The Interpretation Timeline – Catholic Daily Mass

Thomas Aquinas Catholic

1225–1274

“Above, the prophet recounted his tribulations, God's benefits, his prayer, his confidence, and his thanksgiving; but here he sets out the whole order of his deliverance. The title is: Unto the end, a Psalm of David, for the ecstasy (pro extasi). Jerome does not have "for the ecstasy," nor do the Hebrews; and perhaps the Septuagint added it because of what is said below, "in excess" (in excessu). For "ecstasy" in Greek is called in Latin "excess," which is an excess of the mind, namely because a man is placed outside of himself. And this happens in two ways: either because he is drawn by things above, or because he is driven out by things below. If then a man's spirit is carried outside himself, it is said to be either drawn by the things above through contemplation and love — because divine love, as Dionysius says in chapter 4 of On the Divine Names, produces ecstasy, since it makes a man live not by his own life, but by God's life: Galatians 2: "I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me" — or else attacked or terrified from below, whence when a man fears, he is put outside himself: Acts 3: "they were filled with astonishment and ecstasy." And as the Gloss holds, ecstasy is taken here in this latter sense: for here the treatment concerns the tribulation of Christ in his Passion, whence Christ, hanging on the cross, said, "Into your hands I commend my spirit," Luke 23. And it also concerns the tribulations of the Church, and this under the figure of the things that happened to David. Or the words of this Psalm are to be understood as spoken as if by one person, since the head and the body and members are one person: whence Christ speaks both for himself and for his body: Isaiah 61: "as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels" — because Christ and the Church are one person. This psalm is divided into two parts. For first he sets forth his prayer. Second, he sets forth the granting of his petition, at the words, "How great is the multitude of your sweetness." But because prayer rests upon hope, he first sets forth hope and prayer. Second, he assigns the reason for each — namely why he hopes and why he prays — at the words, "For you are my strength." Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets forth hope. Second he adds the reason, at the words, "In your justice deliver me." Concerning hope he does two things. First he sets forth the rightness of his hope. Second, its certainty or firmness, at the words, "let me never be confounded." He says therefore: "In you, O Lord, have I hoped." Jeremiah 17 says: "Cursed is the man that trusts in man," etc. And therefore hope cannot be right if placed in man, but only in God: Ecclesiasticus 2: "You that fear the Lord, hope in him," etc. And this is said in the person of Christ and of the Church. But against this: hope has no place in one who possesses the object (a "comprehensor"); but Christ was such a possessor. Therefore he did not have hope nor faith, but vision. I respond: "to hope" is named from "hope"; but "hope" is said in two ways: sometimes it denotes the virtue; sometimes the object of that virtue, which is a good, under a twofold aspect — inasmuch as it regards God as eternal beatitude, and as the giver of beatitude. Christ did not have this hope as regarding beatitude as an object still to be attained, because its object is a future good, not one already possessed. Nevertheless, certain other things were still to be awaited by Christ through the help of God — such as the glory of immortality, the conversion of men, and the like. And as to this he did hope, although the virtue of hope was not necessary to him. Second he sets forth the firmness of his hope, saying, "let me never be confounded," because he leans upon God, who is unchangeable; but he who hopes in man, who fails, is at some point confounded. Then, when he says, "In your justice," he adds his prayer, where he does three things. First he assigns the reason why he asks to be delivered. Second he asks for the swiftness of his deliverance, at the word "Bow down." Third he sets forth the manner, "Be to me." He says therefore: O Lord, I hope, and therefore I ask to be delivered. But for what reason? Not for the sake of my own justice, but "in your justice," because you are just: Daniel 9: "We do not present our prayers before your face trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold mercies." Or, "in your justice" which you have given me, not my own: Romans 10 says: "being ignorant of the justice of God," etc. Likewise he asks to be delivered swiftly, because he cannot bear affliction. Delay can happen in two ways: one reason can be that the deliverer is far off; the other, that he is slow. God seems to be far from us: whence some have said that he has no providence over us: Job 22: "He walks about the poles of heaven, and does not consider our things." And therefore he asks that you, God, who dwell on high, and I cannot approach you, "bow down your ear." The ear of God is his will to hear; and God is said to draw near to us when he condescends to our infirmities and miseries; and therefore he says, "bow down," that is, condescend out of your goodness — and this quickly, and therefore, "make haste to deliver me": Isaiah 8: "Call his name, Make speed" — because he does not delay in time of need. There is a twofold manner of being delivered: namely, that one not be harmed while existing amid evils, or that one escape the evils. As to the first he says, "Be to me a God, a protector," that evils may not harm me: Isaiah 49: "In his quiver has he hidden me." As