Psalm 9:12-16

“Sing ye to the Lord, who dwelleth in Sion: declare his ways among the Gentiles: for requiring their blood, he hath remembered them: he hath not forgotten the cry of the poor. Have mercy on me, O Lord: see my humiliation which I suffer from my enemies. Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death, that I may declare all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion. I will rejoice in thy salvation: the Gentiles have stuck fast in the destruction which they prepared. Their foot hath been taken in the very snare which they laid.”

The Psalmist begins with an exhortation to song, which only proceeds naturally from a heart in love: “My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation” (Psalm 12:6). This love is found through contemplation, for in mining for the love within a scripture verse: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field” (Matthew 13:44), which requires effort to dig out, is then joyously enjoyed when you grasp the love that is being spoken to you. Thus, Sion is the figure of contemplation, and by finding Jesus in your heart and speaking to Him face to face: “I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I have not said to the seed of Jacob: ‘Seek me in vain.’” (Isaias 45:19), and to be consoled this is to come down from the mountain akin to Moses, who spoke to God in a similar manner: “When he went in to the Lord, and spoke with him, he took it away until he came forth, and then he spoke to the children of Israel all things that had been commanded him. And they saw that the face of Moses when he came out was [shining]” (Exodus 34:34-35). Thus, it is a call to love and be loved in mental prayer, taking songs of rejoicing with you out from your encounter with the Lord: “Be ye filled with the holy Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:18-19). To declare His ways among the Gentiles, then, can be said to be fulfilled, but it is a call to bring His wondrous love from prayer into the hearts of others, wherever shadows of hate and a lack of love reside: “The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadows of death, light is risen” (Isaias 9:2). However, this urgency of love to bring the love of God to others either meets with disdain: “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” (Isaias 53:1), or outright persecution: “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall put you to death: and you shall be hated by all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9). He requires the blood of those He remembers, in that those who give their lives for the sake of the Gospel will not have a single act of love or sacrifice, or literal drop of blood forgotten: “These are they who are come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Apocalypse 7:14). Or, it could be that He will restore the blood of the saints in the resurrection, bringing their glorified bodies into union with their spotless souls, which will shine with their participation in God’s divinity; the essence of love: “Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of God; and it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. We know, that, when he shall appear, we shall be like to him: because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Likewise, He does not forsake the cry of the little and the poor, and no matter the desolation or seeming lack of hearing, your Father hears your every word with care and love, never spurning you or turning aside from you: “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 33:7). As an admission of this poverty, the Psalmist then continues in a plea for mercy, looking at his own beleaguered state, being trodden down by enemies. For you, Theophila, this can take any number of shapes, but one is in being overwhelmed by the antics of the enemy in desolations, temptations, and other such interior sufferings: “How long, O Lord, wilt thou forget me unto the end? How long doest thou turn away thy face from me?” (Psalm 12:1), but trusting that, in this seeming siege, you are being kept very safe: “And the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw: and behold the mountain was full of horses, and chariots of fire round about Eliseus” (4 Kings 6:17). When He lifts you up, this is above base desires: “Purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8) from what is evil and vain to what is good, true, and beautiful, for in contemplating heavenly truths and the life of Jesus: “I set the Lord always in my sight” (Psalm 15:8), your soul feasts on what nourishes and restores it: “Thou didst feed thy people with the food of angels, and gavest them bread from heaven prepared without labour; having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste” (Wisdom 16:20), for just as drink for the thirsty and food for the hungry are great pleasures due to the restoring to perfection of what is empty, so too the pleasures of the heart in knowing the love of Jesus and pleasures of the mind in truth are the great pleasures of the soul, those things which bring them back to fulness, which are more sublime than those of the body, thus does the Lord say, “Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Due to the great enjoyment of these things by the soul, you can be brought up from lesser desires not by vigor but by joy and gladness: “What will you? Shall I come to you with a rod; or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?” (1 Corinthians 4:21), for the Psalm exhorts you to “Taste, and see that the Lord is sweet” (Psalm 33:9), that is, by taking delight in the matters of the Lord, that others may always find you overflowing with delight. The gates of the daughter of Zion are all noble endeavors undertaken for the glory of the Lord, for the one that is in love desires to do great things and small things with the roses of love, all for the sake of the beloved: “Do all that is in thy heart: for God is with thee” (1 Paralipomenon 17:2). Or, it can be that one can declare His praises with the Psalter: “Sing to him, yea sing praises to him” (Psalm 104:2), with the heart seeing where it needs to be tuned from praying it, for the heart and the mouth must be in harmony for true praise: “My lips shall greatly rejoice, when I shall sing to thee; and my soul which thou hast redeemed” (Psalm 70:23). These praises can be in the hymns, praises, and teachings of the Doctors of the Church, for while the Scriptures are a figure of Jerusalem, the mountains that protect its proper interpretation and the gates by which it is most deeply accessed are the teachings of the Doctors: “And I will make thy bulwarks of jasper: and thy gates of graven stones, and all thy borders of desirable stones. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord: and great shall be the peace of thy children” (Isaias 54:12-13). These stones are precious and beautiful, for it is written in the Prophets: “How beautiful upon the mountnains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, and that preacheth peace” (Isaias 52:7). Now, there are divine praises, and then there is holy joy: “The joyfulness of the heart, is the life of a man, and a never failing treasure of holiness: and the joy of a man is length of life” (Ecclesiasticus 30:23), which must always be stirred up in your heart: I admonish thee, that thou stir up the grace of God which is in thee” (2 Timothy 1:6), and therefore a declining towards sadness must be countered with divine praises: “For sadness hath killed many, and there is no profit in it” (Ecclesiastes 30:25). Part of this joy is in the fact that the enemy, either through direct temptations or through the mouth of others, lays snares to keep you from a connection of love with Jesus: “For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5), while themselves having not this intimacy. Or, it can be that in being afflicted by those that hate Jesus and you by extension: “And you shall be hated by all men for my name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22), you incur no lasting damage, for your soul is pure and strengthened, while theirs is damaged by the evil they do. The trap that is laid awaits the foot of one’s affections, for the foot that is connected to the earth and its goods is more susceptible to the snares of the enemy: “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world” (1 John 2:15), whereas the one that is in flight has no grounding or stake in the earth, thus does Wisdom say, “A net is spread in vain before the eyes of them that have wings” (Proverbs 1:17), that is, the one with an illuminated mind that knows the taste and voice of truth that is detached from all things in this world: “My sheep hear my voice: and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). This can be strengthened with steady counsel, that you may walk with the guidance and security of those around you, rather than discerning spirits on your own: “My son, do thou nothing without counsel, and thou shalt not repent when thou hast done” (Ecclesiasticus 32:24). Or, one can lay a snare for oneself by conceding to opportunities of temptation: “Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation” (Matthew 26:41), which invites a fall: “If thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29), but the one that walks in love, self-knowledge, and carefulness flies securely: “For the Lord will be at thy side, and will keep thy foot that thou be not taken” (Proverbs 3:26).

