Sunday, August 14, 2011

Lectio notes on the Propers, Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - Introit (Psalm 53)



The Introit for this week is from Psalm 53 (54), Deus, in nómine tuo salvum me fac.  The text of the Introit in the order that we hear it as Mass is as follows: 

Ecce Deus ádjuvat me (Behold, God is my helper), et Dóminus suscéptor est ánimæ meæ (and the Lord has sustained my soul): avérte mala inimícis meis (turn back the evil on my enemies), et in veritáte tua dispérde illos (and in your truth disperse them), protéctor meus, Dómine (O Lord my protector). Deus in nómine tuo (O God by your name) salvum me fac (save me): et in virtúte tua (and in your strength) líbera me (deliver me).

Context

This psalm is given a particular historical context by its title (noting that the titles of the psalms preserved in the Septuagint/Vulgate are very ancient indeed), namely the warning to David that the Philistines with whom he had taken refuge planned to betray him to Saul, causing him to flee once more to the wilderness (1 Samuel 23).

Dom Gueranger's commentary on the day in his Liturgical Year, however, puts it in the context of today's Gospel, Our Lord weeping for the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and the cleansing of the Temple:

"Israel had made himself the enemy of the Church; and God, as He had warned him, punishes and disperses his children.  The Church takes occasion, from the fulfilment of the divine judgments, to profess the humble confidence she has in her Spouse's aid."

The virtue of justice

This psalm, like many, asks for deliverance from enemies, and asks for them to be punished.  In the version used in the liturgy, the final plea is to be freed from his enemies; in the Vulgate, the word 'judge' is used instead of 'deliver' or 'free' me.  They come to the same thing, as St Robert Bellarmine observes in his commentary on the Psalm: "...that is, be my judge, defend me as I deserve, and avenge me of my enemy.."

Over and over Scripture tells us that the righteous man can call on God and be confident of his help, while the unjust man's pleas will go unheeded.  Over and over we are told that what we do now will either store up for us treasure in heaven, or punishment in hell.

Yet this basic concept of justice - the idea that sooner or later there will be consequences for our actions - is one we tend to shy away from these days, to the destruction of society, as is seen in the English riots. Modern theologians promote the idea of an empty hell (an idea completely at odds with the repeated warnings of Our Lord); too often the punishments meted out by the courts fall well short of fitting the crime; and in too many countries the State works to undermine the authority and bonds of the family rather than promote it.

Today's Gospel (St Luke 19) tells us that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was a punishment for the failure of the failure of the Jewish people to recognise their Messiah.  

What then should the punishment be for a society that has turned its back on God and worships pleasure instead; that rejects even the gift of life, slaughtering its unborn innocents?  No wonder we have global warming, a financial crisis, and a society losing all cohesion....

How then, can we personally work to restore the concept of justice in our faith and society?  A worthy topic for meditation, contemplation and action.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Propers for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost/1

You can find a listing of readings for this Sunday in the Ordinary and Extraordinary Form, together with links to useful resources on them over at the Divine Lamp.  For Sunday the psalms set down are:

Ordinary Form: Psalm 66 (67)

In the Ordinary Form, the Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 66, which will be extremely familar to those who say the Benedictine version of the Office since it is said daily at Lauds.  This joyful and uplifting psalm starts and ends by requesting God’s blessing on us. It is the quintessential psalm of the Church’s mission though: it asks for and points to God’s guidance for Governments, and for the spread of God’s word and praise across the whole world:

Deus misereátur nostri, et benedícat nobis: * illúminet vultum suum super nos, et misereátur nostri.
2 Ut cognoscámus in terra viam tuam, * in ómnibus Géntibus salutáre tuum.
3 Confiteántur tibi pópuli, Deus: * confiteántur tibi pópuli omnes.
4 Læténtur et exsúltent Gentes: * quóniam júdicas pópulos in æquitáte, et Gentes in terra dírigis.
5 Confiteántur tibi pópuli, Deus, confiteántur tibi pópuli omnes: * terra dedit fructum suum.
6 Benedícat nos Deus, Deus noster, benedícat nos Deus: * et métuant eum omnes fines terræ.

