AD PRIMAM
At Pryme tyde, our Lorde Ihesu Crist was led to Pylate, & accused, in the same howre after his Resurrecction He appeared to Mary Magdeleyne, & another day He appered to Hys dysciples, as they were fysshyng the same houre.
At Prime tyme there appereth a starre before the sun, as if it were the ladder or brynger forth of the sun, & Our Lady came before, & brought forth to mankynde that Sun of Righteousness that is our Lorde Ihesu Crist.
[From The Myroure of Oure Ladye, 15th century]
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| The Nativity. Willem Vrelant. Early 1460s. Getty Centre. [Public Domain] |
V. O God, ☩ come to my assistance;
R. Dómine, ad adjuvándum me festína.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sæcula sæculórum. Amen.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Allelúia.
Alleluia.
From Septuagesima to Easter, instead of Alleluia, is said:
R. Laus tibi Dómine, Rex aeternae glóriae
R. Praise the thee, O Lord, King of everlasting glory.
For Notes on the image: see bottom of page.
Hymnus
Mémento, rerum Cónditor,
Nostri quod olim córporis
Sacrata ab alvo Vírginis
Nascéndo formam súmpseris.
Remember, O creator Lord,María Mater grátiæ,
That in the Virgin’s sacred womb
Thou wast conceived, and of her flesh
Didst our mortality assume.
Dulcis parens cleméntiae,
Tu nos ab hoste prótege,
Et mortis hora súscipe.
Mother of grace, O Mary blest,Jesu tibi sit glória,
To thee, sweet fount of love, we fly;
Shield us through life, and take us hence
To thy dear bosom when we die.
Qui natus es de Vírgine,
Cum Patre, et almo Spíritu,
In sempitérna sæcula.
Amen
O Jesu, born of Virgin brightDuring the year
Immortal glory be to thee;
Praise to the Father infinite,
And Holy Ghost eternally.
Amen.
Ant. Mary was taken up into heaven : the angels rejoice and with praises bless the Lord.
During Advent
Ant. Missus est [Gábriel Angelus ad Maríam Vírginem desponsátam Joseph.]
Ant. The Angel Gabriel was sent to Mary, a Virgin spoused to Joseph.
After Christmas
Ant. O admirábile commércium, [creátor géneris humáni animátum corpus sumens, de vírgine nasci dignátus est: et procédens homo sine sémine largítus est nobis suam deitátem.]
Ant. O admirable intercourse, the creator of mankind taking a living body, vouchsafed to be born of a virgin: and coming forth man without seed, hath given unto us his Godhead.
Psalmus 53
Deus, in nómine tuo. A prayer for help in distress.
[In finem, in carminibus. Intellectus David,
cum venissent Ziphaei, et dixissent ad Saul : Nonne David absconditus est apud nos?
Unto the end, In verses, understanding for David. When the men of Ziph had come and said to Saul: Is not David hidden with us?]
Deus, in nómine tuo salvum me fac: * et in virtúte tua júdica me.
Save me, O God, by thy name, * and judge me in thy strength.
Deus, exáudi oratiónem meam: * áuribus pércipe verba oris mei.
O God, hear my prayer: * give ear to the words of my mouth.
Quóniam aliéni insurrexérunt advérsum me, et fortes quæsiérunt ánimam meam: * et non proposuérunt Deum ante conspéctum suum.
For strangers have risen up against me; and the mighty have sought after my soul: * and they have not set God before their eyes.
Ecce enim, Deus ádjuvat me: * et Dóminus suscéptor est ánimæ meæ.
For behold God is my helper: * and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
Avérte mala inimícis meis: * et in veritáte tua dispérde illos.
Turn back the evils upon my enemies; * and cut them off in thy truth
.
Voluntárie sacrificábo tibi, * et confitébor nómini tuo, Dómine: quóniam bonum est:
I will freely sacrifice to thee, * and will give praise, O God, to thy name: because it is good:
Quóniam ex omni tribulatióne eripuísti me: * et super inimícos meos despéxit óculus meus.
For thou hast delivered me out of all trouble: * and my eye hath looked down upon my enemies.
V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sæcula sæculórum. Amen.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalmus 84
Benedixísti, Domine. The coming of Christ, to bring peace and salvation to man.
[In finem, filiis Core. Psalmus.
Unto the end, for the sons of Core, a psalm.]
Benedixísti, Dómine, terram tuam; avertísti captivitátem Jacob.
Lord, thou hast blessed thy land: thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.
Remisísti iniquitátem plebis tuae, operuísti omnia peccáta eórum.
