Psalm 14 (Prime, Thursday No 3)

Ravenna, c6th

Psalm 14 (15): Domine quis habitabit 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Psalmus David.	A psalm for David
Dómine, quis habitábit in tabernáculo tuo? * aut quis requiéscet in monte sancto tuo?	Lord, who shall dwell in your tabernacle? Or who shall rest in your holy hill?
2  Qui ingréditur sine mácula, * et operátur justítiam	He that walks without blemish, and works justice
3  Qui lóquitur veritátem in corde suo, * qui non egit dolum in lingua sua :	He that speaks truth in his heart, who has not used deceit in his tongue
4  Nec fecit próximo suo malum, * et oppróbrium non accépit advérsus próximos suos.	Nor has done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.
5  Ad níhilum dedúctus est in conspéctu ejus malígnus: * timéntes autem Dóminum gloríficat	In his sight the malignant is brought to nothing: but he glorifies them that fear the Lord.
6  Qui jurat próximo suo, et non décipit, + qui pecúniam suam non dedit ad usúram, *et múnera super innocéntem non accépit.	He that swears to his neighbour, and deceives not; he that has not put out his money to usury, nor taken bribes against the innocent:
7  Qui facit hæc: * non movébitur in ætérnum.	He that does these things, shall not be moved for ever

St Augustine:

Tabernacle is taken in its proper meaning, it is a thing of war. Hence soldiers are called tent-fellows, as having their tents together. For we war with the devil for a time, and then we need a tabernacle wherein we may refresh ourselves. Holy mountain signifies the eternal habitation itself, the super-eminence of the love of Christ in life eternal. 

St Benedict (Prologue to the Rule):

Let us, therefore, gird our loins with faith and the performance of good works, and following the guidance of the Gospel walk in his paths, so that we may merit to see him who has called us unto his kingdom. And, if we wish to dwell in the tabernacle of his kingdom, except we run thither with good deeds we shall not arrive. But let us ask the Lord with the prophet: Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle, or who shall rest upon thy holy hill? Then, brethren, let us hear the Lord answering and showing us the way to that tabernacle and saying: He that walketh without blemish and doth that which is right; he that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath used no deceit in his tongue, nor done evil to his neighbour, nor believed ill of his neighbour. He that taketh the evil spirit that tempteth him, and casteth him and his temptation from the sight of his heart, and bringeth him to naught; who graspeth his evil suggestions as they arise and dasheth them to pieces on the rock that is Christ. Such men as these, fearing the Lord, are not puffed up on account of their good works, but judging that they can do no good of themselves and that all cometh from God, they magnify the Lord's work in them, using the word of the prophet: Not unto us, 0 Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give the glory. So the apostle Paul imputed nothing of his preaching to himself, but said: By the grace of God I am what I am. And again he saith: He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

 St Thomas Aquinas:

Here, he treats of proper justice. He consults with God, like a priest standing in God's presence, he first poses a question, and then offers an explanation, at, He who enters without blemish. So, he puts forth two questions because of the two-fold status of the Church, that is, in the here and now, and in the future. The first refers to the Church as it struggles on this earth, the Church Militant. By the tabernacle is designated the Church as it struggles on this earth, and by the temple on the mount, the state of its future life.

St Alphonsus Liguori:

This psalm presents the portrait of a worthy minister of the altar, and at the same time that of the predestined soul, who also will have the happiness of being admitted for all eternity into the heavenly country.

