Psalm 106 and 1962isms

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt van Rijn

As well as more general 'tidying up' (clearing out assorted added prayers etc), the 1962 reforms of the Office made a number of changes to the traditional division points in some of the psalms.

I haven't been able to find out what the ostensible rationale for these changes was, so have been taking a look at them to see what I can discover.  Some of them I think I have a pretty good idea what the motivation was, and it is not good news.  Some are less obvious though, and I would put the change to Psalm 106, which I want to look at today, in this category.

St Benedict's divisions of the psalms

In the case of the day hours, St Benedict specifies which psalms are to be divided, presumably because they are not always the longest ones.  In the case of the Night Office though, he just says:

Having arranged the order of the office, let all the rest of the psalms which remain over, be divided equally into seven night offices, by so dividing such of them as are of greater length that twelve fall to each night.

This makes it sound as if the psalms to be divided, and the division points in them, are random and unimportant.  In reality though, I'm not convinced this is the case.  For one thing, if it was entirely random, wouldn't the division point be more or less in the middle of each psalm, or perhaps at some obvious point that fits the structure of the psalm?  In fact that is not necessarily the case as we shall see in the case of Psalm 106.

The structure of Psalm 106

Psalm 106 is said as the third and fourth psalm in the second nocturn of Matins on Saturdays in the Benedictine Office.  Its three opening lines provide the context for the psalm:

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia
1 Confitémini Dómino quóniam bonus: * quóniam in sæculum misericórdia ejus.	Give glory to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.
2  Dicant qui redémpti sunt a Dómino, quos redémit de manu inimíci: * et de regiónibus congregávit eos:	2 Let them say so that have been redeemed by the Lord, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy: and gathered out of the countries.
3  A solis ortu, et occásu: * ab aquilóne, et mari.	3 From the rising and from the setting of the sun, from the north and from the sea.

In these verses the psalmist urges all those redeemed by God, believers gathered from the four corners of the world, and redeemed through baptism (symbolised by the sea), to praise God for his great mercy.

The psalm then divides into  four sections, dealing with a series of afflictions, each of which contains a version of two refrains:

6  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum erípuit eos.

6 And they cried to the Lord in their tribulation: and he delivered them out of their distresses.

8  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.

8 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.

Interpretations

There are two broad lines of interpretations of this psalm, one seeing it as being primarily about the crises of the individual soul, the other as dealing with the salvation of mankind (though of course both lines can be held simultaneously).

St Robert Bellarmine, for example, takes the first approach, and interprets it primarily as literally dealing with the physical afflictions of hunger and thirst, captivity, disease or sickness, and shipwreck; spiritually, they are 'ignorance, concupiscence, bad temper and malice'.

St Alphonsus Liguori adopts the second approach:

In the literal sense this psalm sets forth the sufferings that the Jews endured in their captivity and in the desert, and it exhorts them to return thanks to God for having delivered them therefrom. In the figurative sense it represents the miseries from which Jesus Christ has delivered Christians. In it, moreover, the prophet clearly announces the ruin of the Synagogue, the vocation of the Gentiles, and the establishment of the Church.

The psalmist begins by an invitation to praise the goodness and the mercy of God. He then describes four examples of recourse to the Lord in affliction, and at the end of each repeats his invitation: verses 6-8, 13-15, 19-21, and 28-31. He concludes by an eulogium and a prophecy of the all-powerful and ever-merciful Providence of the Most High towards his servants, or his Church.

Psalms 104 to 106 in the Benedictine Office

St Benedict's contemporary Cassiodorus follows the second approach, seeing the psalm as linked to the two that immediately precede it, not least because they all start with the same title (Alleluia) opening words, viz  Confitémini Dómino (Give glory to the Lord).  That linkage arguably provides the clue to the traditional division point in the psalm.

Psalms 104 and 105 are both long psalms that are also divided in the Office, and chronicle salvation history.  

Psalm 104 starts from Abraham and the promises made to him and takes us through Joseph; the second half in the Office starts 'And Israel went into Egypt' and describes the exit from Egypt under Moses.  