to the second he says, "and a house of refuge" — and this is the name of the Lord: Proverbs 18: "The name of the Lord is a strong tower." And therefore he adds here, "that you may save me." Then, when he says, "For," he shows what moves him: first to hope, second to pray, at the words, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble." Concerning the first he does two things. For first he is moved to hope from consideration of the divine condition. Second, from the experience of benefits, at the words, "but I have hoped in the Lord." For these two things give confidence. Now he shows the condition of God in two ways: first by comparison to us; second by comparison to his adversaries, since there were both adversaries and enemies, at the words, "you have hated them that regard." Concerning the first he does three things. First he sets forth God's relation to us; second, what he hopes for from this, at the words, "and for your name's sake"; third, raised up into hope, he breaks forth into prayer, at the words, "into your hands." Now it must be known that God has a relation to us in that he is our strength for accomplishing all the good things we do through him: Exodus 15: "The Lord is my strength and my praise," etc. Likewise, he is our refuge for avoiding evils: Psalm 103: "The rock (namely God) is a refuge for the hedgehogs." And therefore he says, I hope in you because of these two things. And what he hopes for he shows from the person of a wayfarer, who always needs a guide, a provider, and a defender. The first pertains to the way; the second to life; the third to salvation. And therefore as to the first he says, "you shall conduct me," namely by the way of salvation. As to the second, "and nourish me," with the nourishment of the virtues, and also bodily nourishment: Psalm 22: "The Lord rules me, and I shall want nothing." As to the third, "you shall bring me out of the snare," that is, out of the deceitful ambush which they have prepared for me: Proverbs 1: "Come with us, let us lie in wait," etc.; Psalm 123: "The snare is broken." And the reason is, "because you are my protector" — as if he were to say: I hope for this, that you will do these things for me, because you are my protector. "Into your hands" — third he breaks forth into a sudden prayer; and concerning this he does two things. First he commends himself to the Lord; second he calls to mind the divine benefit, either already possessed or soon to follow, at the words, "you have redeemed," etc. He says therefore, as to the first, "into your hands," etc. What one holds most dear, one commends to a guide. And therefore, in this dangerous life, I commend my spirit to you, God. Christ did this as an example for us: whence on the cross he said, "Into your hands," etc.; 2 Timothy 1: "I know whom I have believed," etc. It is understood in the person of the Church, as if the Church were saying to its head, Christ, "You say: Into your hands I commend my spirit," etc. And from this — namely from the cross — follows our redemption. He says, moreover, "God of truth," because he has fulfilled what he promised. By comparison to his adversaries he says, "you have hated" — as if to say: this is how you are disposed toward me; but how toward my adversaries? You hate them, and rightly so, because they regard vanities, etc. — namely those who place and fix their hope in the things of the world. And this in vain, because they come to nothing: Wisdom 5: "What has pride profited us," etc. Likewise vanities: divinations, or dreams, or pacts with demons; and such people are hated by God, because they are sacrilegious and idolatrous: Psalm 39: "Blessed is the man whose is the name of the Lord, etc.," etc. "But I" — above he assigned the reason for his hope from the divine condition; but here he assigns it from the experience of divine benefits. Concerning this he does two things: first he sets forth his hope; second its effect, at the word "I will rejoice." He says therefore: God hates the wicked; but I, who do not regard vanities, "have hoped in the Lord" alone, not in the god of riches — 1 Timothy 6. The effect of hope is spiritual gladness: Romans 12: "rejoicing in hope." And he sets forth the manner of that gladness, saying, "I will be glad and rejoice." Now "exultation" is joy leaping outward through exterior signs, while "gladness" denotes an interior expansion of the heart. Exultation, then, denotes the greatness of the joy; gladness, its moderation. And he puts exultation first, because men inflamed with the love of God rejoice more at the beginning, and afterward more moderately. "I will rejoice" — not in my own justice, but in yours. "Because" — here he calls to mind the benefit of his deliverance: first the deliverance itself; second the manner of the deliverance, at the words, "nor have you shut me up." He says he has been delivered from two things: from abjection, and from tribulation — the first is opposed to honor, the second to prosperity. As to the first he says, "my abjection," that is, my lowliness — as if to say: although you are on high in the heavens, yet you have looked upon this lowly one, or upon the lowliness of the heart: Luke 1: "You have regarded the lowliness of your handmaid." As to the second he says, "you have saved my soul out of necessities" — that is, out of tribulations — my soul, not my body; because as to the body men sometimes succumb, but the soul is delivered: Psalm 24: "Deliver me, O Lord, from my necessities." Or "necessities" denotes the sufferable conditions of the present life, namely death, hunger, penury, and indigence: Romans 12: "communicating to the necessities of the saints." The manner of