Psalm 9:6-11

“Thou hast rebuked the Gentiles, and the wicked one hath perished: thou hast blotted out their name for ever and ever. The swords of the enemy have failed unto the end: and their cities thou hast destroyed. Their memory hath perished with a noise: but the Lord remaineth for ever. He hath prepared his throne in judgment: and he shall judge the world in equity, he shall judge the people in justice. And the Lord is become a refuge for the poor: a helper in due time in tribulation. And let them trust in thee who know thy name: for thou hast not forsaken them that seek thee, O Lord.”

God then rebukes nations through the words of His teachers and preachers, those that fight for what love truly is, and identifying what it isn’t and saying as much: “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth: because I give testimony of it, that the works thereof are evil” (John 7:7); “Cry, cease not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their wicked doings, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaias 58:1), for few there are that would admit that they don’t love, yet most do it in a way that is diseased and sickly: “For the heart of this people is grown gross” (Acts 28:27) rather than shining and radiant: “Having the glory of God, and the light thereof was like to a precious stone, as to the jasper stone, even as crystal” (Apocalypse 21:11), and when correction is administered artfully and lovingly, it makes the wicked one perish, which can mean either by casting the devil into hell: “No man can enter into the house of a strong man and rob him of his goods, unless he first bind the strong man, and then shall he plunder his house” (Mark 3:27), or in the fading away of the old man that the new might arise in triumph: “For we are buried together with him by baptism into death; that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Thus, the “name” that is blotted out has two indications, in continuation from the previous point it means that the memory of what you did before falling in love with Christ is blotted out: “And the Lord did not say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joas” (4 Kings 14:27), the second is that works of love done according to God’s justice will be remembered in eternity, whereas those that build up a name on anything other than this will see their reputation for what it truly is: “The memory of the just is with praises: and the name of the wicked shall rot” (Proverbs 10:7). Thus, a good name built on a sincere love of God remains: “Take care of a good name: for this shall continue with thee, more than a thousand treasures precious and great” (Ecclesiasticus 41:15), but one that is nefarious will not be seen in heaven. Now, when the Psalmist declares that the swords of the enemy have failed, this is indicative of false doctrine and temptations, which the devil strews like snares upon a path to keep brides of Christ from running to their Bridegroom: “Sinners have laid a snare for me: but I have not erred from thy precepts” (Psalm 118:110), for any attachment, false idea about God, or weak point of temptation wearies the soul rather than rejuvenating it, that it may be wrapped in the love of God: “I to my beloved, and my beloved to me, who feedeth among the lilies” (Canticle 6:2). Thus, the lover of God must clothe themselves in St. Paul’s spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:13-18), but in particular here “the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God)” (Ephesians 6:17), for the further one departs from Sacred Scripture, the more one departs from necessary food, that their Beloved may speak to them directly rather than having someone else instruct them or tell them about Him: “As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons” (Canticle 2:3), and by falling more in love because of the words spoken to you, the greater sword of God meets the paltry swords of temptation and error and dismisses your enemy: “I shall beat them as small as the dust before the wind; I shall bring them to nought, like dirt in the streets” (Psalm 17:43). The cities are congregations of those who hold to different ideologies, among whom the devil dwells peacefully, his temptations tasting sweet for the one lost to sin, yet is dragged further into ruin: “And in all seduction of iniquity to them that perish; because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Where love is, peace is, with those most in love being able to quietly enjoy each other’s company: “Be still and see that I am God” (Psalm 45:11), but the life of the restless is filled with noise: “But the wicked are like the raging sea, which cannot rest, and the waves thereof cast up dirt and mire. There is no peace to the wicked, saith the Lord God” (Isaias 57:20-21). Or, this can mean that in conversion, what once was is not easily brought to the heights of love, but rather a war with vice ensues: “And crying out, and greatly tearing him, he went out of him” (Mark 9:25), with the memories of what was once enjoyed becoming a bitter source of sorrow for the one that wants to focus on their Beloved: “Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow” (James 4:9). Then it is mentioned that the Lord remains forever, for His kingdom is not for a time: “All power is of short life… Thy physician cutteth off a short sickness: so also a king is to day, and to morrow he shall die” (Ecclesiasticus 10:11-12), but eternal: “Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages: and thy dominon endureth throughout all generations” (Psalm 144:13). When the Psalmist then says that He has prepared His throne in judgment, this denotes that the throne of His glory is already in place, being the throne of the cross: “Thou hast made his purification to cease: and thou hast cast his throne down to the ground” (Psalm 88:45), with the total gift of self that He gave here, even through the gravest suffering, being the greatest act of love given to man, and the measure by which man will be measured: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). To treat every person you encounter as wonderful, as someone to be loved and appreciated, while simultaneously doing all for the love and glory of God: “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10) is justice. This is seen in a keeping of the commandments: “If you love me, keep my commandments” (Psalm 14:15), which can be defined as acting justly, with equity being the proper application of the commandments given any particular situation, making love an art form that allows for the creativity of individuality with the technique and teaching of the ways of God to keep it from being a mess: “Where there is no hedge, the possession shall be spoiled” (Ecclesiasticus 36:27). Doing all of this through the great trials and bitternesses of life and others is to be crucified for love, which will yield a sweet reward: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). The loving arms of God then welcome the poor, those who need love, and who are not turned to the world’s vain pleasures: “I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). His protection is sure for the one that holds fast to His love alone: “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but it shall not come nigh thee” (Psalm 90:7), with divine help coming to the one for whom there is seemingly nothing to assist them: “For my father and my mother have left me: but the Lord hath taken me up” (Psalm 26:10). To pull oneself from all else and cleave to love of Him alone then requires great trust and true love, for love alone can uphold the one that enjoys no temporal joys, and thus the name of Jesus becomes a necessary sweetness for the soul that would attain to Him: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing, you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). Or, this can mean that it requires the knowledge of the man behind the name, not to simply know about Him, but to know Him individually through contemplating His life and coming to know Him and yourself in Him: “Let not the book of this law depart from thy mouth: but thou shalt meditate on it day and night, that thou mayst observe and do all things that are written in it: then shalt thou direct thy way, and understand it” (Josue 1:8). Now, this is all done with God’s help, and at the beginning of meditation it is good to make an act of faith in the Holy Spirit that is in your heart, that He will guide you through your time of prayer, knowing that He will never forsake you or abandon you, but even in times of desolation, draws near to you, for as much as you seek Him, He seeks you all the more: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8).

Psalm 9:4-5

“When my enemy shall be turned back: they shall be weakened, and perish before thy face. For thou hast maintained my judgment and my cause: thou hast sat on the throne, who judgest justice.”