Psalm 105 focuses on the sins of the Israelites under Moses, and associates the reader with them, but ends with their repentance and a plea for God to save his people:

45  Salvos nos fac, Dómine, Deus noster: * et cóngrega nos de natiónibus:	47 Save us, O Lord, our God: and gather us from among the nations:
46  Ut confiteámur nómini sancto tuo: * et gloriémur in laude tua.	That we may give thanks to your holy name, and may glory in your praise.

The division point

Looked at in this context, Psalm 106 can be seen as recapitulating the events of the previous two psalms, but also attesting to God's answer to this prayer.

The traditional division point, at verse 25/43, highlights God's action, and in fact can be seen as relating to the harrowing of hell, a particularly appropriate subject for meditation on a Saturday:

25  Dixit, et stetit spíritus procéllæ: * et exaltáti sunt fluctus ejus.	25 He said the word, and there arose a storm of wind: and the waves thereof were lifted up.
26  Ascéndunt usque ad cælos, et descéndunt usque ad abyssos: * ánima eórum in malis tabescébat	26 They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths: their soul pined away with evils.

It is worth noting that Romans 10:6-7 makes this allusion explicit, albeit in a slightly different context (it contrasts the justification from the Old law, with the justification by faith of the new):

But the justice which is of faith, speaketh thus: Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? that is, to bring Christ down; Or who shall descend into the deep? that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead....

The 1962 change

The 1962 breviary, however, changes the division point to two verses earlier.

15  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	15 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.
16  Quia contrívit portas æreas: * et vectes férreos  confrégit.	16 Because he has broken gates of brass, and burst iron bars.
17  Suscépit eos de via iniquitátis eórum: * propter injustítias enim suas humiliáti sunt.	17 He took them out of the way of their iniquity: for they were brought low for their injustices.
18  Omnem escam abomináta est ánima eórum: * et appropinquavérunt usque ad portas mortis.	18 Their soul abhorred all manner of meat: and they drew near even to the gates of death.
19  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum liberávit eos.	19 And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he delivered them out of their distresses
20  Misit verbum suum, et sanávit eos: * et erípuit eos de interitiónibus eórum.	20 He sent his word, and healed them: and delivered them from their destructions.
21  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	21 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.
22  Et sacríficent sacrifícium laudis: * et annúntient ópera ejus in exsultatióne.	22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifice of praise: and declare his works with joy.

new divisio

23  Qui descéndunt mare in návibus, * faciéntes operatiónem in aquis multis	23 They that go down to the sea in ships, doing business in the great waters:
24  Ipsi vidérunt ópera Dómini, * et mirabília ejus in profúndo.	24 These have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

old divisio

25  Dixit, et stetit spíritus procéllæ: * et exaltáti sunt fluctus ejus.	25 He said the word, and there arose a storm of wind: and the waves thereof were lifted up.
26  Ascéndunt usque ad cælos, et descéndunt usque ad abyssos....	26 They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths...
....et dedúxit eos in portum voluntátis eórum	....and he brought them to the haven which they wished for.
31  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	31 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.
32  Et exáltent eum in ecclésia plebis: * et in cáthedra seniórum laudent eum...	And let them exalt him in the church of the people: and praise him in the chair of the ancients....

It is a logical division point in some respects.  It arguably follows the structure of the psalm more closely, particularly if you follow the more literal line of interpretation.  It also has the advantage, perhaps, of highlighting the verse on the sacrifice of praise (although given that in choir everyone will be scrambling to stand up, maybe it actually obscures it?!), as well as the section of the psalm popularised by the nineteenth century Anglican hymn Eternal Father Strong to Save (aka For those in peril on the sea).

None of those reasons seem all that compelling though.  Accordingly, you really have to wonder why they felt it so important to make this change in emphasis.

Was it just change for change's sake, a general anti-tradition gesture in the absence of awareness of the Christological interpretation of the psalm?

Was it perhaps that they wanted to downplay the emphasis on the action of Christ?

Or was it, perhaps, that the reformers wanted to downplay the idea that the Benedictine Office contains a mini-Triduum each week and expunge all references to it, in the interest of  reordering the psalms according to their own whims?

But maybe I'm missing something...