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people: thou hast covered all their sins.
Mitigásti omnem iram tuam, avertísti ab ira indignatiónis tuae.
Thou hast mitigated all thy anger: thou hast turned away from the wrath of thy indignation.
Convérte nos, Deus salutáris noster, et avérte iram tuam a nobis.
Convert us, O God our saviour: and turn off thy anger from us.
Numquid in aetérnum irascéris nobis? aut exténdes iram tuam a generatióne in generatiónem?
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever: or wilt thou extend thy wrath from generation to generation?
Deus, tu convérsus vivificábis nos, et plebs tua laetábitur in te.
Thou wilt turn, O God, and bring us to life: and thy people shall rejoice in thee.
Osténde nobis, Dómine, misericórdiam tuam, et salutáre tuum da nobis.
shew us, O Lord, thy mercy; and grant us thy salvation.
Audiam quid loquátur in me Dóminus Deus, quóniam loquétur pacem in plebem suam, et super sanctos suos, et in eos qui convertúntur ad cor.
I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me: for he will speak peace unto his people: And unto his saints: and unto them that are converted to the heart.
Verúmtamen prope timéntes eum salutáre ipsíus, ut inhábitet glória in terra nostra.
Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him: that glory may dwell in our land.
Misericórdia et véritas obviavérunt sibi; justítia et pax osculátae sunt.
Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed.
Véritas de terra orta est, et justítia de caelo prospéxit.
Truth is sprung out of the earth: and justice hath looked down from heaven.
Etenim Dóminus dabit benignitátem, et terra nostra dabit fructum suum.
For the Lord will give goodness: and our earth shall yield her fruit.
Justítia ante eum ambulábit, et ponet in via gressus suos.
Justice shall walk before him: and shall set his steps in the way.
V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sæcula sæculórum. Amen.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Psalmus 116
Laudáte Dóminum. All nations are called upon to praise God for his mercy and truth. Alleluia.
Laudáte Dóminum, omnes gentes: * laudáte eum, omnes pópuli:
Praise the Lord, all ye nations: * praise him, all ye people.
Quóniam confirmáta est super nos misericórdia ejus: * et véritas Dómini manet in ætérnum.
For his mercy is confirmed upon us: * and the truth of the Lord remaineth for ever.
V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. Sicut erat in princípio, et nunc, et semper, * et in sæcula sæculórum. Amen.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, * and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
During the year
Ant. Assúmpta est [María in caelum, gaudent Ángeli, laudántes benedícunt Dóminum.]
Ant. Mary was taken up into heaven : the angels rejoice and with praises bless the Lord.
The Little Chapter. Cant. 6, 9
Quæ est ista quæ progréditur quasi auróra consúrgens, pulchra ut luna, elécta ut sol, terríbilis ut castrórum ácies ordináta?
Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?
R. Deo grátias.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. Dignáre me laudáre te, Virgo sacráta.
V. Vouchsafe that I may praise, O sacred Virgin.
R. Da mihi virtútem contra hostes tuos.
R. Give me strength against thine enemies.
Kyrie eléison. Christe eléison. Kyrie eléison.
Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.
V. Dómine, exáudi oratiónem meam.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. Et clamor meus ad te véniat
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Orémus
DEUS, qui virginálem aulám beátae Maríae, in qua habitáres, elígere dignátus es : da quaesumus, ut sua nos defensióne munítos, jucúndos fácias suae interésse commemoratióni : Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo patre, in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus : per ómnia saecula saeculórum.O GOD, who didst vouchsafe to choose the chaste chamber of the blessed Virgin Mary to dwell therein; grant, we beseech thee, that, fortified with her defence, we may find our joy in taking part in her commemoration. Who livest and reignest, &c
R. Amen.
R. Amen.
V. Dómine, exáudi oratiónem meam.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. Et clamor meus ad te véniat
R. And let my cry come unto Thee
.
V. Benedicámus Dómino.
V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Deo grátias.
R. Thanks be to God.
Fidélium ánimae per misericórdiam Dei requiéscant in pace.
May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.
R. Amen.
______________________________________________________________
During Advent
Ant. Missus est Gábriel Angelus ad Maríam Vírginem desponsátam Joseph.
Ant. The Angel Gabriel was sent to Mary, a Virgin spoused to Joseph.
Capitulum (Isaia 7): Little Chapter (Isaiah 7)
Ecce virgo concípiet, et páriet fílium, et vocábitur nomen eius Emmanuel: butýrum, et mel comédet, ut sciat reprobáre malum, et elígere bonum.
Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bring forth a son, and his name shall be called Emanuel: he shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refuse evil, and choose good.
R. Deo grátias.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. Dignáre me laudáre te Virgo sacráta.
V. Vouchsafe me to praise thee O sacred Virgin.
R. Da mihi virtútem contra hostes tuos.
R. Give me force against thy enemies.
Kyrie eléison. Christe eléison. Kyrie eléison.
Lord have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us.
V. Dómine, exáudi oratiónem meam.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. Et clamor meus ad te véniat
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Orátio: Prayer
Deus, qui de beátae Maríae Vírginis útero, verbum tuum Ángelo nuntiánte, carnem suscípere voluísti: praesta suppícibus tuis, ut qui vere eam Genitrícem Dei crédimus: eius apud te intercessiónibus adiuvémur. Per eúndem Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum Fílium tuum: Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus sancti Deus, per ómnia saecula saeculórum.
O God, which wouldst thy word, should take flesh, of the womb of blessed Mary the virgin, the angel declaring it, grant unto us thy suppliants, that we which truly do believe her to be the mother of God: may be by her intercessions holpen with thee. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ thy son: who liveth and reigneth, God, with thee, in the unity of the holy Ghost, world without end.
R. Amen.
R. Amen.
V. Dómine, exáudi oratiónem meam.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. Et clamor meus ad te véniat
R. And let my cry come unto Thee
.
V. Benedicámus Dómino.
V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Deo grátias.
R. Thanks be to God.
Fidélium ánimae per misericórdiam Dei requiéscant in pace.
May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.
R. Amen.
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After Christmas
Ant. O admirábile commércium! Creator géneris humáni, animátum corpus sumens, de Vírgine nasci dignátus est: et procédens homo sine sémine largítus est nobis suam deitátem.
Ant. O admirable intercourse, the creator of mankind taking a living body, vouchsafed to be born of a virgin: and coming forth man without seed hath given unto us his Godhead.
Capitulum: Little Chapter (Cant. 6):
Quae est ista, quae progréditur, quasi auróra consúrgens, pulchra ut luna, elécta ut sol, terríbilis ut castrórum acies ordináta?What is she, that cometh forth, as the morning rising, fair as the moon, elect as the sun, terrible as the front of an army set in array?
R. Deo grátias.
R. Thanks be to God.
V. Dignáre me laudáre te Virgo sacráta.
V. Vouchsafe me to praise thee O sacred Virgin.
R. Da mihi virtútem contra hostes tuos.
R. Give me force against thy enemies.
Kyrie eléison. Christe eléison. Kyrie eléison.
Lord have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us.
V. Dómine, exáudi oratiónem meam.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. Et clamor meus ad te véniat
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Orátio: Prayer
Deus, qui salútis aetérnae beátae Maríae virginitáte fecúnda, humáno géneri praemia praestitísti: tríbue quaesumus, ut ipsam pro nobis intercédere sentiámus, per quam merúimus auctórem vitae suscípere Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum Fílium tuum. Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia saecula saecuórum.
O God, which by the fruitful virginity of the blessed Virgin Mary, hast given unto mankind the rewards of eternal salvation: Grant we beseech thee, that we may perceive her to make intercession for us, by whom we have deserved to receive the author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son. Who liveth and reigneth, God, with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
R. Amen.
R. Amen.
V. Dómine, exáudi oratiónem meam.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. Et clamor meus ad te véniat
R. And let my cry come unto Thee
.
V. Benedicámus Dómino.
V. Let us bless the Lord.
R. Deo grátias.
R. Thanks be to God.
Fidélium ánimae per misericórdiam Dei requiéscant in pace.
May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
R. Amen.
R. Amen.
Continue to Terce or to Prayers after the Office
Notes on the picture; Psalms 53, 84 & 116
Notes on the picture
This image of the Nativity is in many ways traditional but with one or two variants. Mary wears a blue robe and a blue cape edged with gold. These garments are fitting for the mother of Christ the King:... regína a dextris tuis in vestítu deauráto: circumdáta varietáte.Blue is the colour of the sky or Heaven and she is to be the Queen of Heaven for she is the mother of God, theotokos. Her hair flows loose like a virgin; for though a mother, she remains a virgin, gloriosa Virginum. She is kneeling with her hands joined in prayer. According to some writers, her humility was the most pleasing of her virtues to God. She is kneeling moreover, in adoration:
Upon thy right hand... the queen in a vesture of gold: wrought about with variety. [Ps 44]
Quem regis David génereFrom the Rosarium Aureum. See here.
mox natum adorásti;
ac vagiéntem úbere
virgíneo lactásti. Ave Maria.
