Credidi, or 'I believed'.

One can also, I think, see echoes, in the structure of Monday Vespers, of the progression of ideas presented to us at Prime (and echoed again at Terce), for Psalm 1's presentation of the perfect man has parallels in Psalm 113&114, while Psalms 115&116 contains echoes of Psalm 2.

Liturgical uses

The reference in verse 4 to the chalice of salvation gives this psalm a strong Eucharistic flavour; indeed it is one of the Hallal psalms used at the paschal supper in the Jewish liturgy, and accordingly it has long been used as part of a priest’s preparatory prayers for Mass and for the priest’s communion in the Traditional form of the Mass.  For similar reasons, one assumes, it is also used at Tenebrae for Maundy Thursday.

Yet placed in the context of the Benedictine Office, the primary focus becomes instead, I would argue, a further meditation on our response to belief, above all in monastic profession and the performance of the Opus Dei.

NT references	2 Cor 4:13 (v1); Rom 3:4 (v2); 1 Cor 10:16, Lk 22:17 (4)
RB cursus	Monday V+AN 4371 (v1)
Monastic feasts etc	Triduum V; 2 Vespers of apostles, martyr, several martyrs, confessor bishop; All Saints; Corpus Christi; 2 V of St Benedict, Joseph, Nat. of John the Baptist AN 4476 , 4530, 1754 ,5505
Roman pre 1911	Monday V
Responsories	Apostles and evangelists TP, no3, 7428, 7429 (v9); 6649 (Confessor bishop no 12), v7; 7917; 2250 (6-7)
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Monday V . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Used in priest’s prep for Mass and part at liturgy for priest’s communion. Common of several martyrs, AL v1

Monastic profession

I have previously suggested that there are two key sets of vows or promises alluded to in today's Office, namely our baptism (Psalm 113), and in the Benedictine context, monastic profession (or oblation), with the Suscipe verse of Psalm 118 said at Terce.

Psalm 115 brings us back to this theme by pointing to the sacrificial offerings we render to God in response to the good things he has given us (Verse 3).  In particular, there is the sacrifice of the Mass, or the 'chalice of salvation' of verse 4.  But secondly, there is the 'sacrifice of praise' that is above all the Divine Office (verse 7) offered publicly by the monk (Verse 8).

Yet what is actually asked of us is not just particular separate sacrifices, but rather a complete offering of ourselves, as St Paul in 2 Cor 4:13:

For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I believed, and so I spoke," we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI suggests that the verse points to the total holocaust of self:

"How then, shall I make a return to the Lord'? Not sacrifices nor holocausts... but my entire life itself. For this he says: "I will lift up the cup of salvation', giving the name "cup' to the suffering of spiritual combat, of resisting sin to the point of death; besides, that is what our Saviour taught us in the Gospel: "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by'; and again to the Apostles: "Can you drink the cup I shall drink?', clearly symbolizing the death that he welcomed for the salvation of the world" (PG XXX, 109), thus transforming the sinful world into a redeemed world, into a world of thanksgiving for the life the Lord gives us. 

For the monk or nun, that holocaust, that white martyrdom, consists of the the embrace of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience in their fullest form, providing the whole Church with a living icon of Christ.  As Pope John Paul II said in Vita Consecrata 33:

"A particular duty of the consecrated life is to remind the baptized of the fundamental values of the Gospel, by bearing "splendid and striking testimony that the world cannot be transfigured and offered to God without the spirit of the Beatitudes".The consecrated life thus continually fosters in the People of God an awareness of the need to respond with holiness of life to the love of God poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 5:5), by reflecting in their conduct the sacramental consecration which is brought about by God's power in Baptism, Confirmation or Holy Orders. In fact it is necessary to pass from the holiness communicated in the sacraments to the holiness of daily life. The consecrated life, by its very existence in the Church, seeks to serve the consecration of the lives of all the faithful, clergy and laity alike."