The Douay-Rheims translates this as:

May God have mercy on us, and bless us: may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us.
3 That we may know your way upon earth: your salvation in all nations.
4 Let people confess to you, O God: let all people give praise to you.
5 Let the nations be glad and rejoice: for you judge the people with justice, and direct the nations upon earth.
6 Let the people, O God, confess to you: let all the people give praise to you:
7 The earth has yielded her fruit. May God, our God bless us,
8 may God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear him

Extraordinary Form

The Epistle this Sunday is 1 Corinthians 10:6-13 (against idolatry, fornication, temptation of God, and murmuring); the Gospel is St Luke 19:41-47, the cleansing of the Temple and prophesy of the destruction of Jerusalem by Our Lord. This week's psalm propers in the Extraordinary Form are from:

Psalm 53:3, 6-7 (Introit)


6  Ecce Deus ádjuvat me, et Dóminus suscéptor est ánimæ meæ:
7. avérte mala inimícis meis, et in veritáte tua dispérde illos, protéctor meus, Dómine.
3. Deus in nómine tuo salvum me fac: et in virtúte tua líbera me.

Or:

For behold God is my helper: and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
Turn back the evils upon my enemies; and cut them off in your truth.
Save me, O God, by your name, and judge me in your strength.


Psalm 8:2 (Gradual)

Dómine, Dóminus noster, quam admirábile est nomen tuum in univérsa terra! Quóniam eleváta est magnificéntia tua super cælos.

O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth!

Psalm 58:2 (Alleluia)

Erípe me de inimícis meis, Deus meus: et ab insurgéntibus in me líbera me.

or

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; and defend me from them that rise up against me.

Psalm 18:9-12 (Offertory)

Justitiæ Dómini rectæ, lætificántes corda, et judícia ejus dulcióra super mel et favum: nam et servus tuus custódit ea.

or

The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts: and his justice is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb: for your servant keeps them.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Gentle Jesus meek and mild? St John Chrysostom on tough love

I gave a little background yesterday on the great doctor of the Church St John Chrysostom and his commentaries on the psalms. 

Today I want to give a little taster of his commentary, using as an example his discussion of an issue that is important for us today, namely the nature of meekness, drawing from his introduction to Psalm 131 (132), 'O Lord remember David, and all his meekness'.

The sanatisation of Our Lord

One of the biggest problems in modern Catholicism is the highly selective, highly sanitised picture often presented of Our Lord and his teaching: the faux-version that emphasizes that Jesus associated with sinners but omits to mention his insistence that they sin no more; a version that emphasizes turning the other cheek and praying for enemies, but forgets about his driving the money-lenders from the Temple and taking the pharisees and others to task for hypocrisy; the version that altogether omits some of the 'hard sayings' on doctrine Our Lord taught, such as the nature of the Eucharist, the prohibition on divorce, and much more. 

It leads to a version of Christianity where true catholics are berated for the crime of promoting orthodoxy; where those who campaign against liturgical abuses are denounced as 'temple police'; and where most bishops and priests prefer to stay silent rather than cause 'discomfort' by teaching the truth. 

In his commentary on Psalm 131, St John Chrysostom looks precisely at this issue.

Psalm 131, verse 1

The first line of Psalm 131 in the Vulgate is Meménto, Dómine, David, et omnis mansuetúdinis ejus', or Remember Lord, David and all his meekness.

There is an obvious connection here between the claimed meekness for David, the third beatitude (Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth), and God's promise to David that his descendants would rule Israel forever.


It is therefore perhaps unsurprising that the Hebrew Masoretic Text version of this verse (not followed by the neo-Vulgate in this particular case), in what may be a classic piece of anti-Christian text manipulation by the early post-Temple Jewish community, substitutes a word meaning 'hardships' for meekness in this verse

But what does meekness actually mean in this context?

King David, after all, is hardly the popular image of a meek and mild, pacifistic personality: he learnt his slingshot skills as a shepherd defending his flock against lions and other wild beasts, and from his famous encounter with Goliath and throughout his turbulent reign, he was above all, a warrior.

Paris Psalter
Meekness does not mean inaction, quite the contrary!

In order to tackle the question, St John points us to another 'type' of Christ, namely Moses, in order to understand that meekness, or gentleness, does not imply weakness, failure to speak up, or pacifism:

"While in other places they ask to be saved only on the basis of remembrance of the ancestors, here by contrast they cite the reason for the good things - moderation, humility, gentleness, for which Moses too was particularly remarkable. "He was the gen­tlest of all the men on the earth," Scripture says, remember.   But some of the heretics criticize his way of life and what is said of him, asking, "What do you mean? Was that the gentlest of men who struck down the Egyptian and slew him? Who filled the Jews with internecine blood and wars? Who ordered kith and kin to commit murder? Who sundered the earth with a prayer, and drew down thunderbolts from on high, drowning some and incinerat­ing others?"
 