Scion of Royal David's line,
New-born thou didst adore Him;
Whose nurturing breast with love benign
A wailing Infant bore Him. Hail Mary.
She is gazing with love and wonder at the little baby Jesus. He returns her gaze and his right hand seems to be raised in blessing:
Quia respéxit humilitátem ancíllæ suæ: * ecce enim ex hoc beátam me dicent omnes generatiónes.Jesus wears a halo with a cross, reminding us of His salvific death on a cross. He is naked here in Bethlehem just as he will die, stripped of garments, crucified at Golgotha.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; * for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. [From the Magnificat, Luke 1]
Baby Jesus is the Word made flesh, God the Son who came down from Heaven. On high can be seen His Eternal Father and the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove. The Holy and undivided Trinity is present just as a new 'trinity' enters human history, the Holy Family in the stable. The ox and the ass are interpreted by some as representing the chosen people of Israel and the Church that Jesus will found, open to all the nations; for this littlebaby is indeed:
lumen ad revelatiónem géntium et glóriam plebis tuae Israël.The baby radiates light so powerful that it quite outshines the candle held by Joseph; the light is reflected in the tresses of His mother's hair. Angels gather in adoration and chant their praises: Gloria in excelsis!
a light to the revelation of the gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel [Nunc Dimittis, Luke 1]
Notes on Psalms 53, 84 & 116
Psalm 53
[1][In finem, in carminibus. Intellectus David,cum venissent Ziphaei, et dixissent ad Saul : Nonne David absconditus est apud nos?
Unto the end, In verses, understanding for David. When the men of Ziph had come and said to Saul: Is not David hidden with us?]
Ziph: Saul’s persecution was entirely grounded on his fears that David would, at one time come to the throne. David delivered the city of Ceila from the besieging Philistines, but was once again obliged to flee from Saul. His next abode was the wilderness of Ziph, made memorable by the visit of Jonathan and by the treachery of the Ziphites, who betrayed David to Saul. David was saved from capture when Saul was forced to divert his army to repel an attack of the Philistines.
[2] Deus, in nómine tuo salvum me fac: * et in virtúte tua júdica me.
Save me, O God, by thy name, * and judge me in thy strength.
In defect of all human help, he prays to God for his help. “Save me, O God, by thy name,” in thy power, to which all things succumb; and he afterwards adds, “in thy strength,” expressing the same in different language. “Judge me;” that is, be my judge, defend me as I deserve, and avenge me of my enemy, for David had then none to appeal to but God alone to protect him from the king. This should serve as an example to us, never to despair of God’s help, even though death should appear to be at our doors, for God is everywhere, has everything in his power, and never despises his clients when they may have recourse to him.
[3] Deus, exáudi oratiónem meam: * áuribus pércipe verba oris mei.
O God, hear my prayer: * give ear to the words of my mouth.
Having acknowledged the power of the Lord, he now begs of him to apply his power to himself. “O God, hear my prayer;” I know you can do anything but I pray that you may wish to do it. I, therefore, ask that you may hear the prayer I put up to you, to exercise your power in saving me. He repeats it, “Give ear to the words of my mouth;” that is, turn not away your ears, and do not despise my prayer.
[4] Quóniam aliéni insurrexérunt advérsum me, et fortes quæsiérunt ánimam meam: * et non proposuérunt Deum ante conspéctum suum.
For strangers have risen up against me; and the mighty have sought after my soul: * and they have not set God before their eyes.
He explains the dangers from which he desires to be delivered, saying, “For strangers have risen up against me;” that is, the Zipheans, who, though seemingly neighbors, had their hearts far from me; rose up against me, urging Saul to persecute me; “And the mighty have sought after my soul.” Saul, with a force in arms, sought to have my life. Saul’s persecution was entirely grounded on his fears that David would, at one time come to the throne; and, therefore, sought to have his life at any risk; for though he knew him to be innocent, yet, so blinded was he by the desire of keeping the sovereignty in his own family, that he looked upon as fair and honorable, what, in reality, was the height of injustice; “And they have not set God before their eyes;” neither the Zipheans nor Saul and his satellites had the fear of God before them; the former preferring the king’s favor to God’s law; and the latter choosing to indulge in their ambition and lust for power, in preference to a love of justice, which God commands us to observe at all times. In fact the diverting one’s mind from God and the natural law known to all, is the beginning of all evil.
[4a] et non proposuérunt Deum ante conspéctum suum
and they have not set God before their eyes.
They “had not God before their eyes,” but God had them before his eyes; saw their evil designs, and did not suffer them to carry them into effect.