The text of the psalm in full

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Alleluia
1 Confitémini Dómino quóniam bonus: * quóniam in sæculum misericórdia ejus.	Give glory to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.
2  Dicant qui redémpti sunt a Dómino, quos redémit de manu inimíci: * et de regiónibus congregávit eos:	2 Let them say so that have been redeemed by the Lord, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy: and gathered out of the countries.
3  A solis ortu, et occásu: * ab aquilóne, et mari.	3 From the rising and from the setting of the sun, from the north and from the sea.
4  Erravérunt in solitúdine in inaquóso: * viam civitátis habitáculi non invenérunt.	4 They wandered in a wilderness, in a place without water: they found not the way of a city for their habitation.
5  Esuriéntes, et sitiéntes: * ánima eórum in ipsis defécit.	5 They were hungry and thirsty: their soul fainted in them
6  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum erípuit eos.	6 And they cried to the Lord in their tribulation: and he delivered them out of their distresses.
7  Et dedúxit eos in viam rectam: * ut irent in civitátem habitatiónis.	7 And he led them into the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
8  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	8 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.
9  Quia satiávit ánimam inánem: * et ánimam esuriéntem satiávit bonis.	9 For he has satisfied the empty soul, and has filled the hungry soul with good things.
10  Sedéntes in ténebris, et umbra mortis: * vinctos in mendicitáte et ferro.	10 Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death: bound in want and in iron.
11  Quia exacerbavérunt elóquia Dei: * et consílium Altíssimi irritavérunt.	11 Because they had exasperated the words of God: and provoked the counsel of the most High:
12  Et humiliátum est in labóribus cor eórum: * infirmáti sunt, nec fuit qui adjuváret.	12 And their heart was humbled with labours: they were weakened, and there was none to help them.
13  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum liberávit eos.	13 Then they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he delivered them out of their distresses.
14  Et edúxit eos de ténebris, et umbra mortis: * et víncula eórum disrúpit.	14 And he brought them out of darkness, and the shadow of death; and broke their bonds in sunder.
15  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	15 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.
16  Quia contrívit portas æreas: * et vectes férreos confrégit.	16 Because he has broken gates of brass, and burst iron bars.
17  Suscépit eos de via iniquitátis eórum: * propter injustítias enim suas humiliáti sunt.	17 He took them out of the way of their iniquity: for they were brought low for their injustices.
18  Omnem escam abomináta est ánima eórum: * et appropinquavérunt usque ad portas mortis.	18 Their soul abhorred all manner of meat: and they drew near even to the gates of death.
19  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum liberávit eos.	19 And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he delivered them out of their distresses
20  Misit verbum suum, et sanávit eos: * et erípuit eos de interitiónibus eórum.	20 He sent his word, and healed them: and delivered them from their destructions.
21  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	21 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him: and his wonderful works to the children of men.
22  Et sacríficent sacrifícium laudis: * et annúntient ópera ejus in exsultatióne.	22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifice of praise: and declare his works with joy.