St John's key point is that failure to speak up or take corrective act in the face of sin is not a sign of meekness and humility, but is in fact a vice:

"Ignoring the wronged, not grieving on behalf of the wronged or fuming over the abused is a mark not of virtue but of vice - not of gentleness, to be sure, but of torpor.  And so this very thing demonstrates his gentleness, and the fact that he was so ardent as to spring into action in cases where he saw others being wronged, unable to contain his irritation in de­fence of the righteous..."

In fact, St John argues, the mark of meekness is that Moses - and thus David, foreshadowing Our Lord - was more concerned about the spiritual welfare of the many than about his own fate; and did not consider sparing the rod in the case of the guilty the right course when it could cost the souls of others:

"Should he have ignored the trampling un­derfoot of the priesthood, the overturning of God's laws and the dissolution of all their content - I mean the dignity of the priest­hood, the opening of the sanctuary to all and, out of indifference for the priests, exposing the sacred precincts to the invasion of anyone inclined and letting everything go to the dogs? These things most of all, however, would not have been marks of gentleness but of inhumanity and cruelty, to ignore such an increase in evil and by sparing two hundred to destroy so many tens of thousands. I mean, tell me, when he bade kith and kin to be slain, what should he have done, with God enraged, impiety on the increase, and no one available who could save them from this rage? Should he have let a blow fall from heaven on all the tribes, the race be abandoned to utter ruin, and with that punishment ignore as well the incur­able sin committed? Or with retribution and death of a few mem­bers expunge the sin, avert the rage and render God propitious to those who had committed such awful sins? If you examine the righteous man's behavior in this way, you will acknowledge from this in particular his being most gentle."

Moses and Korah, c15th
Accepting personal suffering with patience

What actually constitutes meekness, St John concludes, is acting for the good, and accepting attacks on ourselves with grace and forbearance:

"If first we distinguish and define what on earth is gentleness and what harshness. I mean, striking is not a mark of harshness pure and simple, nor sparing a mark of gentleness; rather, that person is gentle who is able to bear faults against himself...And so this very thing demonstrates his gentleness, and the fact that he was so ardent as to spring into action in cases where he saw others being wronged, unable to contain his irritation in de­fence of the righteous. At any rate, when he personally was abused, he neither took vengeance nor demanded retribution, but without fail continued faithful to his sound values. Had he been harsh or irascible, on the contrary, he who showed such feeling and ardor for the sake of others would not have been strong enough to ac­cept his own fate, but in that situation would have been much more enraged."

Note: All extracts quoted above are from St John Chrysostom, Commentary on the Psalms, Translated with an Introduction by Robert Charles Hill, Volume Two, Holy Cross Orthodox Press: Brookline, MA; 1998, pp 202-4.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

St John Chrysostom, Commentary on the Psalms


As well as some notes on selected psalms, such as those in the Mass propers, I plan to have a series of posts on this blog on the major patristic and later commentaries on the psalms, providing a little context for them.  And today, to start the ballrolling, a look at St John Chrysostom.  Tomorrow I'll post a short extract from one of his psalm commentaries in order to give a flavour of his work.

St John Chrysostom (349-407), bishop and Doctor of the Church, tends to be rather neglected in the West (though he is cited extensively in the Catechism of the Catholic Church), but undeservedly so in my view.  His commentaries on the psalms are particularly worth reading, filled with gems of expositions on key topics, and clearly directed at a lay audience.

The author

Pope Benedict XVI gave two General Audiences on the saint in 2007, the year of the sixteen hundredth anniversary of his death.  Here are some extracts on his life:

"He was born in about the year 349 A.D. in Antioch, Syria (today Antakya in Southern Turkey). He carried out his priestly ministry there for about 11 years, until 397, when, appointed Bishop of Constantinople, he exercised his episcopal ministry in the capital of the Empire prior to his two exiles, which succeeded one close upon the other - in 403 and 407. Let us limit ourselves today to examining the years Chrysostom spent in Antioch.

He lost his father at a tender age and lived with Anthusa, his mother, who instilled in him exquisite human sensitivity and a deep Christian faith.