[5] Ecce enim, Deus ádjuvat me: * et Dóminus suscéptor est ánimæ meæ.
For behold God is my helper: * and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
The word “behold” implies a sudden light from God of his assurance that he would not be wanting in the time of need; and he speaks in the present tense, to show his being as certain of it, as if the thing had been actually accomplished. And, in fact, God’s interference was most sudden and unexpected; for, when Saul had so surrounded David with his army, that his escape seemed impossible, a messenger suddenly came to Saul, bringing news of the Philistines having come in a great body to ravage his kingdom; on hearing which he was obliged to give up the pursuit of David; who, in spirit, foresaw all this, and was, possibly, at the very moment pronouncing the words, “For behold, God is my helper; and the Lord is the protector of my soul.”
[6] Avérte mala inimícis meis: * et in veritáte tua dispérde illos.
Turn back the evils upon my enemies; * and cut them off in thy truth.
Such imprecations, as we have more than once remarked, are to be read as predictions; and so this reads in the Hebrew; and, in fact, it then and there turned up; for Saul, who was pursuing David, was now pursued by the Philistines; and thus, the “evils” that hung a short time before over David, were now pouring in upon Saul. The second part of the verse, “And cut them off in thy truth,” was also carried out soon after, for Saul and his army, among whom, no doubt, were many of David’s persecutors, perished in the mountains of Gelboe; “In thy truth,” means according to your promise, or your justice, by virtue of which you give unto every one according to their works.
[7] Voluntárie sacrificábo tibi, * et confitébor nómini tuo, Dómine: quóniam bonum est:
I will freely sacrifice to thee, * and will give praise, O God, to thy name: because it is good:
Whether it was that the prophet foresaw his immediate escape from Saul, or that Saul, by reason of the Philistines’ incursion, departed while David was actually praying; he returns thanks to God, and says, “I will freely sacrifice to thee;” with all my heart I will give the sacrifice of praise; and he repeats it in other words; “And I will give praise to thy name;” which means, to thyself; “because it is good;” for God’s name, which means God himself, is the best of all; so that Christ said, “One is good, God.” St. Augustine, taking up the word “freely,” properly observes, that God should be loved purely on his own account; not with a view to any reward, but for his supreme and unspeakable goodness; and he who so loves him, does so in adversity as well as in prosperity; for God is just as good when he chastises, as when he nourishes and refreshes.
[8] He proves God’s goodness from what happened, in having so speedily heard his servant; “For thou hast delivered me out of all trouble.” In revealing my certain deliverance to me, you have, already in hope, “delivered me from all trouble.” “And my eye hath looked down upon my enemies;” by virtue of the same revelation I have looked upon my enemies as already destroyed and prostrate; or, perhaps, they were actually so when the prophet was thus praying.
Psalm 84
[1] [In finem, filiis Core. Psalmus.
Unto the end, for the sons of Core, a psalm.]
The prophet, through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, discloses the eternal decree of God regarding the future salvation of man, in the beginning of the Psalm, telling us the first cause and ultimate effect of such salvation. Love was the first cause—that love through which God loved mankind. For no reason can be assigned why “God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son,” John 3, through whom we may be redeemed, “and blessed with all spiritual blessings,” Ephes. 1, but the will of God alone, or, rather, his good pleasure and mercy. The ultimate effect of such salvation will consist in complete delivery from captivity, which will be thoroughly accomplished in the resurrection only, when we shall arrive at the liberty of the glory of the children of God. We are at present only partially free; but we are in expectation of the redemption of our bodies that is to set us free from all corruption and necessity.
[2] Benedixísti, Dómine, terram tuam; [2a] avertísti captivitátem Jacob.
Lord, thou hast blessed thy land: thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.
He, therefore, begins by saying, “Lord, thou hast blessed thy land;” you cursed the land you created and gave to man to inhabit, on account of the sin of the first man; but I know, from revelation, that you also, in your own mind, by your own decree, “blessed thy land;” decreed in your own good pleasure to visit and bless it with all manner of blessings and graces, by sending your only begotten, “full of grace and truth,” into that land which you created.
[2a] “Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.” In the same eternal decree, having been appeased by the death of your Son, which you foresaw, thou hast turned away, or put an end to the captivity of Jacob, your people, so that they may thenceforth enjoy the liberty of the glory of the children of God. By Jacob the prophet means, not only the people of Israel, but the whole human race, “who are, like the branches of the wild olive tree, engrafted into the good olive tree;” and, like “living stones, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets.”