23  Qui descéndunt mare in návibus, * faciéntes operatiónem in aquis multis	23 They that go down to the sea in ships, doing business in the great waters:
24  Ipsi vidérunt ópera Dómini, * et mirabília ejus in profúndo.	24 These have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
25  Dixit, et stetit spíritus procéllæ: * et exaltáti sunt fluctus ejus.	25 He said the word, and there arose a storm of wind: and the waves thereof were lifted up.
26  Ascéndunt usque ad cælos, et descéndunt usque ad abyssos: * ánima eórum in malis tabescébat	26 They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths: their soul pined away with evils.
27  Turbáti sunt, et moti sunt sicut ébrius: * et omnis sapiéntia eórum devoráta est.	27 They were troubled, and reeled like a drunken man; and all their wisdom was swallowed up.
28  Et clamavérunt ad Dóminum cum tribularéntur: * et de necessitátibus eórum edúxit eos.	28 And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he brought them out of their distresses.
29  Et státuit procéllam ejus in auram: * et siluérunt fluctus ejus.	29 And he turned the storm into a breeze: and its waves were still.
30  Et lætáti sunt quia siluérunt: * et dedúxit eos in portum voluntátis eórum	30 And they rejoiced because they were still: and he brought them to the haven which they wished for.
31  Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus: * et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum.	31 Let the mercies of the Lord give glory to him, and his wonderful works to the children of men.
32  Et exáltent eum in ecclésia plebis: * et in cáthedra seniórum laudent eum.	32 And let them exalt him in the church of the people: and praise him in the chair of the ancients.
33  Pósuit flúmina in desértum: * et éxitus aquárum in sitim.	33 He has turned rivers into a wilderness: and the sources of waters into dry ground:
34  Terram fructíferam in salsúginem: * a malítia inhabitántium in ea.	34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
35  Pósuit desértum in stagna aquárum: * et terram sine aqua in éxitus aquárum.	35 He has turned a wilderness into pools of waters, and a dry land into water springs.
36  Et collocávit illic esuriéntes: * et constituérunt civitátem habitatiónis.	36 And has placed there the hungry; and they made a city for their habitation.
37  Et seminavérunt agros, et plantavérunt víneas: * et fecérunt fructum nativitátis.	37 And they sowed fields, and planted vineyards: and they yielded fruit of birth.
38  Et benedíxit eis, et multiplicáti sunt nimis: * et juménta eórum non minorávit.	38 And he blessed them, and they were multiplied exceedingly: and their cattle he suffered not to decrease.
39  Et pauci facti sunt: * et vexáti sunt a tribulatióne malórum, et dolóre.	39 Then they were brought to be few: and they were afflicted through the trouble of evils and sorrow.
40  Effúsa est contémptio super príncipes: * et erráre fecit eos in ínvio, et non in via.	40 Contempt was poured forth upon their princes: and he caused them to wander where there was no passing, and out of the way.
41  Et adjúvit páuperem de inópia: * et pósuit sicut oves famílias.	41 And he helped the poor out of poverty: and made him families like a flock of sheep.
42  Vidébunt recti, et lætabúntur: * et omnis iníquitas oppilábit os suum.	42 The just shall see, and shall rejoice, and all iniquity shall stop her mouth.
43  Quis sápiens et custódiet hæc? * et intélliget misericórdias Domini.	43 Who is wise, and will keep these things; and will understand the mercies of the Lord?

Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	Mt 8:11; Lk 13:29 (3); Lk 1:53 (9); Lk 1:79 (14); Mt 8:8 (20); Acts 10: 34-36; Acts 13:25-26 (21)
RB cursus	Saturday Matins II, -3-4;
Monastic feasts etc	-
Responsories	Easter 4&5: v3
Roman pre 1911	Saturday Matins
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Saturday Matins . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Epiphany 2, GR (20-21); Easter Tuesday, GR (2)

Psalm 94 - Hold fast!

c1420
W83, Digital Walters

Psalm 94 has a unique place in the Office musically as it is the only psalm normally performed responsorially.

In the Benedictine Office it is said at Matins each day with a short refrain, half or all of which is repeated after each group of verses.  There are refrains for each day of the week, and special ones for feasts and particular seasons of the year.  Friday's refrain is 'Let us adore the Lord, *for he himself made us', a reminder that man was created on the 'sixth day' - you can listen to a Cistercian chant setting of the refrain and the psalm sung responsorially below.

The verses themselves have a special set of chants that are used for them.

These chants are very ancient indeed, and explain why the translation of the psalm used is not the Vulgate, but the 'old Roman' that pre-dated it.

All this serves to emphasis the particular importance of this psalm.