One sees the enemy turned back in Christ’s firm declaration: “Begone, Satan” (Matthew 4:10), and St. John of the Cross teaches that the one that is in union with God is just as terrifying to the devil as Jesus Himself, because He is so present in their souls: “Resist the devil, and he will fly from you” (James 4:7). The enemy looks on those drunk on love: “Be inebriated, my dearly beloved” (Canticle 5:1), and from pure hatred seeks to rend the bond that is forming between God and His beloved: “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy” (Apocalypse 13:1). It can also represent the old man, that is, you when you did not know God’s merciful love and lived according to the ways of earth; this is to remain in the background while you live in the present with your Beloved: “But one thing I do: forgetting the things that are behind, and stretching forth myself to those that are before” (Philippians 3:13), and when you are going confidently forward, the enemy cannot get a foothold as love keeps your defenses astute, but when you allow yourself to turn back to forgotten pleasures, he strikes, thus does Jesus exhort: “No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). By calling on Mary to crush the head of the snake: “She shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel” (Genesis 3:15), like a child that sees something threatening and cries out for aid, you draw closer to Mary and her maternal love, and so the pursuit of the enemy is made into something beneficial, and when the legions of hell see their leader struck down, they will fly: “And when all the army heard that Holofernes was beheaded, courage and counsel fled from them, and being seized with trembling and fear they thought only to save themselves by flight” (Judith 15:1). Just as darkness loses its imposing hold on the world as the sun begins to dawn, before being totally scattered, so too does the enemy and his fruits of sin and error scatter before the sun of God’s justice, goodness, power, and love: “His going out is from the end of heaven, and his circuit even to the end thereof: and there is no one that can hide himself from his heat” (Psalm 18:7). To the spiritual warrior that prays the Psalms, they see the melting of sin and the devil’s influence in their lives beneath the mighty hand of love: “Thou hast stretched forth thy hand against the wrath of my enemies: and thy right hand hath saved me” (Psalm 137:7), the Holy Spirit being the wind in their sails, and this second point is what is meant by one’s cause being maintained, for walking in justice is not fruitlessly without a judge, as happens often on earth, but rather there is a mighty judge that stands behind those that are truly just, which are those that worship God in the truth and rubrics of the Catholic Church and treat every person they meet as a treasure to be loved: “For all the law is fulfilled in one word: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’” (Galatians 5:14). God sees the one loving justly and gives them the grace to go forward bravely: “Do not therefore lose your confidence, which hath a great reward” (Hebrews 10:35). In glorying in this Supreme Judge, who in His justice realized that man cannot lift himself out of the hole of sin, in mercifully reaches down to spring him from the grave which he had dug for himself, thus does the Psalmist say, “Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed” (Psalm 84:11). Thus, the Judge sits on his throne of your soul, Him being present in you by grace, and by following love’s perfume: “Will run after thee to the odour of thy ointments” (Canticle 1:3) within the commandments of God: “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), this is to allow Him to build good counsel within you: “Establish within thyself a heart of good counsel: for there is no other thing of more worth to thee than it” (Ecclesiasticus 37:17), and thus He is seated on a glorious throne of you being fully alive, animated by love and sculpted by the Divine Artisan. Now, to say that it is Him that judges justice, this is because God is the source of justice, with true justice and flowing from Him and given to men that they may live their lives with the utmost beauty. To take justice from any other source is to look at a poor painting rather than the object itself, with the justice thereof being, at best, a cheap imitation. This virtue grows naturally through the life of love of God, and is a splendid adornment for the beauty of your soul, thus does the Psalmist sing in praise: “For the Lord is just, and hath loved justice” (Psalm 10:8). Seek then, Theophila, to wear justice as a linen robe, in imitation of your Beloved: “One like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet” (Apocalypse 1:13), by hearing the commandments of God and wearing them as golden earrings: “My soul hath kept thy testimonies: and hath loved them exceedingly” (Psaslm 118:167), and you will become magnificent in the eyes of Jesus: “Turn away thy eyes from me, for they have made me flee away,” (Canticle 6:4), finding your beauty irresistible.

Psalm 9:1-3

“I will give praise to thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: I will relate all thy wonders. I will be glad, and rejoice in thee: I will sing to thy name, O thou most high.”

Praising God with one’s whole heart is to take joy in Him with every fiber of the fabric of one’s being; it is said of St. Arsenius that a disciple of his found him completely aflame in prayer; this is to be in love: “I am come to cast fire on the earth: and what will I, but that it be kindled?” (Luke 12:49). To praise Him with one’s whole heart then signifies that the one loved is of the greatest importance, to be loved with all that one has to give: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind” (Matthew 22:37). To sing in love is to pray with a particular fervor, and no matter how much your every atom leaps with rejoicing: “And David danced with all his might before the Lord” (2 Kings 6:14), you cannot praise God enough for His glory, goodness, and love: “Glorify the Lord as much as ever you can, for he will yet far exceed, and his magnificence is wonderful. Blessing the Lord, exalt him as much as you can: for he is above all praise. When you exalt him put forth all your strength, and be not weary: for you can never go far enough” (Ecclesiasticus 43:32-34). To praise God with one’s whole heart could also mean to accept nothing into the garden of your heart but the Beloved and that which praises Him: “My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed” (Canticle 4:12), for all that is not beautiful is without beauty, and what is truly beautiful only possesses beauty insofar as it partakes in the Source of All Beauty. Therefore, it is only in what is divinely beautiful that the lover of God’s heart sings: “My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready: I will sing, and rehearse a psalm” (Psalm 56:8). From this overflowing fountain comes relation of God’s wonders: “Tell how great things God hath done to thee” (Luke 8:39), the most glorious of which is the resurrection of one’s soul from death to a life of love. The resurrection of Lazarus: “Jesus saith to her: ‘Thy brother shall rise again’” (John 11:23) is glorious, but of greater glory is the resurrection of the soul of St. Paul, for this was a complete reorienting of a human being from malice towards a beautiful life: “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus hath sent me, he that appeared to thee in the way as thou camest; that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 9:17). When love pulls you out of your sins and into a life of love, sing praise and speak of God’s marvelous love that so restores your soul and adorns it with loveliness: “Thy cheeks are beautiful as the turtledove’s, thy neck as jewels. We will make thee chains of gold, inlaid with silver” (Canticle 1:9-10). Now, in the primitive rule of St. Francis, he tells his friars to always appear agreeable and joyful, not sad and downtrodden, for no one wants to eat from a tree that brings sadness, but from a tree of delights that animates the soul: “I sat down under his shadow, whom I desired: and his fruit was sweet to my palate” (Canticle 2:3). Therefore, for your sake and for others that see you, feast on joy, on what makes your heart sing, not speaking on the things that you do for God: “I fast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:12); “He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory” (John 7:18), but rejoice in God and His goodness: “To thee, O God, I will sing a new canticle: on the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings I will sing praises to thee” (Psalm 143:9). How few, Theophila, are those that sing praises in their hearts to God alone! Many are the ones that rejoice in His gifts of family, knowledge, stability, honor, music, and other such things, but few are those that sing a hymn of love because He first loved them: “Let us therefore love God, because God first hath loved us” (1 John 4:19). Thus does the Bridegroom say: “There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and young maidens without number. One is my dove, my perfect one is but one” (Canticle 6:7-8), for many are those that are in the state of grace that have not entered with their whole heart into the love story that God offers: “You shall seek me, and shall find me: when you shall seek me with all your heart” (Jeremias 29:13). The Psalmist then says, “I will sing to your name,” which is the same sentiment, but from the place of sheer rejoicing takes on a musical aspect, that so great is the love of God that human praise seems insufficient, but requires the full harmony of music to give Him who “is all lovely” (Canticle 5:16) the beautiful praise He deserves. Thus does David seek a harp, a flute, anything to accompany him in his songs of love: “Praise him with the sound of trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp. Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs. Praise him on high sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy: let every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia” (Psalm 150:3-5). God does not receive anything from your praise, but it is simply an inevitability, that love spills over into songs, with love songs that remind the lover of the beloved making the heart echo with affection: “He put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God” (Psalm 39:4).