[3] Remisísti iniquitátem plebis tuae, operuísti omnia peccáta eórum.
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people: thou hast covered all their sins.
He now explains the manner in which God, by his blessing the land, put an end to the captivity of Jacob, and says it was by remitting the sins of his people. For, as sin was the cause of their being held in bondage, the remission of the sin procured their liberty. “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people.” In your own mind, and by your own decree, thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, for which iniquity you had given them up to the devil, as you would to the minister of justice. “Thou hast covered all their sins;” the same idea repeated; “thou hast covered;” hidden them, wrapt them up, so that you may not see and punish them: but, as nothing can be hid or concealed from God, when he, therefore, forgives sin, he extinguishes it altogether; so that it has no longer any existence whatever; and when God is said to cover sin, he does so, not as one would cover a sore with a plaster, thereby merely hiding it only; but he covers it with a plaster that effectually cures and removes it altogether. “All their sins;” to show it was not one sin, such as original sin, common to all, that was forgiven, but that the personal and peculiar sins of each individual were included.
[4] Mitigásti omnem iram tuam, avertísti ab ira indignatiónis tuae.
Thou hast mitigated all thy anger: thou hast turned away from the wrath of thy indignation.
He now assigns a reason for God’s having forgiven the iniquity of his people, and says it arose from his having been appeased, and having laid aside his anger. For, as it was anger that prompted God thus to revenge himself, so, when he was appeased, he was led to forgive us; and that was effected “by the lamb that was slain from the beginning of the world;” and that immaculate Lamb was given to us through the good pleasure and mercy of him “who so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son for it.” Here, then, is the order of our redemption:
- the benediction, or the good pleasure of God, gave us his Son as a Saviour;
- the son, by his death, appeased God’s anger, and made satisfaction to his justice for the sins of the whole world;
- God, having been thus appeased, forgave the sins, and the remission of the sins put an end to the captivity; and
- the Holy Ghost revealed the whole of this mystery, so concealed in the mind of God, to his prophet; and he describes it to us in those three verses.
[5] Convérte nos, Deus salutáris noster, et avérte iram tuam a nobis.
Convert us, O God our saviour: and turn off thy anger from us.
The prophet, speaking in the person of God’s people, begins now to pray for the execution and completion of the divine decree, and first begs of God to mitigate his anger; the first effect of which would be the beginning of our salvation; that is to say, his divine assistance, through which our conversion to God commences; for we cannot be converted to God, unless his grace go before us, and by calling, enlightening, assisting, and moving, convert us. He, therefore, says, “Convert us, O God our Saviour.” O God our Savior, begin the work of our salvation, by inspiring us with the holy desire of conversion. And that, in your mercy, you may commence it, “turn off thy anger from us.” Be reconciled to us, and forget the offences that have estranged us from you.
[6] Numquid in aetérnum irascéris nobis? aut exténdes iram tuam a generatióne in generatiónem?
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever: or wilt thou extend thy wrath from generation to generation?
He perseveres in the petition, saying, we have borne your anger long enough; do not defer the gift of your mercy, and the restoration of your peace. “Wilt thou be angry with us?” Will your enmity to the human race be everlasting? “or wilt thou extend thy wrath from generation to generation?” a thing that does not accord with your infinite clemency.
[7] Deus, tu convérsus vivificábis nos, et plebs tua laetábitur in te.
Thou wilt turn, O God, and bring us to life: and thy people shall rejoice in thee.
He tells us the effects that will follow from being reconciled with God; to man will come life, to God praise. “Thou wilt turn, O God;” by laying aside your anger, and on being reconciled, will “bring us to life;” for “the wages of sin is death; but the grace of God everlasting life, in Christ Jesus our Lord;” “and thy people,” come to life and strength through so great a favor, “shall rejoice in thee,” and joyously chant your praise.
[8] Osténde nobis, Dómine, misericórdiam tuam, et salutáre tuum da nobis.
shew us, O Lord, thy mercy; and grant us thy salvation.
Having asked that the divine wrath may be mitigated; and having asked for that reconciliation and regeneration that always accompanies remission of sin, he now asks for the coming of the Saviour, through whom we were brought clearly to see and to behold God’s kindness and mercy to us, of which the Apostle says, “The grace of God hath appeared to all men;” and again, “the goodness and kindness of our Saviour God appeared.” For who can for a moment doubt of the care that God has for mankind, and the extent of his warmest love, when he sent his only begotten Son to redeem us by his precious blood from the captivity of the devil? “Show us, O Lord, thy mercy;” make us plainly see and feel by experience, that mercy through which you determined in your mind, from eternity, to bless thy land; “and grant us thy salvation.” Send us your Son for a Saviour, for then you will clearly show unto all the extent of your mercy, goodness, and grace. St. Augustine, taking a moral view of this passage, says that God shows us his mercy when he persuades us, and makes us see and understand that we are nothing, and can do nothing, of ourselves; but that it is through his mercy we exist at all, or can do anything we go through; we thus are neither proud nor puffed up, but are humble in our own eyes; and it is to such people the Saviour gives his grace.