Psalm 11 - Wednesday Prime No 3

Saltiri anglocatalà (Biblioteca Nacional de França, Lat. 8846),
detall del foli 117, c12th

Wednesday – Psalm 11 (12): Salvum me fac, Dómine

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem, pro octava. Psalmus David.	Unto the end: for the octave, a psalm for David
Salvum me fac, Dómine, quóniam defécit sanctus: * quóniam diminútæ sunt veritátes a fíliis hóminum.	Save me, O Lord, for there is now no saint: truths are decayed from among the children of men.
2  Vana locúti sunt unusquísque ad próximum suum : * lábia dolósa, in corde et corde locúti sunt.	They have spoken vain things, every one to his neighbour: with deceitful lips, and with a double heart have they spoken
3  Dispérdat Dóminus univérsa lábia dolósa, * et linguam magníloquam.	May the Lord destroy all deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things.
4  Qui dixérunt : Linguam nostram magnificábimus, lábia nostra a nobis sunt, * quis noster Dóminus est?	Who have said: We will magnify our tongue: our lips are our own: who is Lord over us?
5 Propter misériam ínopum, et gémitum páuperum, * nunc exsúrgam, dicit Dóminus.	By reason of the misery of the needy, and the groans of the poor, now will I arise, says the Lord
6  Ponam in salutári : * fiduciáliter agam in eo.	I will set him in safety: I will deal confidently in his regard.
7  Elóquia Dómini, elóquia casta : * argéntum igne examinátum, probátum terræ purgátum séptuplum.	The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried by the fire, purged from the earth, refined seven times.
8 Tu, Dómine, servábis nos : et custódies nos * a generatióne hac in ætérnum.	You, O Lord, will preserve us: and keep us from this generation for ever.
9  In circúitu ímpii ámbulant : * secúndum altitúdinem tuam multiplicásti fílios hóminum.	The wicked walk round about: according to your highness, you have multiplied the children of men.

St Augustine:

It has been said on the sixth Psalm, that the eighth may be taken as the day of judgment. For the eighth may also be taken for the eternal age; for that after the time present, which is a cycle of seven days, it shall be given to the Saints.

Cassiodorus:

After the psalmist has condemned those who proposed shedding the Lord's blood, he comes to the second section in which he promises the Lord Saviour's resurrection in the prophetic voice of the Father...

St Thomas Aquinas:

In the first decade the Psalmist treats of the beating that he suffered from his son Absalom, by which the persecution which Christ was to suffer from Juda was figured; but, in the second decade, just as is apparent from the title of some of its Psalms, he speaks of the persecution that he suffered from Saul, by which the persecution that Christ was to suffer by the High Priests was figured.

And that decade is divided into two parts. In the first, he asks to be freed from enemies. In the second, now freed, he prays that he be raised up (at Psalm 19: May the Lord hear thee), which fits with the history of David, on the one hand, because upon the death of Saul he was promoted to king, and on the other hand, to the mystery through Christ, whose kingdom was confirmed through his death - Philipians 2: For which cause, namely because he was made obedient to the Father even unto death, God also hath exalted him.

St Alphonsus Liguori:

The confidence that we should have in the mercy of God and the fear that we should always have of his justice form the twofold subject of this psalm.

Fr Pasch:

A Godless generation.  This Psalm is like a mighty cry of the higher man against the consequences of original sin.  In the soul and in the world there is nothing but sin, deceit and self-seeking.  The psalmist looks for refuge in the Word of God, the only truth and purity and nobility that he can ever find. Verses1-2 - Man's ways are corruption; 3-4 - Man's overbearing pride; 5-7 - Divine assistance; 8-9 - Prayer for protection

Other Scriptural and liturgical uses of the psalm

NT references	Rom 16:18 (v2);
RB cursus	Wednesday Prime
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	-
Roman pre 1911	Sunday Matins
Maurist	Thurs Compline
Thesauris schemas	A: ; B: ; C: ; D:
Roman post 1911	1911-62: Tues Compline . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)	Lent 2 Friday, CO (8);

Psalm 9 (Pt 1) - Prime, Tuesday, No 3

Ms. Codex 1058 Glossed psalter, folio 5v,
circa 1100, Laon, France
University of Pennsylvania Libraries