Psalm 8:5-10

“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou hast made him a little less than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honour: and hast set him over the works of thy hands. Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen: moreover the beasts also of the fields. The birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass through the paths of the sea. O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in all the earth!”

While the first two sentences of this section may seem to be mere repetition, there is a distinction. Adam was not a son of man, but was made by God: “And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7), and represents the human person that has not yet put on the new man: “And put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth” (Ephesians 4:24). Alternatively the son of man, a title Jesus uses for Himself often: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), refers to this new person, recreated in grace and living a life of love, a child of the Father: “But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name” (John 1:12). With the first, it is extraordinary that God has a mind for little, sinful man, desiring him to turn and know how loved he is: “Be converted to me, and you shall be saved, all ye ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is no other” (Isaias 45:22). God, then, upholds and has compassion upon the one that is lost and does not know Him: “And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36), and thus He is “mindful” of this man. But the son of man has this intimacy: “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of God” (1 John 3:1), and therefore is visited by God, receiving the light of His truth: “In thy light we shall see light” (Psalm 35:10), which is the knowledge of how loved they are: “They shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house: and thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure” (Psalm 35:9). Therefore, it is great wonder that all people God looks upon as His precious creation, being mindful of all, but sharing in love with those who know Him, which is a greater wonder. Angels are extraordinary beings, knowing God intuitively and having immense power: “Bless the Lord, all ye his angels: you that are mighty in strength” (Psalm 102:20), insight: “Come up hither, and I will shew thee the things which must be done hereafter” (Apocalypse 4:1), and love: “Who makest thy angels spirits: and thy ministers a burning fire” (Psalm 103:4), and man is second in dignity only to these. Furthermore, these angels are “all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14), as they know how loved they are and are delighted to share this gift with men: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will’” (Luke 2:13-14). Now, the knowledge of God, which is unveiled by angels: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him… sending by his angel to his servant John” (Apocalypse 1:1), is a kingly crown upon the soul, and is the glory and honor of a man, and is what you are invited to attain: “Come from Libanus, my spouse, come from Libanus, come: thou shalt be crowned from the top of Amana” (Canticle 4:8), that you may know His unfathomable love for you. Or, this can mean that man is crowned with dignity and honor above all visible creation, his very life being a gift, but then on top of this is the crown of knowledge and love of God, which is his glory. Because you have the ability to know and love, you surpass animals by great bounds, who can only follow their instincts, whereas you can encounter true love and live it out according to right reason. However, there is a spiritual meaning to the animals listed. By the “sheep” this can mean your heart, for this is what Jesus seeks: “What think you? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them should go astray: doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains, and go to seek that which is gone astray?” (Matthew 18:12), which you can give to Him in meditation on His life and telling Him that you love Him, therefore it is under your dominion. The oxen represent your mind and your actions, for “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out thy corn on the floor” (Deuteronomy 25:4), because by your mind you work to understand what is divine, and then proclaim it to others, and “Where there is much corn, there the strength of the ox is manifest” (Proverbs 14:4), for by always choosing love in your actions, you will reap an abundant harvest of souls and grace: “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening let not thy hand cease” (Ecclesiastes 11:6). These can be clouded by the “beasts of the field,” which are the temptations that arise that would lead you to bestial living, which pollutes the soul: “The beasts have rotted in their dung” (Joel 1:17); “And man when he was in honour did not understand; he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them” (Psalm 48:13), turning you from the way of love to a life of easy pleasure, which is denoted by the field. The “birds of the air” can represent temptations to pride, being lifted up on the winds of self-importance, and the “fishes of the sea” can be temptations to vanity, as those who are concerned with worldly honor delve deep into different matters for a temporary crown, thus they “pass through” the sea. All of these buffet the soul of the lover of God, but in setting your mind on God and always choosing love, you have dominion over these things by grace. Thus, it is necessary to pray: “Lead us not into temptation” (Matthew 6:13), for to hold the Father’s hand through the storms of temptation is to safely navigate through the devil’s antics and the lusts of the flesh and eyes. In seeing the victory of God’s love in your life, you can then cry out with joy: “O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in all the earth!” for your love story is unbroken, and your crown of grace is preserved.

Psalm 8:1-4

“O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! For thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens. Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise, because of thy enemies, that thou mayst destroy the enemy and the avenger. For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded.”