deliverance is now shown: first as to escaping evil; second as to being preserved in good, at the words, "for you have set." He says therefore, as to the first, "nor have you shut me up." That is "shut up" outside of which there is nothing. God permits someone to be tempted by men, but does not shut him up in their hands, because he reserves something to which the enemy has no access — as in Job 1, whom he first so enclosed as to his substance that his body should not be touched, and then so enclosed as to his body that his soul should not be touched; whence he says, "but yet save his soul." But the wicked are shut up in the hands of the enemy. But against this: Job 16: "He has shut me up with the unjust," etc. I respond: this is true according to the intention of the enemy, who believes he will prevail, but it is not true simply speaking. As to the second he says, "you have set my feet" — that is, in a free and spacious place — "my feet," that is, my affections, because they are hindered from no side from doing good: Proverbs 4: "I will lead you by the paths of equity, which when you shall have entered, your steps shall not be straitened, and when you run, you shall meet no obstacle." Or this spacious place is eternal life: Baruch 3: "O Israel, how great is the house of God," etc., "where our feet have stood"; Psalm 121: "Our feet were standing," etc. Then, when he says, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble," etc., he assigns the reason for his prayer in two ways. First, in general he sets forth the prayer and its cause; second he pursues each in particular, at the words, "is troubled." Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets forth the petition in general; second the cause of the petition, at the word "have mercy": Judith 8: "let us with tears beg his pardon." And why? "For I am in trouble": Psalm 118: "Many are they that persecute me and afflict me." But against this: above he said, "you have saved my soul from necessities." I respond: it must be said that he speaks according to different members of the mystical body, or according to different times. There follows, "is troubled." Here he sets forth in particular, first the tribulation, second the prayer, at the words, "but I have hoped in you." Concerning the first he does two things: first as to what is interior; second as to what is exterior, at the words, "for my life has wasted away." As to the first, three things are set down: namely the eye, the soul, and the belly — by which reason, will, and sensuality are designated, since indeed when a man is placed in tribulation, all these are stirred. And therefore he says, "my eye" — the interior eye: Ephesians 1: "the eyes of your heart being enlightened" — "is troubled with wrath," the wrath of persecuting enemies, or of God punishing. Psalm 6: "My eye is troubled with fury." Or "with wrath," because I am angry against the wicked; for this anger does not blind the eye of reason as anger through vice does, but it troubles and clouds it, because it does not see so clearly. "My soul," as to the will, because it is proper to the will to move the body, and the will moves everything that is in us: Psalm 6: "My soul is troubled." "My belly," that is, it is weak, and it signifies sensuality: Jeremiah 4: "I am pained in my bowels." Or "my soul" refers to sensuality, and "my belly" to the body — as if to say, sensuality is troubled, and the body too. Or it is referred to the different members of the Church: for the "eyes" are the doctors, the "soul" the prelates, the "belly" the rest. Then, when he says, "For," etc., he sets forth the tribulation as to exterior things; for tribulation drives away the goods of the present life, which are three: namely the pleasures of the flesh, riches, and honors: 1 John 2: "All that is in the world," etc. Against the first he sets sorrow; against the second, poverty; and against the third, reproaches. The second is at the words, "is weakened"; the third at, "above all my enemies." Concerning the first he does two things: first he sets forth the sorrow, second its sign, at the words, "my years." He says therefore, "I am in trouble" inwardly; and this tribulation comes from within, "for my life is wasted away with grief." Life continually proceeds toward its failing: Wisdom 5: "we have continually ceased to be." He therefore who is grieved can say, "my life is wasted away with grief." Ecclesiasticus 38: "for from sorrow death hastens"; or spiritual life: Romans 1: "my just man lives by faith." Or it can be understood of the life by which one rejoices in the good of others: 2 Corinthians 7: "Now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because you were made sorrowful unto penance." And sorrow causes a failing in these; whence, "and my years," that is, the duration of my life, "in groans," which are the sign of sorrow. Concerning the second he says, "is weakened," etc. Riches strengthen men: Ecclesiastes 7: "as wisdom protects, so also money protects." And therefore poverty is referred to exterior weakness. But just as temporal poverty produces exterior weakness, so spiritual poverty produces spiritual weakness. "My strength," that is, bodily might, which is in the sinews and bones; and therefore he adds, "my bones" — as if to say: everything on which his strength was founded was made weak: Psalm 21: "They have numbered all my bones." "Above" — the prophet, setting forth his exterior tribulation, has proposed sorrows against pleasures, poverty against riches; here now he sets reproaches against the honors of the world. Concerning this he does three things. First he sets forth the confusion he suffers; second he brings in a comparison, "I