Psalm 9 part 1: Confitebor tibi Domine

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem, pro occultis filii. Psalmus David.	Unto the end, for the hidden things of the Son. A psalm for David.
1 Confitébor tibi, Dómine, in toto corde meo: * narrábo ómnia mirabília tua.	I will give praise to thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: I will relate all thy wonders.
2  Lætábor et exsultábo in te: * psallam nómini tuo, Altíssime.	I will be glad, and rejoice in thee: I will sing to thy name, O thou most high.
3  In converténdo inimícum meum retrórsum: * infirmabúntur, et períbunt a fácie tua.	When my enemy shall be turned back: they shall be weakened, and perish before thy face.
4  Quóniam fecísti judícium meum et causam meam: * sedísti super thronum, qui júdicas justítiam.	For thou hast maintained my judgment and my cause: thou hast sat on the throne, who judgest justice.
5  Increpásti Gentes, et périit ímpius: * nomen eórum delésti in ætérnum, et in sæculum sæculi.	Thou hast rebuked the Gentiles, and the wicked one hath perished; thou hast blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6  Inimíci defecérunt frámeæ in finem: * et civitátes eórum destruxísti.	The swords of the enemy have failed unto the end: and their cities thou hast destroyed
7  Périit memória eórum cum sónitu: * et Dóminus in ætérnum pérmanet.	Their memory hath perished with a noise: But the Lord remaineth for ever.
8  Parávit in judício thronum suum: * et ipse judicábit orbem terræ in æquitáte, judicábit pópulos in justítia.	He hath prepared his throne in judgment: And he shall judge the world in equity he shall judge the people in justice.
9  Et factus est Dóminus refúgium páuperi: * adjútor in opportunitátibus, in tribulatióne.	And the Lord is become a refuge for the poor: a helper in due time in tribulation.
10  Et sperent in te qui novérunt nomen tuum: * quóniam non dereliquísti quæréntes te, Dómine.	And let them trust in thee who know thy name: for thou hast not forsaken them that seek thee, O Lord.
11  Psállite Dómino, qui hábitat in Sion: * annuntiáte inter Gentes stúdia ejus:	Sing ye to the Lord, who dwelleth in Sion: declare his ways among the Gentiles:
12  Quóniam requírens sánguinem eórum recordátus est: * non est oblítus clamórem páuperum.	For requiring their blood, he hath remembered them: he hath not forgotten the cry of the poor.
13  Miserére mei, Dómine: * vide humilitátem meam de inimícis meis.	Have mercy on me, O Lord: see my humiliation which I suffer from my enemies.
14  Qui exáltas me de portis mortis, * ut annúntiem omnes laudatiónes tuas in portis fíliæ Sion.	You that lift me up from the gates of death, that I may declare all your praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion.
15  Exsultábo in salutári tuo: * infíxæ sunt Gentes in intéritu, quem fecérunt.	I will rejoice in your salvation: the Gentiles have stuck fast in the destruction which they prepared.
16  In láqueo isto, quem abscondérunt, * comprehénsus est pes eórum.	Their foot has been taken in the very snare which they hid.
17  Cognoscétur Dóminus judícia fáciens: * in opéribus mánuum suárum comprehénsus est peccátor.	The Lord shall be known when he executes judgments: the sinner has been caught in the works of his own hands.
18  Convertántur peccatóres in inférnum, * omnes Gentes quæ obliviscúntur Deum.	The wicked shall be turned into hell, all the nations that forget God.
19  Quóniam non in finem oblívio erit páuperis: * patiéntia páuperum non períbit in finem	For the poor man shall not be forgotten to the end: the patience of the poor shall not perish for ever.

St Augustine:

...This Psalm is then sung for the hidden things of the only-begotten Son of God. For the Lord Himself too, when, without addition, He uses the word Son, would have Himself, the Only-begotten to be understood; as where He says, If the Son shall make you free, then shall you be free indeed...we must first understand that there are some things of the Son manifest, from which those are distinguished which are called hidden. 