The beginning of this Psalm begins with exuberant praise, praising the “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all” (Ephesians 4:6), because God gives His name in Exodus: “God said to Moses: ‘I AM WHO AM’” (Exodus 3:14), showing that the very existence of all things is admirable and beautiful, with all things carrying the beauty of this name: “All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made” (John 1:3). This takes a greater meaning in light of the Incarnation, because “They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23), for in the coming of Jesus, heavenly reality was opened to you by grace: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you shall see the heaven opened” (John 1:51), that you may know the love of God, with all things being upheld by this love, and thereby reminding you of how loved you are: “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts, all the earth is full of his glory” (Isaias 6:3), and so you can walk with Him always, your mind ever turned to Jesus and either His creating or saving work: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Even this reality, however, and this beautiful walk, do not do justice to the wonderfulness of His love for you: “Glorify the Lord as much as ever you can, for he will yet far exceed, and his magnificence is wonderful” (Ecclesiasticus 43:32). Though He has filled the earth with visible signs of His love, and the Scriptures with words declaring this love: “I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jeremias 31:3), it still cannot be fully grasped, for it is infinite and unchanging: “And the darkness” of your limited mind “did not comprehend it” (John 1:5); “For I am the Lord, and I change not” (Malachias 3:6) in its sheer infinity: “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and of his greatness there is no end” (Psalm 144:3). There is a twofold meaning to what follows, that out of the mouths of babies comes perfect praise. The first is in the literal sense, that the cries of baptized babies and the innocent love of children are beautiful songs of praise, showing the simplicity of God’s love. The second is that here is an extolling the little, those who know that they are God’s little children, helpless without Him, and who cry out in simplicity, “I love you, Abba,” or “I love you, Jesus,” therefore Jesus says: “I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones” (Matthew 11:25). In comparison with the infinite, extraordinary, perfect glory and love of God, you can only be a babe upon His breast, the treasure of His Heart, and receive from Him all that you need: “Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26). This is considered perfect praise, “because of thy enemies,” who are the wise in this world and lack love, not walking in the ways of divine love, but condemning the truth: “He hat scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble” (Luke 1:51-52). Thus, it is a look at the juxtaposition between the little that loves and the great that loves not, for “the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25), therefore “the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). The little ones will then in turn show by their love the failings of those that didn’t love, like white being set against black, that it may appear even blacker: “Know you not that we shall judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:3); “And the armies that are in heaven followed him on white horses,” which represent the resurrected, glorified bodies of the saints, to which the love that filled their souls extended, “clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Apocalypse 19:14), which denotes being clothed in love pure and innocent: “That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof” (Philippians 2:15). The Psalmist then includes himself amongst these spiritual children, going to God with a trusting love, seeing spiritual reality in light of God’s love: “Which things also we speak, not in the learned words of human wisdom; but in the doctrine of the Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13), which is what is meant by “beholding the heavens: “In the beginning God created heaven, and earth” (Genesis 1:1), that is, what is invisible as well as what is visible. This is the work of His fingers, for as Moses was given the guide to the spiritual life by the finger of God: “And the Lord, when he had ended these words in mount Sinai, gave to Moses two stone tables of testimony, written with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18), therefore the “works of His fingers” can denote the writings of Scripture, which are God’s love letter to you: “For the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two edged sword; and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit” (Hebrews 4:12), therefore “the heavens shall be folded together as a book” (Isaias 34:4). Or, this can be looking at the saints and other Catholics in whom the love of God is manifest, with a fire in their heart that is plainly seen: “And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a burning fire upon the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel” (Exodus 24:17), and seeing them as pieces of art that He crafted with love: “O Lord, thou art our father, and we are clay: and thou art our maker, and we all the works of thy hands” (Isaias 64:8). Thus, Jesus is denoted by the sun: “He hath set his tabernacle in the sun: and he, as a bridegroom coming out his bride chamber, hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way” (Psalm 18:6), and His love is reflected by the moon, which is a figure of Mary, and imitated by the little lights of the saints: “And I will multiply thy seed like the stars of heaven” (Genesis 26:4); “But they that are learned” in the wisdom of divine love “shall shine as the brightness of the firmament: and they that instruct many to justice, as stars for all eternity” (Daniel 12:3). Thus, it is of great spiritual benefit to read the Scriptures, and understanding them can be understood either by the writings of different saints, or by reading their lives, that one can know the love of God and the beautiful number of ways through which this love is expressed.

Psalm 7:15-18

“Behold he hath been in labour with injustice; he hath conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity. He hath opened a pit and dug it: and he is fallen into the hole he made. His sorrow shall be turned on his own head: and his iniquity shall come down upon his crown. I will give glory to the Lord according to his justice: and will sing to the name of the Lord the most high.”

“All things are hard” (Ecclesiastes 1:8), and so the labor of those who labor for sin is labor indeed: “Cursed is the earth in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life” (Genesis 3:17). However, this is a labor that does not endure, because it is not filled with love: “And when I turned my self to all the works which my hands had wrought, and to the labours wherein I had laboured in vain, I saw in all things vanity, and vexation of mind, and that nothing was lasting under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11). To conceive sorrow is to conceive what is not beneficial for a human being, for to desire sinful things is the greatest of human miseries. It is sorrow to desire, and worse to bring forth: “Then when concupiscence hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. But sin, when it is completed, begetteth death” (James 1:15). People empty themselves upon fleeting or even sinful things, spending their life and welfare upon what defiles their beauty as human beings: “Thy silver is turned into dross: thy wine is mingled with water” (Isaias 1:22). Thus the Lord exhorts His faithful ones: “Defile not yourselves with any of these things with which all the nations have been defiled, which I will cast out before you, and with which the land is defiled: the abominations of which I will visit, that it may vomit out its inhabitants” (Leviticus 18:24-25). Love is the beauty of the soul: “How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou! Thy eyes” of the mind “are doves’ eyes” (Canticle 4:1), that is, always following the promptings of the Holy Spirit to love, and knowledge of God are the gems to adorn this beauty: “Thy hair” which are thoughts, as they proceed from the head, “is as flocks of goats” which can reach difficult places by deep prayer, which is to know the love of Christ firsthand, or by heavenly doctrine, “which come up from mount Galaad” (Canticle 4:1). To desire anything else is ugliness: “Ephraim is under oppression, and broken in judgment: because he began to go after filthiness” (Osee 5:11). Thus, in bringing forth iniquity, the sinful person digs a pit for themselves, particularly if this is against the one pursuing God, for they think to dig a pit to harm the Christian, instead doing grave harm to their own souls: “These things they thought, and were deceived: for their own malice blinded them” (Wisdom 2:21). One may lose their possessions or even their life, but worse is the loss of love in one’s soul: “All iniquity is sin. And there is a sin unto death” (1 John 5:17). Thus they fall into the hole that is made, that of death, because to live without divine love is death: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, they shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Apocalypse 21:8). Having no will to leave sin, no will to love, brings sorrow down upon the poor sinner, for they are in a pitiable state: “The Lord saw the affliction of Israel that it was exceeding bitter, and that they were consumed even to them that were shut up in prison, and the lowest persons, and that there was no one to help Israel” (4 Kings 14:26). The guilt this brings upon the soul is grave and heavy, thus it falls upon the crown, or the mind, of the unjust, for they have not loved Love Himself and this is something the conscience cannot bear. Only reconciliation with God can alleviate this distress, thus “Thou, O Lord, art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head” (Psalm 3:4) from the burden of shame and guilt and into freedom and love. The Psalmist then, free of this great burden and walking in innocence: “Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice, and according to my innocence in me” (Psalm 7:9), exults in God and His justice, for God in His justice sees the weakness of the human person and the burden that is sin upon them: “My iniquities have overtaken me, and I was not able to see” (Psalm 39:13), and in His mercy removes it that they may walk in joy: “Praise the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 135:1). The time of contrition for sin is one of sadness: “Every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears” (Psalm 6:7), but in repentance there is a cry for to know true happiness: “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit” (Psalm 50:14), and so the Lord says: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:5), for those that mourn for sin will know the infinite merciful love of God, and be lifted up to heavenly rejoicing: “Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise thy God, O Sion” (Psalm 147:12), the heart singing out of an abundance of love and gratitude: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God and the Father” (Ephesians 5:19-20).

Psalm 7:10-14

“The wickedness of sinners shall be brought to nought: and thou shalt direct the just: the searcher of hearts and reins is God. Just is my help from the Lord: who saveth the upright of heart. God is a just judge, strong and patient: is he angry every day? Except you will be converted, he will brandish his sword: he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. And in it he hath prepared the instruments of death, he hath made ready his arrows for them that burn.”

“Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that built it” (Psalm 126:1). Without an upright, just love, the actions thereof are but dust: “Whatever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly: for neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge shall be in hell, whither thou art hastening” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Therefore, the Psalmist exhorts the one trapped in sin to turn from wickedness and embrace love, for it is love that brings the just to their fulfillment: “Being confident of this very thing, that he, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). This same Lord sees the heart and motivations for one’s actions in addition to the actions themselves, as well as where your joy is: “For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also” (Matthew 6:21). Consider, Theophila, how difficult it is to do one little action of pure love! To do something upright and loving, from an abundance of love, not begrudgingly but joyfully so: “In every gift shew a cheerful countenance, and sanctify thy tithes with joy” (Ecclesiasticus 35:11), as much as you may try, this can only be done by grace: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Galatians 5:22); “Dearly beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God” (1 John 4:7). Therefore, it is just to receive help from God, for if He were to leave you alone in your poverty, you would not be able to perform a single well-ordered act of love: “Without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), for all justice is of God: “Whereas I was more good, I came to a body undefiled. And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God gave it, and this also was a point of wisdom, to know whose gift it was” (Wisdom 8:20-21); “What hast thou that thou hast not received?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Take heart, however, for “in this is my Father glorified: that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples”; “The Lord who is your leader, he himself will be with thee: he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Therefore, the Lord is just in aiding you, who so needs His aid, and He will preserve the upright heart that He has given you: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10). God, then, is a just judge, for He sees how utterly broken and feeble you are: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled” (Psalm 6:3), but will give you the grace to love: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for power is made perfect in infirmity” (2 Corinthians 12:9). He is strong, all-mighty in love, for He did not condemn even those who had turned away from Him during His passion, but came to them bearing peace: “Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: ‘Peace be to you’” (John 20:19), knowing how feeble they were to love Him in return: “As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord compassion on them that fear him: for he knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we are dust” (Psalm 102:13-14); “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh weak” (Matthew 26:41). Therefore, He is compassionate with your weaknesses, not angry, but extending His hand to pick you up: “He raiseth up the needy from the dust” (1 Kings 2:8). His compassion and patience never ceases, giving those lost to sin every opportunity to convert, always inviting them with His love: “Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and patience, and longsuffering? Knowest thou not, that the benignity of God leadeth thee to penance?” (Romans 2:4), but where necessary with fear, where hate has calcified. The instruments of the punishment that inspires fear are demonic forces, those that have been lost to hate, and to whom those that flee the loving protection of God are subject: “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever is not just, is not of God, nor he that loveth not his brother” (1 John 3:10).

Psalm 7:7-9

“Rise up, O Lord, in thy anger: and be thou exalted in the borders of my enemies. And arise, O Lord, my God, in the precept which thou hast commanded: and a congregation of people shall surround thee. And for their sakes return thou on high. The Lord judgeth the people. Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice, and according to my innocence in me.”

You, through the Psalmist, then call your Abba to arise in His anger in the face of your enemies, for like a child being afflicted by cruel attackers, He will come to your aid to chase away the enemy of your soul: “Then the Lord shall go forth, and shall fight against hose nations, as when he fought in the day of battle” (Zacharias 14:3). It is a call for the King of Kings to bind up the mighty one that afflicts you: “No man can enter into the house of a strong man and rob him of his goods, unless he first bind the strong man, and then shall he plunder his house” (Mark 3:27). The call to “be exalted” is a call of transformation: Conversion to the Lord is being lifted up from being the property of the devil to becoming a temple of God, a palace of love: “King Solomon hath made him a litter of the wood of Libanus: the pillars thereof he made of silver, the seat of gold, the going up of purple: the midst he covered with love for the daughters of Jerusalem” (Song 3:10). God is exalted in this, showing His might over the forces of darkness as well as the care He shows for His beloved: “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels… shall be able to separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:38-39). Or, “be exalted in the midst of my enemies” can be taken in a warrior’s sense: “Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hated thee: and pined away because of thy enemies? I have hated them with a perfect hatred: and they are become enemies to me” (Psalm 138:21-22), meaning that the enemies of salvation are mutually your and God’s enemies, therefore you are praying: “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10), that the kingdom of love may overcome the forces of darkness and hate: Let us, who are of the day, be sober, having on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Therefore, you call on love to rise up in the borders of the enemy’s domain, that love may prevail: “For thus saith the Lord: When the seventy years shall begin to be accomplished in Babylon, I will visit you: and I will perform my good word in your favour, to bring you again to this place” (Jeremias 29:10). Thus, the Lord is called upon to arise in the precept He commanded: “And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ: and love one another, as he hath given commandment to us” (1 John 3:23); “This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12), which He will always heed: “Because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears unto their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12). Thus, Theophila, you are calling upon the King of Love as a warrior of love, and by calling upon the love of God you will draw a congregation to Him, either by prayer and flowers that will bloom without your seeing: “My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the bed of aromatical spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies” (Song 6:1), or by your expression of God’s love drawing people to Him very noticeably through you: “And great multitudes followed him: and he healed them there” (Matthew 19:2). In whatever way Love works through you is the proper way for you to express it, which is done through the action of the Holy Spirit, who is the fruit of the ascension of Jesus, His returning on high: “And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). Or, this can mean that, like a triumphant king, He returns to His throne to oversee the love that His people cultivate in the world: “He shall drink of the torrent in the way,” that is, drink of the afflictions of human life in a fallen world, “therefore shall he lift up the head” (Psalm 109:7) with understanding and mercy as He returns to His throne: “For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall rule them, and shall lead them to the fountains of the waters of life, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Apocalypse 7:17). The statement “the Lord judgeth the people” then is a statement of confidence to the one that loves Him, for in knowing that your love story is a beautiful one, you can give Him the book of your life with joy: “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing in the presence of the throne, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged by those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Apocalypse 20:12), but an admonishment to those that love not Love: “And they repaid me evil for good: and hatred for my love” (Psalm 108:5). Therefore, lift up your voice in confidence, being willing to be judged by the Divine Judge, for it is this same Judge that clothes you in innocence, justice, and love: “God, who hath girt me with strength; and made my way blameless” (Psalm 17:33). You are asking your Father to judge you as His child, to which He in His love replies, “Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee” (Song 4:7), for the Father sees the merits of the Son in you by the Holy Spirit, so He sees you in a place of supernatural innocence and delights in you: “Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of God” (1 John 3:2).

Psalm 7:1-6

“O Lord, my God, in thee have I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me. Lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion, while there is no one to redeem me, nor to save. O Lord, my God, if I have done this thing, if there be iniquity in my hands: if I have rendered to them that repaid me evils, let me deservedly fall empty before my enemies. Let the enemy pursue my soul, and take it, and tread down my life, on the earth, and bring down my glory to the dust.”