am become as a vessel"; third, a proof, "for I have heard." Concerning the first he does three things, according to a threefold degree found among those who despise others: for some openly inflict reproaches; some avoid his company; and some forget him altogether, and this pertains to contempt, since no one forgets what he does not despise. First, therefore, he sets forth the first, saying, "above all my enemies," etc. Jerome has: "I have become a reproach among all my enemies, and exceedingly to my neighbors" — as if to say: I have become a reproach not only to my enemies, but also to my neighbors. And these are the words of Christ on behalf of the Church. The neighbors of the Church are those who are not yet converted, but propose to be converted. And he says "reproach" on account of both punishment and fault. And as to both it is explained, so that Christ says on behalf of the Church: "I am become a reproach" on account of the sufferings of the martyrs. And this "above all my enemies," because the saints endured more shameful punishments than robbers: 1 Corinthians 4: "we are made a spectacle," etc. Likewise on account of fault: in the Church there are some sinners of evil life, so that on their account the Church is held in contempt by those who ought to draw near to it. And rightly, "above all my enemies," because their life appears more shameful than that of unbelievers: Ezekiel 5: "This is Jerusalem, I have set her in the midst of the nations," etc.; likewise in the same book, 16: "you have justified your sisters by all your abominations," etc. Likewise, as to the second, no one joins himself to him; whence he says, "a fear to my acquaintance," that is, to my neighbors who are afraid to approach me — either on account of the punishments I suffer, or on account of the evil life of wicked Christians. And as a sign of this he adds, "they that saw me," that is, those who considered such reproaches of fault and punishment, "fled from me," because they were unwilling to be converted: Job 6: "My brethren have passed by me like a torrent"; Psalm 87: "You have put my acquaintance far from me." The third is forgetfulness, and this is what he says, "I am forgotten." But because a man, however much he loves someone, after that person's death consigns him to forgetfulness, therefore he says, "as one dead." Psalm 87: "like the slain sleeping in the sepulchres, whom you remember no more." These things are referred to Christ in his own person, because he was made a reproach: Psalm 68: "For your sake I have borne reproach, shame has covered my face." Likewise fear, because "they fled" — the disciples. Likewise, "given to oblivion," because "we hoped that it was he that should have redeemed Israel," Luke 24. Then he brings in a comparison, "I am become," etc. "I am become as a vessel that is destroyed," that is, useless, one that no one takes care of: Jeremiah 51: "he has made me as an empty vessel, he has swallowed me up like a dragon," etc. Third, the proof; and concerning this he does two things. First he brings in the contempt; second the persecution he suffers, at the words, "while they assembled together." He says therefore, "I am become a reproach," because "I have heard the blame" of many that dwell round about — from my own men: Jeremiah 20: "I have heard the reproaches of many," etc. "Round about" — Augustine: sometimes Christians sin, and unbelievers do not say, "the wicked do this," but "Christians do this." And if religious sin, likewise. And he says "round about," because they do not enter into consideration of the truth, for then they would say, "wicked Christians do this." Psalm 11: "the wicked walk round about." Then, when he says, "while," he shows how he suffers persecution, and aggravates it by the multitude of his persecutors, when he says, "while they assembled together," that is, unanimously, "against me" — this was greatly to be feared: Ecclesiasticus 26: "my heart feared at three things: the slander of the city, the gathering together of the people, and a false accusation," etc. From their cruelty — for they did not assemble for anything slight, but to kill; whence, "to take my soul," that is, my life, "they have consulted together": Jeremiah 18: "you know, Lord, all their counsel against me unto death"; Genesis, near the end: "let not my soul come into their counsel." "But I" — above the Psalmist recounted the evils he suffered; here he takes refuge in prayer. And because prayer is empty unless it rests upon a sure hope, he therefore first sets forth hope, and then adds the prayer, at the words, "deliver me out of the hand," etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets forth hope. Second he assigns the reason for the hope, at the words, "I said: you are my God." The continuity is such that he does not simply say, "I have hoped in you," but "but I," etc. The Gloss of Augustine says: it is customary that children are called "mammontreca" (little suck-breasts), because they want to go on sucking at the breast a long time, but the mothers apply bitterness so that they may be repelled. Our breasts, from which we are nursed by the Lord, are temporal prosperity and the comfort of friends. When God sees that men trust too much in these and are enticed by them, he withdraws them and puts on bitterness, so that they may place their hope in God alone. Thus he, noticing this, says: "I have heard," he says, "blame"; and therefore he says, "but I," etc. — as if to say: with all others contradicting me and fighting against me, my hope was in you alone: Jeremiah 17: "Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord." A twofold reason for hope is assigned. One from the