Thomas Aquinas, on Ps 54:2

“Hear, O God, my prayer, and despise not my supplication:”

“"Attend to me and hear me." Here is described the order by which God accepts prayer: namely, when he accepts the prayer or petition, because the petitioner is not accepted through the prayer, but the prayer of those to be accepted is accepted through the petition. Hence it is said in Gen. 4: "The Lord looked first to Abel and then to his offerings." "Attend to me," that is, accept me. Or "attend to my affliction." Exod. 3: "Seeing, I have seen the affliction of my people." "And hear me." Ps. (63): "Hear, O God, my prayer, when I make supplication."”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.