Wherefore since we believe two advents of the Lord, one past, which the Jews understood not: the other future, which we both hope for; and since the one which the Jews understood not, profited the Gentiles...The hidden one is passing now, of which the Apostle Peter says, The time has come that judgment should begin from the house of the Lord. The hidden judgment accordingly is the pain, by which now each man is either exercised to purification, or warned to conversion, or if he despise the calling and discipline of God, is blinded unto damnation. But the manifest judgment is that in which the Lord, at His coming, will judge the quick and the dead, all men confessing that it is He by whom both rewards shall be assigned to the good, and punishments to the evil. 

St Thomas Aquinas:

In Psalm 8 the psalmist rendered thanks to God for granting divine blessings to the entire human race. Here in Psalm 9, thanks is especially rendered to God for blessings to the psalmist… 

Mystically the title for Psalm 9 can refer to Christ (Son of God). For, Christ is called a "Son," as of God, the Father...So, hidden things of a son are as mysteries concerning Christ. For such hidden things of Christ are twofold, Christ's first coming on earth is hidden in reference to his divinity and glory,…Christ's second coming upon this earth will be evident… 

Christ's judgment is also twofold. One is hidden within the very condition of this present world. Another judgment is from God, the Father, allowing good persons to suffer from evil persons…So, in Psalm 9 there is exposed a hidden judgment that good persons suffer from evil persons...Thus, the entire Psalm 9 is exposed along the above consideration of thanks, and freedom from enemies…considers actions from divine blessings. 

Divine blessings are threefold: from the mouth, the heart, and the deed. The blessings from the mouth are twofold: from praising and preaching. By praising when it says: "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart" (Verse 1). And by preaching, from three ideas: faith, sinners, and praise. Regards faith is said: "For man believes with his heart, and is so justified. He professes with his lips and so is saved." …Regards sinners: "Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed". Regards praise: "Then the angel called the two of them private, and said to them: "Praise God and give thanks to him in the presence for what he has done for us". 

St Alphonsus Liguori:

Among the interpreters there are some that see in this psalm, when taken in the literal sense, David thanking God for having given him the victory over his enemy; and when taken in the spiritual sense, Jesus Christ accomplishing the work of the Redemption, and thus subduing the devil, the great enemy of the human race. Others, whose opinion does not lack probability, regard this psalm as the portrait of the unhappy end of the wicked, who have lived in prosperity, and of the glorious end of the just, who have been living in tribulation.

Fr Pasch:

Thanksgiving for victory - Christ is victorious in his Resurrection and in the Church. By his dying, Christ has overcome the devil and given us a pledge of the victory.  He will win in the Church and in our soul.  The enemies spoken of are not the forces of earth, but those of hell.  Nor must we think of an earthly victory.  Rather, our victory as Christians will be like that of Christ, who seemed to be defeated in the eyes of men. 

The opening phrase of today's psalm, Confitebor tibi Domine, recurs in several other places on Tuesdays (indeed it can be found in all of the variable psalms/canticles at Lauds), and can perhaps be applied firstly to Christ during his time on earth, and his preaching of the Gospel to the world in the face of intense opposition.

It seems to refer to the preaching of the kingdom: the references to Sion in this psalm are echoed in numerous other references to heaven (especially the holy mountain and tabernacle of Psalm 42 at Lauds; the dedication of the temple, a microcosm of the heaven at Vespers in Psalm 131; and the several songs of Sion sung at Matins).

This last psalm of Prime is also, of course, a call for us to imitate Christ in his preaching and ascent: it reminds us of the joy of heaven; of the grace God provides to aid us in our struggles; and of the reason we must do it, in the form of Christ's second coming to judge.