[9] Audiam quid loquátur in me Dóminus Deus, quóniam loquétur pacem in plebem suam, et super sanctos suos, et in eos qui convertúntur ad cor.
I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me: for he will speak peace unto his people: And unto his saints: and unto them that are converted to the heart.
To convince us of the truth of what he now means to express, the prophet here reminds us that he speaks not from himself, but what has been revealed to him, and that he is only announcing what he has heard from the Lord. “I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me;” that is, I will tell whatever I shall hear; and, therefore, having laid my petition before him, I will hear his answer to make it known to others. “What he will speak in me;” to give us to understand that when God speaks to the prophet, he does it interiorly, and spiritually. For the Holy Ghost, who abides in the prophets, speaks to them through their heart, and then, through their tongues, to the ears of mankind. The expression, “I will hear,” besides attention, signifies a desire to hear as it were, to say, I will most willingly and attentively hear; for God usually says nothing but what is good and useful; “for he will speak peace unto his people.” The reason I have for hearing him with pleasure and with attention is, because I know he will speak peace to his people.
The summary, then, of God’s message to his people is the announcement and promise of peace through the coming of the Messias, for which the prophet asked when he said, “Show us, O Lord, thy mercy, and grant us thy salvation.” God, then, will grant a Saviour, and through him, will announce and establish a most perfect peace; hence he is styled “the Prince of Peace;” and, as the Apostle says, “making peace through the blood of his cross, both as to the things that are on earth and the things that are in heaven.” Now peace comprehends all God’s favours; and we shall never be in perfect possession of it until we shall have arrived at the heavenly Jerusalem, which is interpreted the vision of peace. Peace is opposed to war, in which we shall be mixed up, until “death is swallowed up in victory, and this mortal shall have put on immortality.” Then there will be an end to that war with our vices and concupiscences, with the princes of darkness, with all our difficulties and necessities. For, while we live here below, “the life of man is a warfare upon earth,” however we may desire, as far as in ourselves lies, to be at peace with all men.
“And unto his saints, and unto them that are converted to the heart. He now explains the expression, “to his people;” God promised peace to his people, but not to the whole of them; for they are composed of good and bad, and the bad can have no peace. For, “much peace have they that love thy law;” while, “the wicked have no peace, saith the Lord;” and, when he says, “unto them that are converted to the heart,” he tells us who the saints are to whom peace is promised. For sanctity, and consequently peace, then begins when man turns from exterior to interior matters; and, therefore, Isaias says, “Return ye transgressors to the heart;” and of the prodigal son is said, “and returning to himself, he said.” Man begins to return to himself, or to return, if you will, to his heart, when he begins to reflect within himself on the vanity of all things here below, and how trifling and how short lived is the pleasure to be derived from sin; and on the contrary, how noble virtue is, and of what value are the goods of eternity. In a little while man begins to advance by degrees, when he comes to consider and judge of externals, not by the aid of his own sense, or the discourses of the children of the world; but, “returning to his heart,” he consults sound reason on everything, consults the faith that has been divinely inspired, consults the truth itself, which is God. Finally, that man is truly converted to the heart, and begins to taste that peace “that surpasses all understanding,” who raises a tabernacle in his heart to God, and, on the wings of contemplation, rises from the image, the soul of man, to the reality, God himself; and there, beholding the infinite beauty of his Creator, is so inflamed and carried away by his love as to despise the whole world beside, and unite himself to God exclusively in the bonds of love, totally indifferent to, and forgetful of, the whole world. No pressure from abroad can disturb one so disposed.
[10] Verúmtamen prope timéntes eum salutáre ipsíus, ut inhábitet glória in terra nostra.
Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him: that glory may dwell in our land.