care and providence of God; the other from his power. He trusts in him, therefore, first as one committed to divine care, and taken up by God; for God, by his own power, has care of all things: Wisdom 12: "for there is no other God besides you, who have care of all"; likewise, in the same book, 14: "you, therefore, Father, govern all things by providence." Hence, though God has care of all, he nevertheless has a special care of some: 1 Peter, at the end: "casting all your care upon him, for he has care of you." And therefore God is theirs in a special way. And therefore he says, "I have hoped in you, for you are my God." Second, from his power; for unless he were powerful, hope would fail. But he does not so feel regarding God; whence he says, "in your hands are my lots," that is, all the good things given to me are in your power: Ephesians 1: "in whom also we are called by lot, being predestined," etc. Now it must be known that a "lot" is threefold: one is consultative, one divinatory, and one derisory. Speaking generally, a lot is nothing other than a certain sign of the divine will, sought after. And therefore, in the Gloss of Augustine, a lot is not something evil, but a thing that, in human uncertainty, indicates the divine will. And therefore to cast lots is nothing other than to seek out an indication of the divine will. A lot, therefore, by its own nature does not denote anything evil; but it becomes evil from two causes. First, when someone seeks this indication from one from whom he ought not, as from a demon; and according to this, sortileges are condemned among the other things that pertain to unbelief. Second, if one seeks an indication in matters in which it is not necessary. This indication ought to be sought in two kinds of matters: in necessary matters, and in matters that cannot otherwise be known. For if it is not a necessary matter, then it is curiosity, and this occurs in the divinatory lot, because in this one is anxious about future things, and therefore it is vain, and is condemned. But even in necessary matters that can be known in another way, lots are likewise forbidden, because this is to tempt God, namely when it can be known by human help, yet recourse is had to the divine. But to use lots in distributing — who shall have what — or in acting, as to what is better in temporal matters, I say that the lot is not to be blamed. Whence divisions are frequently made by lots. Likewise also for temporal offices, if they are chosen by lot. But this is not lawful in spiritual matters, because in these a man is directed by the Holy Spirit; whence whoever used lots in these things would do injury to the Holy Spirit. Whence the apostles, before the Holy Spirit, cast lots over Matthias; but after the Holy Spirit they chose the seven deacons without a lot. "In your hands," therefore, he says, "are my lots," that is, whatever is given according to the indication of your will, all of it is under your power: Proverbs 16: "Lots are cast into the lap, but they are tempered by the Lord." Another reading has, "my times," namely how great and of what sort they are: Daniel 2: "he changes times and ages." Then he adds the prayer when he says, "Deliver." He prays first for himself, second against his enemies, at the words, "let them be ashamed." Concerning the first he does two things. First he prays to be delivered from evils. Second, to be advanced toward the good, at the words, "let your face shine." In his adversaries he considers two things: first their disposition, and this he touches when he says, "out of the hand of my enemies," that is, of those who hate me: Psalm 142: "deliver me from my enemies," etc. These are the devils: Matthew 13: "an enemy, man," etc. Likewise friends: Matthew 11: "a man's enemies shall be they of his own household." Second, the effect, because they persecute: Psalm 118: "Many are they that persecute me and afflict me," etc. Second, he prays to be advanced toward the good, when he says, "let shine." Concerning this he does two things. First he asks to be advanced in good things. Second, that he may not fail from his petition, at the words, "let me not be confounded." The first he asks in two ways: first as to progress in wisdom; second as to progress in justice, at the words, "save me." The light of reason is nothing other than a certain participation in the divine light: Psalm 4: "the light is signed upon us, etc.," etc. This light does not grow in us except from the same cause from which it began. Whence if we wish to make progress in it, this must come about through the illumination of the divine face: Psalm 42: "send forth your light," etc. As to progress in justice, by which one arrives at salvation, he asks, when he says, "save me," and this "for your mercy's sake," not for my merits: Titus 3: "not by the works of justice which we have done," etc. As to the second he says, "let me not be confounded," namely by failing in your hope; or, "let me not be confounded," namely defrauded of my hope. And this because "I have called upon you": Joel 2: "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." "I have called upon you." The Gloss of Augustine: you call upon God when you call God into yourself, when you invite him into the house of your heart — which first requires that it be cleansed of all filth and deceit; otherwise you do not truly call upon him. For if you call upon God so that he may give you gain, you call upon gain, not God. Call upon God freely, then, O covetous man, that God himself, not money, may fill you. Will you really not have him come to you without gold and silver? What then of the things God does for you is enough, when God himself