After completing his elementary and advanced studies crowned by courses in philosophy and rhetoric, he had as his teacher, Libanius, a pagan and the most famous rhetorician of that time. At his school John became the greatest orator of late Greek antiquity.

He was baptized in 368 and trained for the ecclesiastical life by Bishop Meletius, who instituted him as lector in 371. This event marked Chrysostom's official entry into the ecclesiastical cursus. From 367 to 372, he attended the Asceterius, a sort of seminary in Antioch, together with a group of young men, some of whom later became Bishops, under the guidance of the exegete Diodore of Tarsus, who initiated John into the literal and grammatical exegesis characteristic of Antiochean tradition.

He then withdrew for four years to the hermits on the neighbouring Mount Silpius. He extended his retreat for a further two years, living alone in a cave under the guidance of an "old hermit". In that period, he dedicated himself unreservedly to meditating on "the laws of Christ", the Gospels and especially the Letters of Paul. Having fallen ill, he found it impossible to care for himself unaided, and therefore had to return to the Christian community in Antioch (cf. Palladius, Dialogue on the Life of St John Chrysostom, 5).

The Lord, his biographer explains, intervened with the illness at the right moment to enable John to follow his true vocation. In fact, he himself was later to write that were he to choose between the troubles of Church government and the tranquillity of monastic life, he would have preferred pastoral service a thousand times (cf. On the Priesthood, 6, 7): it was precisely to this that Chrysostom felt called.

It was here that he reached the crucial turning point in the story of his vocation: a full-time pastor of souls! Intimacy with the Word of God, cultivated in his years at the hermitage, had developed in him an irresistible urge to preach the Gospel, to give to others what he himself had received in his years of meditation. The missionary ideal thus launched him into pastoral care, his heart on fire.

Between 378 and 379, he returned to the city. He was ordained a deacon in 381 and a priest in 386, and became a famous preacher in his city's churches. He preached homilies against the Arians, followed by homilies commemorating the Antiochean martyrs and other important liturgical celebrations: this was an important teaching of faith in Christ and also in the light of his Saints.

The year 387 was John's "heroic year", that of the so-called "revolt of the statues". As a sign of protest against levied taxes, the people destroyed the Emperor's statues. It was in those days of Lent and the fear of the Emperor's impending reprisal that Chrysostom gave his 22 vibrant Homilies on the Statues, whose aim was to induce repentance and conversion. This was followed by a period of serene pastoral care (387-397)..."

In his the second General Audience on the saint Pope Benedict XVI continued:

"...After the period he spent in Antioch, in 397 he was appointed Bishop of Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire of the East. John planned the reform of his Church from the outset: the austerity of the episcopal residence had to be an example for all - clergy, widows, monks, courtiers and the rich. Unfortunately, many of those he criticized distanced themselves from him. Attentive to the poor, John was also called "the Almoner". Indeed, he was able as a careful administrator to establish highly appreciated charitable institutions. For some people, his initiatives in various fields made him a dangerous rival but as a true Pastor, he treated everyone in a warm, fatherly way. In particular, he always spoke kindly to women and showed special concern for marriage and the family. He would invite the faithful to take part in liturgical life, which he made splendid and attractive with brilliant creativity.

St John confronts the Empress Eudoxia,
c19th painting, J-P Laurens
Despite his kind heart, his life was far from peaceful. He was the Pastor of the capital of the Empire, and often found himself involved in political affairs and intrigues because of his ongoing relations with the authorities and civil institutions. Then, within the Church, having removed six Bishops in Asia in 401 A.D. who had been improperly appointed, he was accused of having overstepped the boundaries of his own jurisdiction and thus he easily became the target of accusations. Another accusation against him concerned the presence of some Egyptian monks, excommunicated by Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, who had sought refuge in Constantinople. A heated argument then flared up on account of Chrysostom's criticism of the Empress Eudoxia and her courtiers who reacted by heaping slander and insults upon him. Thus, they proceeded to his removal during the Synod organized by the same Patriarch Theophilus in 403, which led to his condemnation and his first, brief exile. After Chrysostom's return, the hostility he had instigated by his protests against the festivities in honour of the Empress, which the Bishop considered as sumptuous pagan celebrations, and by his expulsion of the priests responsible for the Baptisms during the Easter Vigil in 404, marked the beginning of the persecution of Chrysostom and his followers, the so-called "Johannites".