On the coming of the Messias peace will be preached, but the establishment will be delayed for some time. However, salvation, which means the power of healing and of performing other miracles, will be always at hand, and available to those who believe in him, and have a pious and reverential fear of him. Hence, great glory will accrue to God, for all who see his wonderful works will praise and magnify him; many proofs of which can be read in the Gospels; and it is to it the prophet alludes when he says, “Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him;” that is to say, the salvation of God, or Christ himself, the Saviour, will be at hand to save, through his power, all that fear him; all that worship him with a holy fear; “that glory may dwell in our land;” those numerous miracles will be performed with a view to make God’s glory known, and to dwell in that land of promise to which the Saviour will be sent specially. And if the salvation of the body be near to them that fear him, and God’s glory be thereby greatly augmented, with much more reason will the salvation of the soul be near to those that fear him. “For to those who will receive him, he will give power to become sons of God,” 1 John; and thence his glory will be made manifest, “as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
[11] Misericórdia et véritas obviavérunt sibi; justítia et pax osculátae sunt.
Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed.
He now reveals another mystery that will be accomplished on the coming of the Messias; that is, the union of mercy and justice, which seem so opposed to each other; the one prompting to punish, the other to forgive; for Christ’s passion and suffering was meant to deliver the human race in mercy, while it made the fullest satisfaction to the divine justice. “Mercy and truth have met each other.” They met in the time of the Messias, whereas at other times they seemed to move in contrary directions. “Justice and peace have kissed;” the justice that inflicts punishment, (previously called truth) and peace, (which then was called mercy), will be joined in the bonds of the strictest friendship; and, as it were, kissed each other.
Truth and Mercy meet
Justice and Peace kiss.
[12] Véritas de terra orta est, et justítia de caelo prospéxit.
Truth is sprung out of the earth: and justice hath looked down from heaven.
He now touches on the mystery of the Incarnation, making use of the past for the future tense, as is usual with the prophets. “Truth is sprung out of the earth.” Christ, who is the truth, will be born of the Virgin Mary, “and justice hath looked down from heaven.” Then also justice from heaven will be made manifest, because, on the birth of Christ, true justice began to come down from heaven, and man began to be justified by faith in Christ; as also, because by the coming of Christ, “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and injustice,” for the extent of God’s anger and hatred of sin would never have been thoroughly known, had not God decreed that it should be expiated by the death of his only Son; and, even, we should never have known the extent of God’s anger to the sinner on the day of judgment, had we not seen the amount and the extent of Christ’s sufferings in atoning for the sins of others, “For if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be done in the dry?” says our Lord, Luke 23.
[13] Etenim Dóminus dabit benignitátem, et terra nostra dabit fructum suum.
For the Lord will give goodness: and our earth shall yield her fruit.
He still treats of the mystery of the Incarnation, showing that truth could spring out of the earth; not in the manner of the seed that we sow and cultivate, but in the manner of the natural flowers that grow spontaneously, with no other culture than the beams of the sun, and the rains of heaven. “For the Lord will give goodness,” he will send his Holy Spirit from heaven, who will overshadow a virgin, and thus our land, which was never ploughed nor sown, and was altogether an untouched virgin, will yield her fruit. Hence, he says, in the canticle of canticles, “I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys.”
[14] Justítia ante eum ambulábit, et ponet in via gressus suos.
Justice shall walk before him: and shall set his steps in the way.
The prophet concludes by showing that Christ would be so replete with justice and sanctity, that the rays of his justice would go before him, and by their light shed the way to complete progress in this gloomy valley of our mortality. “Justice shall walk before him.” Christ, the sun and true light of the world, will send the rays of his justice and wisdom before him, as it is in Psalm 88, “Mercy and truth shall go before thy face;” and in Isaias 58, “And thy justice shall go before thy face;” and thus “shall set his steps in the way,” shall enter on his pilgrimage to bring many pilgrims back to their country.
Psalm 116
[1] Laudáte Dóminum, omnes gentes: * laudáte eum, omnes pópuli:Praise the Lord, all ye nations: * praise him, all ye people.
He addresses the whole Church, and exhorts it to praise God. “All ye nations” is directed to the converted gentiles, who are named first by reason of their being in the majority, and the people nearer those of the Jews who had been converted to the faith; and the Apostles themselves, in alluding to a similar expression in the second Psalm, “Why have the gentiles raged, and the people meditated vain things,” apply the former to the gentiles, and the latter to the Jews.
[2] Quóniam confirmáta est super nos misericórdia ejus: * et véritas Dómini manet in ætérnum.
For his mercy is confirmed upon us: * and the truth of the Lord remaineth for ever.
The reason assigned for praising God is, “for his mercy is confirmed on us,” by the arrival of the Messias to Jews and gentiles; “and the truth of the Lord remaineth forever;” for the Church was established, “Against which the gates of hell shall not prevail,” and his kingdom was established, of which there will be no end.
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