 Psalm 94: Daily at Matins

Vulgate	Psalter (Vetus latina)	Douay-Rheims
Laus cantici ipsi David.		Praise of a canticle for David himself.
1 Venite, exsultemus Domino; jubilemus Deo salutari nostro;	1. Veníte, exsultémus Dómino, jubilémus Deo, salutári nostro:	Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
2 præoccupemus faciem ejus in confessione, et in psalmis jubilemus ei	præoccupémus fáciem ejus in confessióne, et in psalmis jubilémus ei.	2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
3 quoniam Deus magnus Dominus, et rex magnus super omnes deos.	2. Quóniam Deus magnus Dóminus, et Rex magnus super omnes deos	3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 Quia in manu ejus sunt omnes fines terræ, et altitudines montium ipsius sunt;	: quóniam non repéllet Dóminus plebem suam : quia in manu ejus sunt omnes fines terræ, et altitúdines móntium ipse cónspicit.	4 For in his hand are all the ends of the earth: and the heights of the mountains are his.
5 quoniam ipsius est mare, et ipse fecit illud, et siccam manus ejus formaverunt	3. Quóniam ipsíus est mare, et ipse fecit illud, et áridam fundavérunt manus ejus	5 For the sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
6  Venite, adoremus, et procidamus, et ploremus ante Dominum qui fecit nos:	Veníte, adorémus, et procidámus ante Deum : plorémus coram Dómino, qui fecit nos,	6 Come let us adore and fall down: and weep before the Lord that made us.
7  quia ipse est Dominus Deus noster, et nos populus pascuæ ejus, et oves manus ejus.	quia ipse est Dóminus Deus noster ; nos autem pópulus ejus, et oves páscuæ ejus.	7 For he is the Lord our God: and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
8 Hodie si vocem ejus audieritis, nolite obdurare corda vestra	4. Hódie, si vocem ejus audiéritis, nolíte obduráre corda vestra,	8 Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts:
9 sicut in irritatione, secundum diem tentationis in deserto, ubi tentaverunt me patres vestri : probaverunt me, et viderunt opera mea.	sicut in exacerbatióne, secúndum diem tentatiónis in desérto : ubi tentavérunt me patres vestri, probavérunt et vidérunt ópera mea.	9 As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness: where your fathers tempted me, they proved me, and saw my works.
10 Quadraginta annis offensus fui generationi illi, et dixi : Semper hi errant corde.	5. Quadragínta annis próximus fui generatióni huic, et dixi : Semper hi errant corde ;	10 Forty years long was I offended with that generation, and I said: These always err in heart.
11 Et isti non cognoverunt vias meas : ut juravi in ira mea : Si introibunt in requiem meam.	ipsi vero non cognovérunt vias meas : quibus jurávi in ira mea : Si introíbunt in réquiem meam.	11 And these men have not known my ways: so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.

Why does St Benedict give it such a prominent place in the Office?

One reason, I would suggest, is the extended exegesis of it provided in Hebrews.  Here is the first section of that, Hebrews 3:7-16:

 Come, then, the Holy Spirit says, If you hear his voice speaking to you this day, do not harden your hearts, as they were hardened once when you provoked me, and put me to the test in the wilderness.  Your fathers put me to the test, made trial of me, and saw what I could do, all those forty years. So I became the enemy of that generation; These, I said, are ever wayward hearts, these have never learned my lessons. And I took an oath in my anger, They shall never attain my rest.

Take care, brethren, that there is no heart among you so warped by unbelief as to desert the living God. 

Each day, while the word To-day has still a meaning, strengthen your own resolution, to make sure that none of you grows hardened; sin has such power to cheat us.  

We have been given a share in Christ, but only on condition that we keep unshaken to the end the principle by which we are grounded in him. That is the meaning of the words, If you hear his voice speaking to you this day, do not harden your hearts, as they were hardened once when you provoked me; those who provoked him were the people (some, though not all of them) whom Moses had rescued from Egypt... 

Psalm 83 : Ascending by steps through this vale of tears

Psalm 83: Thursday Matins II, 5 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem, pro torcularibus filiis Core. Psalmus.	Unto the end, for the winepresses, a psalm for the sons of Core.
1  Quam dilécta tabernácula tua, Dómine virtútum: * concupíscit, et déficit ánima mea in átria Dómini.	How lovely are your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! 3 My soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord.
2  Cor meum, et caro mea: * exsultavérunt in Deum vivum.	My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.
3  Etenim passer invénit sibi domum: * et turtur nidum sibi, ubi ponat pullos suos.	4 For the sparrow has found herself a house, and the turtle a nest for herself where she may lay her young ones:
4  Altária tua, Dómine virtútum: * Rex meus, et Deus meus.	Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God.
5  Beáti, qui hábitant in domo tua, Dómine: * in sæcula sæculórum laudábunt te.	5 Blessed are they that dwell in your house, O Lord: they shall praise you for ever and ever.
6  Beátus vir, cujus est auxílium abs te: * ascensiónes in corde suo dispósuit, in valle lacrimárum in loco, quem pósuit.	6 Blessed is the man whose help is from you: in his heart he has disposed to ascend by steps, 7 in the vale of tears, in the place which he has set.
7  Etenim benedictiónem dabit legislátor, ibunt de virtúte in virtútem: * vidébitur Deus deórum in Sion.	8 For the lawgiver shall give a blessing, they shall go from virtue to virtue: the God of gods shall be seen in Sion.
8  Dómine, Deus virtútum, exáudi oratiónem meam: * áuribus pércipe, Deus Jacob.	9 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob.
9  Protéctor noster, áspice, Deus: * et réspice in fáciem Christi tui.	10 Behold, O God our protector: and look on the face of your Christ.
10 Quia mélior est dies una in átriis tuis: * super míllia.	11 For better is one day in your courts above thousands.
11  Elégi abjéctus esse in domo Dei mei: * magis quam habitáre in tabernáculis peccatórum.	I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners.
12  Quia misericórdiam et veritátem díligit Deus: * grátiam et glóriam dabit Dóminus.	12 For God loves mercy and truth: the Lord will give grace and glory.
13  Non privábit bonis eos, qui ámbulant in innocéntia: * Dómine virtútum, beátus homo, qui sperat in te.	13 He will not deprive of good things them that walk in innocence: O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in you.