John then denounced the events in a letter to Innocent I, Bishop of Rome, but it was already too late. In 406, he was once again forced into exile, this time to Cucusus in Armenia. The Pope was convinced of his innocence but was powerless to help him. A Council desired by Rome to establish peace between the two parts of the Empire and among their Churches could not take place. The gruelling journey from Cucusus to Pityus, a destination that he never reached, was meant to prevent the visits of the faithful and to break the resistance of the worn-out exile: his condemnation to exile was a true death sentence! The numerous letters from his exile in which John expressed his pastoral concern in tones of participation and sorrow at the persecution of his followers are moving. His journey towards death stopped at Comana in Ponto. Here, John, who was dying, was carried into the Chapel of the Martyr St Basiliscus, where he gave up his spirit to God and was buried, one martyr next to the other (Palladius, Dialogue on the Life of St John Chrysostom, 119). It was 14 September 407, the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross..."

The Commentaries on the psalms

c9th Chlkudov Psalter
 St John Chrysostom wrote his Commentaries on the Psalms roughly between 386-398. He may have written notes on all of them, but all that survives today is Psalms 4-12; 43-49; and 108-150 (omitting Ps 118).

In general he starts from a historical perspective, attempting to set each psalm in its original context, making his commentary particularly approachable to modern readers, even if modern critics will sometimes disagree with his particular conclusions.  His orientation is practical rather than mystical, but often all the more helpful for that.

The commentaries can be found online in Greek on Migne's Patrologia Graceca.  A modern English translation is available in two volumes in a translation by Robert Charles Hill (Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline MA, 1998).  Be warned though: treat the footnotes and accompanying materials with extreme caution!   Hill is not an appreciative translator of his subject, and his footnotes are almost uniformly critical of the work.  In general he seems not to be aware of the latest scholarship that attests to the integrity of the Septuagint, and takes what can only be described as a modernist perspective on St John's theology. Nonetheless, the text speaks for itself.

In addition, St John draws on and comments on many of the psalms in the course of his other (vast volume of) homilies on Scripture, and many of these commentaries can be readily accessed online, including through Bibliaclerus, CCEL and New Advent.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Lectio notes on the propers for the Eighth Sunday - Psalm 47/2


Tres Riches Heures, Purification of the BVM

The Introit for this week in the Extraordinary Form (on days not displaced by feasts) is, like the Alleluia discussed in my last post, also from Psalm 47, verses 10, 11 and 2:

10 Suscépimus, Deus, misericórdiam tuam, * in médio templi tui.
11 Secúndum nomen tuum, Deus, sic et laus tua in fines terræ: * justítia plena est déxtera tua.
2 Magnus Dóminus, et laudábilis nimis * in civitáte Dei nostri, in monte sancto ejus.

A translation is 'We have received God (suscepimus Deus), your mercy (misericoridam tuam) in the midst (in medio) of your temple (templi tui). According to your name O God,(secundem nomen tuum Deus), so also is your praise (sic et laus tua) unto the ends of the earth (in fines terrae): your right hand (dextera tua) is full of justice (justitia plena est).

Commentary

The text points us to the Sunday Gospel story of the unjust steward, with its reminder that we will all be called to account before God at some point, and fall in need of his mercy. 

St Augustine points out that the wording of the verse suggests that while we have received mercy, others have not.  St Thomas Aquinas explains this idea further: we have received mercy, he suggests, in the form of faith; in the form of grace conferred through the sacraments; and in the form of Christ himself (note that the text and chant setting is also used on the feast of the Purification of the BVM), whose message has been spread by the Church to the ends of the earth.  Thus, he argues, those who receive the sacraments unworthily, or who do not accept the teaching of the Church do not receive God's mercy...

A tough, counter-cultural message to meditate on indeed, that should make us think and do something about our own sins, encourage us to give thanks and praise for the graces we have received, and encourage us to pray and work ever harder for the conversion of others.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Psalm 47 and the eighth Sunday after Pentecost Pt 1

I want to start a series today providing notes to support lectio divina on some of the psalm texts used in the Mass propers.

The Mass propers tend to be relatively neglected when it comes to sermons and Mass preparation.  But they are a rich source for lectio, particularly as the Gregorian chant settings of them provide an interesting supplement to the writings of the Fathers and Theologians as to their interpretation.

Psalm 47: The text



Vulgate
Douay-Rheims
Psalmus cantici. Filiis Core, secunda sabbati.
A psalm of a canticle, for the sons of Core, on the second day of the week.