This Psalm is not one for being lifted from the depths of sin: “Save me, O God: for the waters are come in even unto my soul” (Psalm 68:2), but assumes a state of grace and a place of love, for in God you have placed your trust. The perspective then turns to the villains of your love story, specifically the devil and his wiles, and asks to be protected, for the craftiness of fallen angels far surpasses the human intellect. Therefore, do not try to fight your ancient enemy on your own terms, but turn to the Beloved who is greater than all angels: “Being made so much better  than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they” (Hebrews 1:4); “Therefore because the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner hath been partaker of the same: that, through death, he might destroy him who had the empire of death, that is to say, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Now, “your adversary the devil, as a roarting lion, goesth about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), but “God shall break in pieces their teeth in their mouth: the Lord shall break the grinders of the lions” (Psalm 57:7). Teeth are representative of words in Sacred Scripture, for both are contained in the mouth, and the enemy works primarily through thoughts and beliefs that draw you away from God: “And the serpent said to the woman: ‘No, you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:4-5). Therefore, God cracking the teeth is Him giving you the grace to realize the falsity of the devil’s lies, and instead cling to truth: “In all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one” (Ephesians 6:16). The ancient serpent is greatly repelled by community that fights together: “And if a man prevail against one, two shall withstand him: a threefold cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12), so you can pray that in moments when you are alone, you may not be overwhelmed by the devil’s tactics, but may cling to the God that never leaves you: “Behold the hour cometh, and it is now come, that you shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32). Or, this can mean that all are powerless to fight against fallen angels, and God alone can redeem and save, and therefore you trust in His infinite merciful love to do so: “He brought me forth into a large place: he saved me, because he was well pleased with me” (Psalm 17:20). What follows is a protestation of innocence that assumes a following of the gospel commandment of love: “But I say to you, love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you” (Matthew 5:44), not only not repaying evil for good, but not even evil for evil, instead always seeking to love, even looking to overwhelm evil with love: “They surrounded me like bees, and they burned like fire among thorns: and in the name of the Lord I was revenged on them” (Psalm 117:12) with love and compassion. Without this love, the Psalmist then asks to fall empty and be brought low, because in standing high and haughty without love, a lesson of humility becomes necessary: “Every mountain and hill shall be made low” (Isaias 40:4). The truly wonderful way is one of weakness but being constantly upheld, to be a child in the arms of Abba, relying solely on the love of God: “Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her beloved? “(Song 8:5). The self-imprecation that follows is a look at the one who leaves the loving protection of the Most Holy Trinity by way of acts contrary to love, because straying away from the love of God is akin to a child leaving their parents’ house to live on the street: “Return, O ye revolting children, saith the Lord: for I am your husband” (Jeremias 3:14). A life lived without the love of God, which is manifested by sin: “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:20) is one with no defense against the enemy, open to all types of invasion: “The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and the gates thereof are burnt with fire,” which is a cause for great pity: “And when I heard these words, I sat down, and wept, and mourned for many days” (2 Esdras 1:3-4). The Father, not desiring to see anyone like this, hears your prayer when you pray this, and will come to your aid: “Now will I rise up, saith the Lord: now will I be exalted, now will I lift up myself” (Isaias 33:10). Because you trust in His mighty love, He will act with a mighty love, not letting you fall before your enemy, but keeping you in His arms.

Psalm 6:7-11

“I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears. My eye is troubled through indignation: I have grown old amongst all my enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity: for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord hath heard my supplication: the Lord hath received my prayer. Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much troubled: let them be turned back, and be ashamed very speedily.”

In laboring in groaning and washing one’s bed with tears is revealed the one who, seeing the gravity of their sin, cannot lift themselves out of it: “I stick fast in the mire of the deep: and there is no sure standing” (Psalm 68:3). External tears represent the inward washing of the heart, for in true contrition one’s heart is brought humbly back into God’s loving arms. This also shows the necessity of grace, for it is impossible to escape sin without the grace of the sacraments: “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Therefore, the graces of the sacraments of the Mass and confession are necessary stops for the soul that weeps for their sins, that there may be a kiss of love to repair the bad love that was displayed. The Psalmist then describes their eye being troubled through indignation, and this is the movements of the angels prodding the soul to love: “Fear seized upon me, and trembling, and all my bones were affrighted: and when a spirit passed before me, the hair of my flesh stood up” (Job 4:14-15), for the angels act to draw the soul deeper into love, sometimes by a rather deafening voice: “And I saw seven angels standing in the presence of God; and there were given to them seven trumpets” (Apocalypse 8:2). Or this can mean that when your soul is far from truth, it is deeply troubled, for the truth is beautiful and therefore will draw you more into love: “My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings… for they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh” (Proverbs 4:20-22). Therefore the Lord exhorts: “Stand in the multitude of ancients that are wise,” in love, “and join thyself from thy heart to their wisdom, that thou mayst hear every discourse of God, and the sayings of praise may not escape thee” (Ecclesiasticus 6:35), for truth is a healing balm that opens the eye of understanding to the beautiful light of God’s ways: “Well ordered words are as a honeycomb: sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). What follows is an admittance of “growing old amongst my enemies.” Now, the enemies of your soul are the world, the flesh, and the devil; each one of these wearies the pure love in your soul in their own way; thus it “grows old,” that is, fatigued, fragile, slow, and uninspired. Thus, you are called to war against these forces, with a lively spirit of love: “The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds” (Wisdom 3:7), and declare boldly that their influence may depart from you, for Jesus has seen the tears of your contrition and now calls you to love and battle: “She took off her haircloth, and put away the garments of her widowhood, and she washed her body, and anointed herself with the best ointment, and plaited the hair of her head, and put a bonnet upon her head, and clothed herself with the garments of her gladness” (Judith 10:2-3); “Judge thou, O Lord, them that wrong me: overthrow them that fight against me. Take hold of arms and shield: and rise up to help me” (Psalm 34:1-2). Pray, then, confident that your Abba hears you and receives your prayers, for when you pray for what is conducive to the love of God and neighbor, He will not hesitate to shower these same graces upon you and others: “He heard my voice from his holy temple: and my cry before him came into his ears… He bowed the heavens and came down: and darkness was under his feet” (Psalm 17:7, 10). This same grace will make you a radiant, shining light: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14); “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?” (Song 6:9), that will make your enemies ashamed or troubled, for many, in the presence of the love of God, are inflamed with hate, displeasure, or shame, depending on their reaction to the truth of God: “For every one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved” (John 3:20). However, this is akin to uncovering a wound that it may be treated, for all of these are symptoms of a lack of love in their heart, and when you plant love where there is no love, you can draw out love: “And they shall spring up among the herbs, as willows beside the running waters” (Isaias 44:4). Likewise, it is said of St. Catherine of Siena, that she would walk down the street and demons would be exorcised, such was her love. Finally, the power of fleshly desires melts before true love: “Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The grace of God, by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:24-25). Therefore, all three of these enemies stumble before divine love, of which you are a beautiful vessel: “As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God” (Psalm 67:3). Love, pray, and walk in truth: “In nowise speak against the truth” (Ecclesiasticus 4:30); “I was exceeding glad, that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father” (2 John 1:4), that all that would inhibit your love may scatter like shadows in the noonday sun: “Shew me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou liest in the midday” (Song 1:6).