Psalm 6 - Prime, Monday no 3, short summaries

Psalm 6 (Prime Monday): Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
Magistro chori. Fidibus. Super octavam. PSALMUS. David.	Unto the end, in verses, a psalm for David, for the octave.
Dómine, ne in furóre tuo árguas me, * neque in ira tua corrípias me.	O Lord, rebuke me not in your indignation, nor chastise me in your wrath.
2  Miserére mei, Dómine, quóniam infírmus sum : * sana me, Dómine, quóniam conturbáta sunt ossa mea.	Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3  Et ánima mea turbáta est valde : * sed tu, Dómine, úsquequo?	And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but you, O Lord, how long?
4  Convértere, Dómine, et éripe ánimam meam : * salvum me fac propter misericórdiam tuam.	Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for your mercy's sake.
5.  Quóniam non est in morte qui memor sit tui : * in inférno autem quis confitébitur tibi?	For there is no one in death that is mindful of you: and who shall confess to you in hell?
6  Laborávi in gémitu meo, lavábo per síngulas noctes lectum meum : * lácrimis meis stratum meum rigábo.	I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears
7  Turbátus est a furóre óculus meus : * inveterávi inter omnes inimícos meos.	My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies.
8  Discédite a me, omnes, qui operámini iniquitátem : *  quóniam exaudívit Dóminus vocem fletus mei.	Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity: for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
9  Exaudívit Dóminus deprecatiónem meam, *  Dóminus oratiónem meam suscépit.	The Lord has heard my supplication: the Lord has received my prayer.
10  Erubéscant, et conturbéntur veheménter omnes inimíci mei : * convertántur et erubéscant valde velóciter.	Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.

Psalm 6 is the first of the penitential psalms. 

St Benedict picks up the central image of this psalm, the man who spends his nights weeping for his sins, in his chapter on the tools of good works, where he instructs us to ‘confess our past sins to God daily with tears and sighs’.  

St Benedict goes to some trouble to include it in Monday Prime, moving Psalm 5 to Lauds in order to accommodate it on Monday.  I think the reasons for this are several. First, the psalm can be interpreted at the collective level as a plea for the Messiah to come and free us from Hades, so fits in with the general theme of the Incarnation on Mondays in the Benedictine Office: through Christ’s coming the devil is confounded and turned back, a phrase that echoes through many of the psalms of the day.  Secondly, the flood of tears of verse 6 can perhaps be viewed as a reference to one of the other major themes of the day, the gift of baptism.  Thirdly, the call to conversion and repentance can perhaps be seen as a final preparation for the mini-renewal of monastic vows/promises each week at Terce. 

 St Augustine:

Intimates the day of judgment, that is, the time of the coming of our Lord, when He will come to judge the quick and dead.

St Thomas Aquinas:

In Psalm 6 is seen the effect of a person punished for sins, then led into enemies' hands, and finally obtaining freedom by penance. Psalm 6 is the first in a series of seven Penitential Psalms. These so termed seven psalms can refer to seven gifts of the Sacred Spirit. All the seven Penitential Psalms commence in a spirit of sadness. So, after wailing within a spirit of penance, a person arrives to a kingdom of glory. Because: "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be “conforted."…Now, Psalm 6 is divided into three parts. First is presented the idea of penance; and second, an idea of tears. There: "I am weary with my mourning; every night I flood my couch with weeping.". Third, the results of such tears and penance is exposed. There: "Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping".

St Alphone Liguori:

According to the most probable opinion of the learned, this psalm, taken in the literal sense, properly refers to the penitence of David. Hence it is, conclusively, the prayer of the sinner who fears the blows of the divine justice, and who strives to become reconciled with his God. It is the first of the Penitential Psalms.

Fr Pius Parsch:

Argument and repentance - This song of fervent penance inspires the thought: Was today a day of sin? Vs 1-3: Lamentation of the suffering, repentant sinner, Vs 4-7: Argument of the prayer Vs 8-10: Confident of being heard

Psalm 118 (Beth) - (Sunday Prime no 2)