Magnus Dóminus, et laudábilis nimis * in civitáte Dei nostri, in monte sancto eius.
Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.
Fundátur exsultatióne univérsæ terræ mons Sion, * látera Aquilónis, cívitas Regis magni.
With the joy of the whole earth is mount Sion founded, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king.
Deus in dómibus eius cognoscétur: * cum suscípiet eam.
In her houses shall God be known, when he shall protect her.
Quóniam ecce reges terræ congregáti sunt: * convenérunt in unum.
For behold the kings of the earth assembled themselves: they gathered together.
Ipsi vidéntes sic admiráti sunt, † conturbáti sunt, commóti sunt: * tremor apprehéndit eos.
So they saw, and they wondered, they were troubled, they were moved: Trembling took hold of them.
Ibi dolóres ut parturiéntis: * in spíritu veheménti cónteres naves Tharsis.
There were pains as of a woman in labour. With a vehement wind you shall break in pieces the ships of Tharsis.
Sicut audívimus, sic vídimus in civitáte Dómini virtútum, † in civitáte Dei nostri: * Deus fundávit eam in ætérnum.
As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God has founded it forever.
Suscépimus, Deus, misericórdiam tuam, * in médio templi tui.
We have received your mercy, O God, in the midst of your temple.
Secúndum nomen tuum, Deus, sic et laus tua in fines terræ: * iustítia plena est déxtera tua.
According to your name, O God, so also is your praise unto the ends of the earth: your right hand is full of justice.
Lætétur mons Sion, et exsúltent fíliæ Iudæ: * propter iudícia tua, Dómine.
Let mount Sion rejoice, and the daughters of Juda be glad; because of your judgments, O Lord.
Circúmdate Sion, et complectímini eam: * narráte in túrribus eius.
Surround Sion, and encompass her: tell lye in her towers.
Pónite corda vestra in virtúte eius: * et distribúite domus eius, ut enarrétis in progénie áltera.
Set your hearts on her strength; and distribute her houses, that you may relate it in another generation.
Quóniam hic est Deus, Deus noster in ætérnum et in sæculum sæculi: * ipse reget nos in sæcula.
For this is God, our God unto eternity, and for ever and ever: he shall rule us for evermore.
Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.


The eighth Sunday after Pentecost and other liturgical uses of the psalm

As the table below shows, both the Introit and the Alleluia for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost in the Extraordinary Form use verses from Psalm 47 (48 in the Hebrew Masoretic Text numbering) point to a theme of the heavenly city of God, presented to us in Christ; realized for us in the Church and her saints, especially Our Lady (hence the psalm's use on the feast of the Purification); and prefigured by the Temple. 

NT references
-         
RB cursus
Tues Matins
Monastic/(Roman) feasts etc
Nativity, Epiphany, Christ the King, Pentecost, Trinity, Transfiguration, BVM, Assumption, Common of Virgins;
Roman pre 1911
Monday M 
Thesauris schemas
A: ; B: ; C: ; D:
Roman post 1911
1911-62: Tuesday M  . 1970:
Mass propers (EF)
Purification, IN 1, 10-11; GR 7, 10-11;
PP8 IN 1, 10-11; AL 1


In the Benedictine Office it is said on Tuesday at Matins as part of a group of psalms focused on the Temple and foreshadowing the revelation of Christ and his Church as the true Temple.


c16th Russian icon, the Church Militant
The text of  the Alleluia verse

The Alleluia uses the first verse of the psalm (which is also the verse of the Introit):

Magnus Dóminus, et laudábilis valde [nimis] * in civitáte Dei [nostri], in monte sancto ejus.

The Douay-Rheims translates it as 'Great is the Lord (magnus Dominus), and exceedingly to be praised (et laudabilis valde) in the city of God (in civitate Dei), in his holy mountain (in monte sancto ejus)'. Note that the Vulgate substitutes 'nimis' for 'valde' (both of which mean exceedingly) and adds 'nostri' (our) as indicated in square brackets. The Neo-Vulgate sticks with the Vulgate text for this verse.