is not enough? Next he prays against his enemies, when he says, "let them be ashamed." And first he sets forth his petition, second he assigns their desert, at the words, "which speak." And it must be noted that this prayer is to be understood more by way of prophecy than of petition — as if he were to say, "let them be ashamed," by conforming his own will to divine justice. Against the first he sets down three things that will come upon them: that they will be confounded at the judgment, whence he says, "let them be ashamed," because he will say, Matthew 25: "I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat," etc.; because conscience will reproach them: Isaiah 1: "you shall be ashamed of the gardens which you have chosen," when you shall be, etc. Second, they will be sent into eternal punishment, and this is what he says, "and let them be brought down to hell": Psalm 48: "They are laid in hell like sheep, death shall feed upon them." Third, they will be struck dumb; whence he says, "let the deceitful lips be made dumb": Psalm 106: "all iniquity shall stop its mouth." But against this: rather they will be speaking: Apocalypse 16: "they blasphemed God," etc. Likewise they will groan: Wisdom 5: "groaning for anguish of spirit, and saying," etc. I respond: it must be said that they will be struck dumb as to words of pride and of the pain they have inflicted upon the saints. Second, when he adds, "which," he assigns their threefold sin, and especially that of the mouth, which is aggravated by three things: namely by the person against whom it is spoken, by what is spoken, and by the root of what is spoken. As to the first he says, "against the just," which is worse than if it were against a sinner — as if to say: those lips that now speak will be struck dumb. As to what they say, because they speak injustice and falsehood: Psalm 35: "the words of his mouth are iniquity and guile." As to the root: because something is sometimes said against a just man out of ignorance and deception, but if it proceeds from a wicked root, then it is evil. And this wicked root is twofold: namely pride and abuse: Proverbs 11: "where pride is, there also shall be reproach." Likewise they abuse the good things given to them, because these were given to them that they might be humbled, and instead they are puffed up because of them. Jerome has, "and with contempt," because they foolishly hold others in contempt. And this is abuse, because one does not make use of the just man as one ought, by holding him in contempt. "How great" — above, the Psalmist has set forth his tribulation and his prayer; here he now proceeds to thanksgiving, as one who has been heard. Where he does two things. First he calls to mind, in a universal way, the benefits which God confers on the human race and on the saints. Second he breaks forth into thanksgiving, at the words, "Blessed be the Lord, for," etc. And concerning the first he does two things. First he shows God's mercy as to the gifts conferred on the saints. Second as to the evils from which he protects them, at the words, "you shall hide them." Concerning the first he does two things. He shows first the preparation of the goods; second, their fulfillment, at the words, "you have wrought for them." He says therefore, "how great," etc. Sweetness is said of spiritual things by transference: for just as bodily sweetness delights the taste of the flesh, so that which delights the mind inwardly is called sweetness. Now it happens sometimes that a badly disposed sense of taste is delighted by a corrupted flavor, and then it is falsely delighted; so too the affection of a man, when it is not well ordered, is delighted in a thing that is not truly delightful; but if it is well disposed, it is delighted in the true good, namely the divine good. And therefore the substantial goodness of God is called the sweetness of God: Wisdom 16: "you showed your substance and your sweetness, which you have toward your children." Or the sweetness of God is spoken of in the manner in which someone is said to have a bitter disposition, namely when he thinks of how he might grieve others: Ephesians 4: "let all bitterness be taken away from you." Therefore, by contrast, sweetness of soul is spoken of when one intends to console others. Whence the sweetness of God is said to be the purpose by which he wills all men to be saved: 1 Timothy 2; "taste and see that the Lord is sweet," Psalm 33; likewise, "sweet and right is the Lord," Psalm 24. And in whatever way sweetness is spoken of, it contains delight; for although it is one and simple in itself, yet it is the root and fount of all goodness. And therefore whatever delights in the world is wholly in God — as wisdom, truth, honors, excellence, pleasure, and all such things are there in a surpassing degree. And therefore he says, "how great is the multitude," surpassing in greatness, infinitely incomprehensible to us. Likewise, similarly, a multitude as to the sweetness of its effect, because whatever can come to man is wholly from the sweetness of God's goodness: Wisdom 12: "O how sweet, Lord, is your spirit in us!" Isaiah 54, where the multitude of the just is treated: "many are the children of the desolate," etc. Now as to what he says, "which you have hidden," etc., it can be understood in two ways. In one way: that God hides himself from them so that they may not know him, namely so that their desire may grow. In another way: that you have laid it up in secret so that those who fear you may possess it — and this is better, as if he were to say: you have laid it up in secret for their sake. And why? Because that sweetness is not in the sensible goods that are