Over at Vultus Christi Dom Mark has been providing an excellent commentary on the Prologue to the Rule of St Benedict, and mentioned the use of Psalm 83, said at Thursday Matins in the Benedictine Office as part of the ceremony for the admission of a postulant at Silverstream Monastery:

Saint Benedict would have his monks see themselves as those who dwell in the temple of the Lord. In our ceremony for the welcoming of a postulant, once the postulant has knelt on the threshold of the monastery, and kissed the crucifix presented to him, the prior leads him into the Oratory while the brethren chant Psalm 83...

The blog post includes the key verses in English, but I thought it would be nice to look briefly at the entire psalm.

Our hope of heaven

St Alphonsus Liguori points to its helpfulness in orienting us towards heaven:

This psalm shows us with what ardor the psalmist, desolate in finding himself far from the Temple of Jerusalem, sighed after the moment of seeing it again. And as the Temple was the figure of heaven, one must believe that he sighed at the same time after the happiness of going to contemplate God in the heavenly kingdom. Nothing is more fitted than this psalm to excite in us the desire of leaving the earth, and of entering the abode of the blessed.

The spiritual ascent

Verse 6 stresses the importance of treating this life as a pilgrimage towards God, and seeking to make the spiritual ascent.  St John Climacus for example commented:

Ascend, my brothers, ascend eagerly. Let your hearts' resolve be to climb. Listen to the voice of the one who says:  "Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of our God", Who makes our feet to be like the feet of the deer, "Who sets us on the high places, that we may be triumphant on his road". Run, I beg you, run with him who said, "let us hurry until we all arrive at the unity of faith and of the knowledge of God, at mature manhood, at the measure of the stature of Christ's fullness".

Crushed and pressed in this vale of tears

The path is not always an easy one, as St Augustine's commentary on the psalm makes clear.  St Augustine started from the reference to the winepresses in the title to the psalm, and notes that the grapes seem to hang free and heavy on the vine, until the time when they are harvested and pressed.  So, too, he argues it is with us:

...Men of this kind, therefore, before they draw near to the service of God, enjoy in the world a kind of delicious liberty, like hanging grapes or olives: but as it is said, My son, when you draw near to the service of God, stand in judgment and fear, and make your soul ready for temptation: so each, as he draws near to the service of God, finds that he has come to the winepress; he shall undergo tribulation, shall be crushed, shall be pressed, not that he may perish in this world, but that he may flow down into the storehouses of God. 

He has the coverings of carnal desires stripped off from him, like grape-skins: for this has taken place in him in carnal desires, of which the Apostle speaks, Put ye off the old man, and put on the new man. All this is not done but by pressure: therefore the Churches of God of this time are called winepresses...

 But being placed under pressure, we are crushed for this purpose, that for our love by which we were borne towards those worldly, secular, temporal, unstable, and perishable things, having suffered in them, in this life, torments, and tribulations of pressures, and abundance of temptations, we may begin to seek that rest which is not of this life, nor of this earth; and the Lord becomes, as is written, a refuge for the poor man.

St Augustine urges us to cultivate the mindset that the riches of this world are but transitory:

What is, for the poor man? For him who is, as it were, destitute, without aid, without help, without anything on which he may rest, in earth. For to such poor men, God is present...The poor then are destitute of all this world's substance, for even though it abounds around them, they know how fleeting it is; and crying unto God, having nothing in this world with which they may delight themselves, and be held down, placed in abundant pressures and temptations, as if in winepresses, they flow down, having become oil or wine...