The text

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluja.	10 Alleluia
1 Crédidi, propter quod locútus sum: * ego autem humiliátus sum nimis.	I have believed, therefore have I spoken; but I have been humbled exceedingly.
2  Ego dixi in excéssu meo: * Omnis homo mendax.	11 I said in my excess: Every man is a liar.
3  Quid retríbuam Dómino, * pro ómnibus, quæ retríbuit mihi?	12 What shall I render to the Lord, for all the things that he has rendered to me?
4  Cálicem salutáris accípiam: * et nomen Dómini invocábo.	13 I will take the chalice of salvation; and I will call upon the name of the Lord.
5  Vota mea Dómino reddam coram omni pópulo ejus: * pretiósa in conspéctu Dómini mors sanctórum ejus:	14 I will pay my vows to the Lord before all his people: 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints
6  O Dómine, quia ego servus tuus: * ego servus tuus, et fílius ancíllæ tuæ.	16 O Lord, for I am your servant: I am your servant, and the son of your handmaid.
7  Dirupísti víncula mea: * tibi sacrificábo hóstiam laudis, et nomen Dómini invocábo.	You have broken my bonds: 17 I will sacrifice to you the sacrifice of praise, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.
8  Vota mea Dómino reddam in conspéctu omnis pópuli ejus: * in átriis domus Dómini, in médio tui, Jerúsalem.	18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the sight of all his people: 19 In the courts of the house of the Lord, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

And you can find notes on the individual verses of Psalm 115 starting here.

Introduction to Psalm 114: I have loved

Rheims c12th

I want to continue my series on the psalms of Monday Vespers in the Benedictine Office, so today a few notes on Psalm 114.

Psalm 114 has long had two levels of meaning, referring both to our life here and now, but also to our future in heaven.  I've previously posted verse by verse notes on this psalm in the context of the Office of the Dead, which you can find here.

Here I want to provide a few overview notes to place Psalm 114 in the context of Monday Vespers.

Scriptural and liturgical context

The table below summarises the Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm.

NT references	Acts 2:24 (v3); Rev 21:4(v8)
RB cursus	Monday Vespers+AN (3319)
Monastic feasts etc	Office of Dead+AN 4293/All souls Vespers
Roman pre 1911	Monday Vespers
Responsories	-
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Monday Vespers . 1970: Lauds Saturday Wk 1
Mass propers (EF)	-

In the more ancient Septuagint (and thus Vulgate) tradition, this is a separate psalm.  It is worth noting though, that in the Masoretic Text (and hence Protestant tradition) it is joined to Psalm 115.  There is no explicit historical context  given to it, although St Alphonsus Liguori suggested that it was a thanksgiving psalm following David’s deliverance from persecution by his son Absalom.

In the context of the Office of the Dead the psalm can be read as a deathbed prayer of a soul on the point of victory, asking for God to take it up into heaven, the land of the living. 

It is worth noting that in Jewish liturgy, Psalm 114 is one of the Hallel psalms, the psalms of thanksgiving sung after the Passover meal, and recited on other major feasts. 

Christological interpretation

As with all the psalms, though, this one also has a specific Christological interpretation.  I've previously suggested that Monday in the Benedictine Office can be interpreted as an extended meditation on the life of Christ from the Incarnation to his baptism and temptation in the desert, and of course, on how we can imitate his life in our own.

In this light, Psalm 114 opening references to prayer, the mention of the perils of hell surrounding the speaker, and reference to God rescuing 'his feet from falling' can, I think, all be read as allusions to the events in Christ's life that take place immediately after  his baptism, namely the forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert, and his temptation by Satan.

Psalm 113 - and as we shall soon see, the next psalm of the day, Psalm 115 - both focus on belief.  Psalm 114 though, interjects the other key thread to our salvation with its opening line, namely love.

Prayer and temptation in the desert

The psalm starts from the importance of love.  God is love and hence only he can truly say 'I have loved' (v1), and in this psalm foreshadow all he has suffered for us out of love.  Yet through grace, we too can purify our love of selfishness: we can love God, love ourselves and love others with the pure and perfect love made possible for us by Christ.

Out of love flows prayer, for those forty days in the desert should speak to us of the absolute priority of prayer (v2): as the psalm reminds us, out of love God hears and cares for us.