Painting by Jean Weyh in the St Stephen's church of Mackenheim, France

Psalm 118, Beth (Vs 9-16): In quo corrigit 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
9. In quo córrigit adolescéntior viam suam? * in custodiéndo sermónes tuos.	By what does a young man correct his way? By observing your words
10. In toto corde meo exquisívi te: * ne repéllas me a mandátis tuis.	With my whole heart have I sought after you: let me not stray from your commandments.
11  In corde meo abscóndi elóquia tua: * ut non peccem tibi.	Your words have I hidden in my heart, that I may not sin against you
12. Benedíctus es, Dómine: * doce me justificatiónes tuas.	Blessed are you, O Lord: teach me your justifications.
13  In lábiis meis, * pronuntiávi ómnia judícia oris tui.	With my lips I have pronounced all the judgments of your mouth.
14  In via testimoniórum tuórum delectátus sum, * sicut in ómnibus divítiis.	I have been delighted in the way of your testimonies, as much as in all riches.
15  In mandátis tuis exercébor: * et considerábo vias tuas.	I will meditate on your commandments: and I will consider your ways.
16 In justificatiónibus tuis meditábor: * non oblivíscar sermónes tuos.	I will think of your justifications: I will not forget your words.

You can hear the verse read aloud in Latin here.

This octave of verses starts by talking about the importance of starting out on the right path as a young person, and ends with a rejection of ‘forgetfulness’, or falling away from God. Taken together, they are, I think, a prayer for the grace of perseverance.

Beth is the second psalm of Sunday Prime, and essentially has the same message as the second psalm of Monday Prime (Psalm 2), namely the call for us to take refuge in God, and submit to his discipline.   This portion of Psalm 118 urges us to start young, listen carefully to what God is saying, and remember them always by the practice of meditation.  In short, conversion takes effort.

Cassiodorus:

In the section of the first letter, the faithful people pointed to the spheres of blessedness in which they begged to be maintained; they now under the second letter reveal the time of conversion, and by quoting the Lord's words also state what delights they are to enjoy.

Fr Pasch:

Serve God with all your strength

You can read more on these verses of Psalm 118 here.

Psalm 18 (Saturday Prime no 2)

Mausoleum of the Julii,  necropolis under St. Peter's
Mid-3rd century Grotte Vaticane, Rome.

Saturday – Psalm 18 (19): Caeli enarrent gloriam Dei 

Vulgate	Douay-Rheims
In finem. Psalmus David.	Unto the end. A psalm for David.
Cæli enárrant glóriam Dei: * et ópera mánuum ejus annúntiat firmaméntum.	The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of his hands.
2  Dies diéi erúctat verbum, * et nox nocti índicat sciéntiam.	Day to day utters speech, and night to night shows knowledge.
3  Non sunt loquélæ, neque sermónes, * quorum non audiántur voces eórum.	There are no speeches nor languages, where their voices are not heard.
4  In omnem terram exívit sonus eórum: * et in fines orbis terræ verba eórum.	Their sound has gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world.
5  In sole pósuit tabernáculum suum: * et ipse tamquam sponsus procédens de thálamo suo.	He has set his tabernacle in the sun: and he as a bridegroom coming out of his bridechamber,
6  Exsultávit ut gigas ad curréndam viam, * a summo cælo egréssio ejus.	Has rejoiced as a giant to run the way: His going out is from the end of heaven,
7  Et occúrsus ejus usque ad summum ejus: * nec est qui se abscóndat a calóre ejus.	And his circuit even to the end thereof: and there is no one that can hide himself from his heat.
8  Lex Dómini immaculáta, convértens ánimas: * testimónium Dómini fidéle, sapiéntiam præstans párvulis.	The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls: the testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to little ones.
9  Justítiæ Dómini rectæ, lætificántes corda: * præcéptum Dómini lúcidum illúminans óculos.	The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts: the commandment of the Lord is lightsome, enlightening the eyes.
10  Timor Dómini sanctus, pérmanens in sæculum sæculi: * judícia Dómini vera, justificáta in semetípsa.	The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring for ever and ever: the judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves.
11  Desiderabília super aurum et lápidem pretiósum multum: * et dulcióra super mel et favum.	More to be desired than gold and many precious stones: and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.
12  Etenim servus tuus custódit ea, * in custodiéndis illis retribútio multa.	For your servant keeps them, and in keeping them there is a great reward.
13  Delícta quis intélligit? ab occúltis meis munda me: * et ab aliénis parce servo tuo.	Who can understand sins? From my secret ones cleanse me, O Lord: And from those of others spare your servant.
14  Si mei non fúerint domináti, tunc immaculátus ero: * et emundábor a delícto máximo	If they shall have no dominion over me, then shall I be without spot: and I shall be cleansed from the greatest sin.
15  Et erunt ut compláceant elóquia oris mei: * et meditátio cordis mei in conspéctu tuo semper.	And the words of my mouth shall be such as may please: and the meditation of my heart always in your sight.
16  Dómine, adjútor meus, * et redémptor meus.	O Lord, my helper and my Redeemer.