manifest to us, but is in things invisible; and not in created things, but in the invisibility of God himself: Apocalypse 2: "to him that overcomes I will give the hidden manna"; 1 Corinthians 2: "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, what things the Lord has prepared for them that love him." The preparation of the good, then, is in what is hidden; but its consummation and fulfillment is manifest; whence he adds, "you have wrought it for them," etc. Between that predestination and its effect — namely of him who is in glory — in the middle is the state of grace, which is the inchoation of glory; and passing over this, he tends toward the perfect and says, "you have wrought," that is, you will bring to completion, and you have begun to bring to completion that hidden thing: 1 Corinthians 13: "when that which is perfect has come, it shall be done away," etc. But for whom? "For them that hope in you" — to whom this perfection will come, not to those who trust in themselves: Romans 5: "we glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God." But then it will not be hidden; rather it will be "in the sight of the sons of men," because all will see that glory, good and evil alike: Romans 8: "I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us"; Wisdom 5: "seeing it, they shall wonder at the suddenness, etc.," etc., down to "how are they numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the saints." Or, "of the sons," that is, of the saints who will see fully: Psalm 106: "the righteous shall see," etc. Or, "that hope in you," and manifest this hope "in the sight of the sons of men": Romans 1: "for I am not ashamed of the Gospel." Then, when he says, "you shall hide," he shows God's benefits toward the saints through deliverance from evil. But because a man can suffer a twofold evil — namely in deed, and in word — he first shows how he protects from the first evil; second, how from the second, at the words, "you shall protect." He says therefore, "you shall hide," etc. He speaks by way of a comparison: just as if someone were sought unto death, whoever should hide him in the secret places of his house, there he would be safe — so it is with the saints. The wicked persecute them, but God hides them in secret, that is, he will lead them to that hidden place of his sweetness: Galatians 3: "your life is hidden with Christ in God"; but this will be perfectly in the future, when they shall see him face to face: 1 Corinthians 13: "but then we shall see him face to face as he is." And this is what he says, "of your face." But even in the present he hides them, insofar as we see something of the sweetness of his glory through contemplation. And he hides them to this extent, that men cannot trouble those who are made firm in the love of God: Wisdom 3: "the souls of the just are in the hand of God," etc. Or, not feeling the troubles which men suffer at the judgment: Wisdom 5: "they shall be troubled with terrible fear," etc. Likewise insofar as a man is hidden in contemplation, and does not feel the troubles of the world: "entering into my house, I shall repose in it," etc. Second he shows how they are hidden from evil speakers, when he says, "you shall protect them," etc. For some are protected from evildoers, but not from evil speakers; from this evil not all are protected. Whence Octavian answered Tiberius, who was zealous on his behalf against those who spoke evil of him: "I do not wish, Tiberius, that you be troubled on my account in this matter; it has been sufficiently granted to us that no one can truly harm us." He says therefore, "you shall protect them in your tabernacle." This regards the present Church, which is the tabernacle of those who war: Isaiah 4: "there shall be a tabernacle for a shade in the daytime from the heat," etc. And this "from the contradiction of tongues," which either by blaspheming God or by teaching false things, contradict true doctrine — such as schisms and various heresies: Job 16: "one that speaks lies rises up against my face, contradicting me." If, then, one takes refuge in the tabernacle of God, that is, in the Church, and in the secrets of its faith, there is found there a secure defense from such contradiction of tongues. Next, when he says, "Blessed," he presents his thanksgiving. Where he does two things: first he gives thanks; second he leads others to do the same, those to whom the aforesaid benefits have been given, at the word, "love." Concerning the first he does three things. First he breaks forth into thanks. Second he sets forth the mercy for which thanks is given, at the words, "because he has shown me his wonderful mercy," etc. Third he explains the cause, at the words, "but I said." He says therefore, "blessed be the Lord" — as if to say: seeing that the people of the saints has thus been protected by God, nothing else remains but to bless God, that is, to attribute this to his goodness: Tobit 12: "bless God, and declare all his wondrous works." And why? Because "he has shown me his wonderful mercy," that is, he has made his mercy toward me wondrous. For then a man is seen to be bound to give thanks, when he is wondrously delivered from great dangers. And how did he show it wondrously? "In a fortified city," he says — as if to say: he has delivered me in such a way that he made me like a fortified city. Another reading has, "in a city of encompassment." The Hebrews have, "besieged." Now this can be referred to two meanings, and each shows the mercy of God wondrously: because "in a fortified city" he thus delivered me, in that he made me like a city fortified against evils. And this city is the Church: Jeremiah 1: "I have