Purification through that extreme fasting and more particularly in that temptations that follow comes the danger of death, both physical and spiritual (v3-4).  And it is surely fitting that the week be framed with a reminder of inevitability of the death of the body at least, for in the Incarnation Christ chose this fate as well, in solidarity with us.

Yet Christ models for us the trust we must have in God, who will always deliver us from temptation if we but ask humbly (vv5-6).

The final verses of Psalm 114 can be interpreted as a thanksgiving for the rejection of Satan, something we must all face up to, and a prophecy of the fruitfulness of the three year mission on which Christ is about to embark. But it can also be read as a more general thanksgiving prayer for the many times God has rescued us from those who assault us, and has aided us in keeping us on the path of righteousness, so that we too can continue to please him.    

Psalm 114

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia	Alleluja
1 Diléxi, quóniam exáudiet dóminus * vocem oratiónis meæ.	1 I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.
2  Quia inclinávit aurem suam mihi: * et in diébus meis invocábo.	2 Because he has inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.
3  Circumdedérunt me dolóres mortis: * et perícula inférni invenérunt me.	3 The sorrows of death have compassed me: and the perils of hell have found me.
4  Tribulatiónem et dolórem invéni: * et nomen Dómini invocávi.	I met with trouble and sorrow: 4 And I called upon the name of the Lord.
5 O Dómine, líbera ánimam meam: * miséricors Dóminus, et justus, et Deus noster miserétur.	O Lord, deliver my soul. 5 The Lord is merciful and just, and our God shows mercy.
6  Custódiens párvulos Dóminus: * humiliátus sum, et liberávit me.	6 The Lord is the keeper of little ones: I was humbled, and he delivered me.
7  Convértere, ánima mea, in réquiem tuam: * quia Dóminus benefécit tibi.	7 Turn, O my soul, into your rest: for the Lord has been bountiful to you.
8  Quia erípuit ánimam meam de morte: * óculos meos a lácrimis, pedes meos a lapsu.	8 For he has delivered my soul from death: my eyes from tears, my feet from falling.
9  Placébo Dómino * in regióne vivórum.	9 I will please the Lord in the land of the living.

As noted above, you can find an overview of this psalm, together with verse by verse notes, in the context of the Office of the Dead here.  And you can find notes on the next psalm of Monday Vespers, Psalm 115, here.

Psalm 113: Verses 26-27

The final two verses of Psalm 113 are:

Non mórtui laudábunt te, Dómine: * neque omnes, qui descéndunt in inférnum.
Sed nos qui vívimus, benedícimus Dómino, * ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.

or

The dead shall not praise you, O Lord: nor any of them that go down to hell. 
But we that live bless the Lord: from this time now and for ever.

Lectio

Non (not) mórtui (the dead) laudábunt (they will/shall praise) te (you), Dómine (O Lord)

mortuus, a, um, part. adj. Subst., a dead man, pi., the dead

neque (neither) omnes (all/any), qui (who) descéndunt (they go down) in (into) inférnum (hell/hades)

infernus, i, m. Sheol; the nether world, the underworld, the grave, the kingdom of the dead, hell  

sed (but) nos (we) qui (who) vivimus (we live) 

vivo, vixi, victum, ere 3  to live, to have life, be alive,

benedicimus (we bless) Domino (the Lord) ex hoc nunc (from now) et usque (and henceforward) in sæculum (forever)

Studio/meditatio

The psalm concludes with a reminder of the consequences of our choice to worship God and reject false idols.  Those who follow the false in this life will go to hell, eternally separated from God; those who live spiritually now, will live forever rejoicing.

Too often today we avoid confronting the reality of this choice, telling ourselves and others that 'all will be well', for all are saved.  Scripture reminds us otherwise, and should impel us to pray for God's help and protection, especially in times of need.