(Note: Uses classical pronunciation on 'ti' - ecclesiastical practice is to make it 'si'.)


Theodoret of Cyr

We learn three kinds of divine laws from blessed Paul. One unwritten kind he said was given to human beings in creation and nature: "From the creation of the world," he says, "his invisible attributes have been understood and seen in created things"; and again, "For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, practice the obligations of the law instinctively, despite having no law they are a law to themselves." ... Another law was provided in writing through the mighty Moses: "The Law was added because of transgressions," he says, "ordained through angels in the hand of a mediator." He knew also a third one imposed after these, the law of grace: "For the law of the Spirit of life," he says, "has set me free from the law of sin and death.” Blessed David in this psalm teaches in beings the harmony between these, following the same order: first, the one the Creator in creation; then the one given through Moses, instilling a greater knowledge of the Creator to those willing to attend; after that, in law of grace, perfectly purifying souls and saving them from the present destruction. This is in fact the reason the psalm also refers us "to the end," naming the New Testament in the end. Commentary on the Psalms

St John Chrysostom:

The mystical interpretation of this Psalm here indicated, is acknowledged by the Church in using it on Christmas day. An ancient Latin hymn has this paraphrase on a part of it:

From Chastity, His Palace bright, Forth came the Bridegroom decked with light, Giant! God and Man in one! Glad His glorious race to run. From the Eternal Father sent Back to Him His circuit bent, Down to hell His path descends, At the throne of God it ends

St Alphonse Liguori

In this psalm we hear exalted the perfections of God, the sanctity of his law, and the magnificence of his works. In the spiritual sense it is to Jesus Christ and his Apostles that all these praises apply, according to St. Augustine, Bellarmine, Rotigni, Malvenda, Tirinus, and Gordona.

Fr Pasch:

This is the famous sun Psalm.  More beautifully than all the rest of creation, the sun proclaims the glory of God; in fact the sun is the symbol of God, the symbol of Christ.  In the second part, the Psalm is a song of praise for the spiritual sun, the Law of God.  In this Psalm, the Church has also seen a figure of the Incarnation of Christ in the womb of the Virgin Mother; Mary is the tabernacle of the divine Sun, who comes out from this tabernacle on Christmas night like a bridegroom, like a mighty hero

NT References: Rom 1:20 (v3), Rom 10:18(v4), Jas 1:25 (v9); Rev 16:7(vs 10), Rom 6:12, 14(v13)

RB cursus	Saturday Prime
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc	Comon of Apostles, Virgins/Holy Women, Nativity, Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity, Assumption
Roman pre 1911	Sunday Matins
Ambrosian	Matins Tues wk 1
Brigittine	Saturday matins
Maurist	Saturday Prime
Thesauris	Schema B: Wednesday matins;
Roman post 1911	1911-62:Monday Prime  1970: Lauds Monday wk 2 (18a)/Midday wk I (18b)
Mass propers (EF)	Lent 2 Sat IN (1, 8); Lent 3 Sunday OF (9, 11, 12); Lent 3 Tues Gr (13-14); Lent 4 Monday CO (13), Lent 4 Friday In (1, 15); Vigil JB IN (1).