Wherefore, most beloved, as each can, make vows, and perform to the Lord God what each can: let no one look back, no one delight himself with his former interests, no one turn away from that which is before to that which is behind: let him run until he arrive: for we run not with the feet but with the desire...

Scriptural and liturgical uses

NT references	-
RB cursus	Matins Thursday II, 5
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	Corpus Christi; Transfiguration; All Saints; Commons of BVM, Dedication of a Church
Roman pre 1911	Matins Friday
Ambrosian
Brigittine
Maurist
Thesauris schemas	A: ; B: ; C: ; D:
Roman post 1911	1911-62:Friday Sext  . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Monday Lent 1, GR (8-9); Lent Ember Saturday, GR (8-9); Sunday Lent 3, CO (3-5); PP 14, IN (1, 9-10); September Ember Saturday GR (8-9)

Psalm 60: Christ our strong tower

Hunt of the Unicorn Annunciation (ca. 1500)
Joseph Zahavi/Morgan Library

Psalm 60 is the second of the psalms set for Wednesday's at Matins, and reminds us to put our trust in Christ.  St Alphonsus Liguouri comments on it that:

Full of confidence in the power of God, the psalmist prays to him to come to his aid. St. Jerome and St. Hilary say that all afflicted souls find here an excellent prayer which they may recite in time of tribulation.

 Psalm 60: Exaudi Deus (Matins Wednesday, I:2)

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. In hymnis David.	Unto the end, in hymns, for David.
1  Exáudi, Deus, deprecatiónem meam : * inténde oratióni meæ.	2 Hear, O God, my supplication: be attentive to my prayer.
2  A fínibus terræ ad te clamávi : * dum anxiarétur cor meum, in petra exaltásti me.	3 To you have I cried from the ends of the earth: when my heart was in anguish, you have exalted me on a rock.
3  Deduxísti me, quia factus es spes mea : * turris fortitúdinis a fácie inimíci.	You have conducted me; 4 for you have been my hope; a tower of strength against the face of the enemy.
4  Inhabitábo in tabernáculo tuo in sæcula : * prótegar in velaménto alárum tuárum.	5 In your tabernacle I shall dwell for ever: I shall be protected under the covert of your wings.
5  Quóniam tu, Deus meus, exaudísti oratiónem meam : * dedísti hereditátem timéntibus nomen tuum.	6 For you, my God, have heard my prayer: you have given an inheritance to them that fear your name.
6  Dies super dies regis adjícies : * annos ejus usque in diem generatiónis et generatiónis.	7 You will add days to the days of the king: his years even to generation and generation.
7  Pérmanet in ætérnum in conspéctu Dei : * misericórdiam et veritátem ejus quis requíret?	8 He abides for ever in the sight of God: his mercy and truth who shall search?
8  Sic psalmum dicam nómini tuo in sæculum sæculi : * ut reddam vota mea de die in diem.	9 So will I sing a psalm to your name for ever and ever: that I may pay my vows from day to day.

Cassiodorus comments on the title of the psalm as follows:

...All know that unto the end indicates the Lord saviour, for that has now become sufficiently clear by explanation of it.  

In the hymns is a Greek expression and means "in praises", for the whole psalm will ring forth Christ's praises.  David denotes the Lord Saviour Himself, whose praise the Christian people, spread through the whole world, sings.  

 In terms of its content he says:

In the first part of the psalm the faithful people from the ends of the earth begs that its prayer be heard, so that in persevering in holy Church it may be protected by the covering of her wings.  In the second part it gives thanks that the loving God of pity has bestowed His inheritance on the just, and has consecrated His name for eternal glory.  Hence it promises to render continual praise to the Lord...   

Scriptural and liturgical uses of Psalm 60
  

NT references	Rev 11:18 (v6)
RB cursus	Wed Matins
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	All Saints; Common of Apostles; Sacred Heart
Roman pre 1911	Wed Matins
Ambrosian
Brigittine
Maurist
Thesauris schemas	A: ; B: ; C: ; D:
Roman post 1911	1911-62:Wed Compline  . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	-