Psalm 113

Psalm 113 (114-115) – In exitu Israel

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluja.	Alleluia
1  In éxitu Israël de Ægýpto, * domus Jacob de pópulo bárbaro:	When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people:
2  Facta est Judæa sanctificátio ejus, * Israël potéstas ejus.	2 Judea was made his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
3  Mare vidit, et fugit: * Jordánis convérsus est retrórsum.	3 The sea saw and fled: Jordan was turned back.
4  Montes exsultavérunt ut aríetes, * et colles sicut agni óvium.	4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like the lambs of the flock.
5  Quid est tibi, mare, quod fugísti: * et tu, Jordánis, quia convérsus es retrórsum?	5 What ailed you, O you sea, that you fled: and you, O Jordan, that you were turned back?
6  Montes, exsultástis sicut aríetes, * et colles, sicut agni óvium.	6 You mountains, that you skipped like rams, and you hills, like lambs of the flock?
7  A fácie Dómini mota est terra, * a fácie Dei Jacob.	7 At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved, at the presence of the God of Jacob:
8  Qui convértit petram in stagna aquárum, * et rupem in fontes aquárum.	8 Who turned the rock into pools of water, and the stony hill into fountains of waters.

9  Non nobis, Dómine, non nobis: * sed nómini tuo da glóriam.	9 Not to us, O Lord, not to us; but to your name give glory.
10  Super misericórdia tua, et veritáte tua: * nequándo dicant gentes: Ubi est Deus eórum?	10 For your mercy, and for your truth's sake: lest the Gentiles should say: Where is their God?
11  Deus autem noster in cælo: * ómnia quæcúmque vóluit, fecit.	11 But our God is in heaven: he has done all things whatsoever he would.
12  Simulácra géntium argéntum, et aurum, * ópera mánuum hóminum.	12 The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold, the works of the hands of men.
13  Os habent, et non loquéntur: * óculos habent, et non vidébunt.	14 They have ears and hear not: they have noses and smell not.
14  Aures habent, et non áudient: * nares habent, et non odorábunt.	14 They have ears and hear not: they have noses and smell not.
15  Manus habent, et non palpábunt: pedes habent, et non ambulábunt: * non clamábunt in gútture suo.	15 They have hands and feel not: they have feet and walk not: neither shall they cry out through their throat.
16  Símiles illis fiant qui fáciunt ea: * et omnes qui confídunt in eis.	16 Let them that make them become like unto them: and all such as trust in them.
17  Domus Israël sperávit in Dómino: * adjútor eórum et protéctor eórum est,	17 The house of Israel has hoped in the Lord: he is their helper and their protector.
18  Domus Aaron sperávit in Dómino: * adjútor eórum et protéctor eórum est,	18 The house of Aaron has hoped in the Lord: he is their helper and their protector.
19  Qui timent Dóminum, speravérunt in Dómino: * adjútor eórum et protéctor eórum est.	19 They that fear the Lord have hoped in the Lord: he is their helper and their protector.
20  Dóminus memor fuit nostri: * et benedíxit nobis:	20 The Lord has been mindful of us, and has blessed us.
21  Benedíxit dómui Israël: * benedíxit dómui Aaron.	He has blessed the house of Israel: he has blessed the house of Aaron.
22  Benedíxit ómnibus, qui timent Dóminum, * pusíllis cum majóribus.	21 He has blessed all that fear the Lord, both little and great.
23  Adjíciat Dóminus super vos: * super vos, et super fílios vestros.	22 May the Lord add blessings upon you: upon you, and upon your children.
24  Benedícti vos a Dómino, * qui fecit cælum, et terram.	23 Blessed be you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
25  Cælum cæli Dómino: * terram autem dedit fíliis hóminum.	24 The heaven of heaven is the Lord's: but the earth he has given to the children of men
26  Non mórtui laudábunt te, Dómine: * neque omnes, qui descéndunt in inférnum.	25 The dead shall not praise you, O Lord: nor any of them that go down to hell.
27  Sed nos qui vívimus, benedícimus Dómino, * ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.	26 But we that live bless the Lord: from this time now and for ever.

And on that note, I hope you have found this series of notes on Psalm 113 of use.  You can find notes on the next psalm of Monday Vespers in the Benedictine Office, Psalm 114, here.