Commentary

St Robert Bellarmine writes:
"The Prophet, being about to praise a certain edifice, commences by praising the architect, and says that in the holy city the wonderful skill and wisdom of God, who built it, is truly displayed. "Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised;" and so he is, whether we look at his essence, his power, his wisdom, his justice, or his mercy, for all are infinite, everlasting, and incomprehensible; and thus, so much is God "exceedingly to be praised," that all the angels, all men, even all his own works would not suffice thereto; but of all things we have revealed, there is no one thing can give us a greater idea of his greatness, or for which we should praise and thank him more, than the establishment of his Church; and, therefore, the Prophet adds, "in the city of our God, in his holy mountain;" that is to say, the greatness of God, and for which he deserves so much praise, is conspicuous in the foundation and construction of his Church, which is "the city of our God, in his holy mountain;" that is, made as perfect as possible. For, it is said in Isaias 2, "The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on top of mountains." And the Lord himself calls his Church "a city placed on a mountain." To touch briefly on the remarkable points of this edifice, just consider, first, the incredible variety of nations, differing in language, manners, customs, and laws, so uniting in the profession of one faith, and the use of the same sacraments, as to form one people, nay, even one family. Consider, secondly, the same Church, founded on Peter, a poor, ignorant, rude fisherman; and yet founded so firmly, that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it; for, in spite of that world in which Christ's Church is spending its exile, in spite of all the powers of darkness, in spite of all the persecutions of the wicked, she will ultimately arrive in safety at the land of promise; and, placed, at length, above the highest heavens, will reign undisturbed in everlasting happiness. Such things, certainly, could not be accomplished, but by the great God; that is, by a most powerful and skillful architect who, therefore, "is exceedingly to be praised," or, rather, is beyond all praise."
You can find more on this psalm here.

There are also some excellent commentaries on the psalm online, including:

Saturday, August 6, 2011

How to do REAL lectio divina

One of the current Pope's important contributions to the rehabilitation of Scripture in the lives of Catholics is his instruction on how to do lectio divina

Lectio divina, or holy reading, has been popularised in recent years by assorted monks and others. 

Unfortunately, much of the guidance around amounts to nothing much more than, read the text aloud a few times, seize on whatever part of it gives you a good vibe, and tell everyone about your emotional response to it.

It's the kind of approach that might work well if you are a trained theologian with a good knowledge of the whole of Scripture. But which is extremely dangerous for the typical under-catechized cafeteria Catholic whose acquaintance with Scripture is at best superficial.  Contrast that with the Pope's instructions on how to do real lectio divina, which reflect the real monastic tradition, not the pop version often propagated today under its name.

The stages of lectio divina

Pope Benedict XVI suggests, in his Post-Synodal Exhortation Verbum Domini, that there are five stages to the process:

1. Lectio (a terms that literally means reading, but in late antiquity and medieval usage also encompassed translating, thinking about studying the text): The Pope suggests that the fundamental question to be answered at this stage is, 'what does the text mean'?

2. Meditatio (meditation): 'what does the biblical text say to us'?

3. Oratio (prayer): 'what do we say to the Lord in response to his word'?

4. Contemplatio (contemplation): 'what conversion of mind, heart and life is the Lord asking of us'?

5. Actio (action; sometimes the term 'work' is used for this stage in medieval schemas for lectio): Putting it into practice.

Using all of the tools at our disposal to get at meaning

It is at the 'lectio' stage that the Pope proposes the integration of the tools offered by exegesis and theology into the process.

He makes the point that Scriptural interpretation is not just a purely individual matter: we must read it in the light of the faith, and in accordance with the principles the Church as set out.
In particular he points to the importance of:  
  • the way the New Testament definitively interprets the Old;
  • the witness of tradition: we must read "in communion with the Church, that is, with all the great witnesses to this word, beginning with the earliest Fathers up to the saints of our own day, up to the present-day magisterium";
  • drawing on the tools of exegesis;
  • with attention to both the literal and spiritual senses of the text (noting that the spiritual is subdivided into three senses which deal with the contents of the faith, with the moral life and with our eschatological aspirations).
The lectio stage, in other words, is not just a matter of reading the text through a few times, but requires serious study.

Meditation through to action

And this intellectual orientation carries through into the other stages of the process. At the meditation stage, for example, he suggests that "we must open ourselves to what God wants to say to us, ‘overcoming our deafness to those words that do not fit our own opinions or prejudices’. The theological implications of the text, in other words, should inform and be the subject of our meditations, prayers and consideration for action.

 It is not, of course, all a matter of intellect. The Pope stresses that lectio divina must be a dialogue with God, involving prayer, as petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise, so that "the word transforms us".

Dialogue though, involves listening, and listening not just to what we feel personally here and now, but also to what God has said to us through his Church down the ages. Sound advice indeed.