made you this day a fortified city, and a pillar of iron, and a wall of brass." Or, "in a besieged city," likewise the mercy is wondrous, because we are delivered from a lesser evil. For those who are besieged endure great danger; and therefore he says, I was in a besieged city, or surrounded, and yet he delivered me as the center is delivered from the circumference. For the circumference is set round in a circle, the center in the middle. The people of the Jews, who were in the midst of the nations, which surrounded Judea — where the praises of God were spoken, where sacrifices were offered, where prophecies did not cease. But now the mercy of God is diffused among all the surrounding nations: Mark, at the end: "going into the whole world, preach the Gospel to every creature." "In the surrounding city," therefore, he says, namely in the whole people of the nations. Then, when he says, "but I," he sets forth the matter of his thanksgiving. Where he first sets forth its greatness. Second he sets forth its being heard, at the words, "therefore you have heard," etc. He says therefore, "I said in the excess of my mind." Excess happens sometimes from an interior cause, namely when one sees astonishing things, from which one is put outside of oneself: Acts 3: "they were filled with astonishment and ecstasy." Sometimes from a higher cause, namely when one contemplates the things of God, and is caught up outside and above oneself: 2 Corinthians 5: "whether we are carried out of ourselves to God." Thus, then, raised up to divine things, he says, "I am cast away," etc., that is, I have weighed and found myself to be far from you; for the more a man draws near to God, the more he perceives himself to be small: Job, at the end: "with the hearing of the ear I have heard you, but now my eye sees you," etc. Or, if it is understood as to the excess arising from a lower cause, which the text of Jerome suggests, sometimes a man considers the gravity of his sins or of the evils that threaten him, and from this reckons himself abandoned — just as Christ, in the person of his own, said, Matthew 27: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And thus David says this too: considering the evils that come upon me, "I am cast away": Jonah 2: "I am cast away out of the sight of your eyes." Second, when he says, "therefore you have heard," he sets forth the being heard — as if to say: therefore, because I said this, you have heard me: Psalm 10: "he has had regard to the prayer of the humble." Thus the publican, Luke 18, because he recognized himself a sinner, went down to his house justified: Ecclesiasticus 35: "the prayer of him that humbles himself pierces the clouds." Or, according to Jerome, it is put as a question: "I said," etc. — will you not then hear me? — as if to say: it is a wonder, seeing I am so far from you, that you should hear me. "While I cried to you." The Gloss of Augustine: a cry is made to God not with the voice, but with the heart; for many, silent in their lips, with their heart turned away, have obtained nothing. Cry out, therefore, within, where God hears. Next, when he says, "love the Lord," he leads those to whom the aforesaid benefits have been given to render thanks. And he directs them first as to affection; second as to effect, at the words, "do manfully." Concerning the first he does two things. First he leads them to love God. Second he assigns the reason for loving him, "for the Lord will require truth." He says therefore, because he has heard them and because he has shown wondrous mercy, "love the Lord": Deuteronomy 4: "and now, Israel, hear the commandments and judgments which I teach you," etc. And who are those who ought to love him, he shows: namely, "his saints": Song of Songs 1: "the righteous love you." "For truth" — he assigns the cause of loving him. A twofold cause is given as to why they are bound to love God: because what the saints love, God loves; and what they hate, God hates. The second cause is at the words, "and will repay." As to the first he says, "for the Lord will require truth, and will repay abundantly them that act proudly" — as if to say: you ought to love the Lord, because he loves what you love, and this he requires. The saints love truth, and therefore God, who requires truth, ought to be loved by us. Now God requires the truth of justice: Romans 2: "the judgment of God is according to truth against them that do such things." Likewise the truth of life: Isaiah 38: "I beseech you, Lord, remember, I ask you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart." Likewise the truth of doctrine: Matthew 22: "we know that you are true, and teach the way of God in truth." The second reason why you are bound to love God is that he punishes what you hate: for God punishes pride, which the saints hate; and this is what he says, "and will repay" — namely punishment — "abundantly," that is, above and beyond themselves, because they exalt themselves above themselves: Isaiah 16: "his pride, and his arrogance, and his indignation is more than his strength." Then, when he adds, "do manfully," he directs them as to effect. And first, that they may be strong in deed, when he says, "do manfully": Proverbs 18: "he that is loose and slack in his work is the brother of him that squanders his own works." Likewise, that they may be strong in heart, "and let your heart be strengthened": Psalm 26: "wait for the Lord, do manfully, and let your heart take courage, and wait for the Lord."”

Source Open in Reader →

For my life is wasted with grief: and my years in sighs. My strength is weakened through poverty and my bones are disturbed.

Patristic

Scholastic

Post-Reformation