Psalm 6:1-6

“O Lord, rebuke me not in thy indignation, nor chastise me in thy wrath. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but thou, O Lord, how long? Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for thy mercy’s sake. For there is no one in death, that is mindful of thee: and who shall confess to thee in hell?”

This Psalm is one of the seven penitential Psalms, to be prayed in lieu of the marring of Christ’s beautiful image of pure love in your soul: “And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Now, God does not judge with wrath: “But thou being master of power, judgest with tranquility; and with great favour disposest of us” (Wisdom 12:18) but rebukes with love: “Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise” (Apocalypse 3:19). The discipline of love is far different from that of an impartial or tyrannical scourging: “For thou didst admonish and try them as a father” (Wisdom 11:11), for it is a forgiving correction to make you better: “For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth: and as a father in the son he pleaseth himself” (Proverbs 3:12). No, it is the conscience itself which screams out under the weight of its own guilt. The first sentence denotes the attitude of the soul running back, unsure of what to expect, for the Psalms know you and speak for you. Thus it puts the words in your mouth of the Prodigal Son: “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee: I am not worthy to be called thy son” (Luke 15:18-19), but the Father runs to you to punish you with affection: “His father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running to him fell upon his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Looking to avoid rebuke or chastisement, you can come to God with tears in your eyes, looking for the love that cures all: “For it was neither herb, nor mollifying plaster that healed them, but thy word, O Lord, which healeth all things” (Wisdom 16:12). Pleading for mercy due to your weakness is to ask for God’s justice, for in His justice He sees how little and frail you are, and has compassion on your brokenness, which can support so little of a burden. This is what is meant by “my bones are troubled,” for the very foundations of your being can do nothing without the merciful love of God: “For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 3:11). Therefore, in receiving forgiveness and love, the trouble of the soul can be lifted: “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit” (Psalm 50:14). This can also be voiced by a false God image, cowering in fear from the wrath of God: “And I will execute great vengeance upon them, rebuking them in fury: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them” (Ezechiel 25:17), not realizing that you are a beloved child to whom the Trinity longs to draw close: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of sobriety” (2 Timothy 1:7). Such wondrous love and knowledge cannot reach the depths without an experience of this same love: “Convert us, O God: and shew us thy face, and we shall be saved” (Psalm 79:4). Thus you can cry out, “How long must I wait to know you in truth? How long must I misunderstand your unfathomable love? The one hurting turns to God to show the wound it has inflicted on itself, asking Him to turn His loving gaze, “The Lord hath looked from heaven: he hath beheld all the sons of men” (Psalm 32:13), upon what is contrary to love and heal it with His own love. This is done by God’s mercy, for He does not look on your merits, for you are as a baby, so preciously loved and yet helpless and capable of so little, and He will gladly come to you and raise your love to heavenly heights: “He sent from on high, and took me: and received me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strongest enemies, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me” (Psalm 17:17-18). God longs to give the gift of His love to His children, “Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom” (Luke 12:32), and so you by way of the Psalmist can cry out that to remain far from Him is to be unable to know, love, and be loved by Him, so there is a confession that to fall into hell is not His will. Therefore, this Psalm is of great use when you seem far from God, when you doubt His merciful love, when you feel nothing, for in these times God is very near to you, drawing you deeper into His mystery, that you may cling to Him always in your weakness: “But it is good for me to adhere to my God, to put my hope in the Lord God” (Psalm 72:28), living entirely on His love.

Psalm 5:9-13

“Conduct me, O Lord, in thy justice: because of my enemies, direct my way in thy sight. For there is no truth in their mouth: their heart is vain. Their throat is an open sepulchre: they dealt deceitfully with their tongues: judge them, O God. Let them fall from their devices: according to the multitude of their wickednesses cast them out: for they have provoked thee, O Lord. But let all them be glad that hope in thee: they shall rejoice for ever, and thou shalt dwell in them. And all they that love thy name shall glory in thee. For thou wilt bless the just. O Lord, thou hast crowned us, as with a shield of thy good will.”

In praying this Psalm, you then ask God to keep you in His justice, which is the way of merciful love to all: “But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that culminate you: that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45). Praying for Him to guide you on this path of abandonment to His love is necessary, for fallen human nature is too weak to love as He does, fulfill His commandments, and trust Him: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak” (Psalm 6:3). No, it is only in knowing that the Father loves you as He does His Son that you can trust Him, and by prayer implore the grace to live this love: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13). Christ’s merits are in you by your state of grace, therefore it is becoming to let the Father lead you by the hand, trusting Him at all times, that His action is entirely out of love for you. The world, the flesh, and the devil all vie against you, but you have a loving Father to protect you: “I will love thee, O Lord, my strength” (Psalm 17:2); “thou hast given me the protection of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up” (Psalm 17:36). Now, these three that attempt to take you away from God are what speak untruth. These speak words of death, rather than words of love: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:69) and would have you think God is less lovingly omnipotent and omnipotently loving than He is. Now, the imprecatory element of the Psalm that follows this has many things to be said about it, but there are two that will be brought up according to love. First, the fallen angels are outside the scope of charity, for their decision is final and they cannot be redeemed. Therefore, Psalms of war are well used against them to defend God’s precious children. Second, the Psalm here implores that those that war against God’s people fail in their devices, and then for the scale of their wickedness to be put far from His face. It is in being brought extremely low that one realizes they need the love of God: “He would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him. And returning to himself, he said: How many hired servants in my father’s house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger? I will arise, and will go to my father” (Luke 15:16-18). Here one can interpret that you are not asking for anyone on earth to be thrown permanently from the Lord, but for those that are far from Him to feel His hand, that they may come to turn to Him in their affliction: “Rebuke me not, O Lord, in thy indignation; nor chastise me in thy wrath. For thy arrows are fastened in me: and thy hand hath been strong upon me” (Psalm 37:2-3). From the combat element of the Psalm, then turn to rejoice with your brothers and sisters in Christ, praying for their very happiness and eternal joy. Those that love the name of Jesus will possess the object of their love, the true gift of God Himself, rejoicing in the love that fulfills their hearts for all time. “Thou wilt bless the just” both asks and prophecies that God will pour His grace upon those who walk according to His love: “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 118:1). Finally, there is a great rejoicing for the graces that have been given to you and the Church, for God has put a crown of love and goodness: “Come from Libanus, my spouse, come from Libanus, come: thou shalt be crowned from the top of Amana, from the top of Sanir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards” (Song 4:8). You are the child of a Queen and are crowned as royalty in the heavenly court: “adore ye the Lord in his holy court” (Psalm 95:9). God gives you this crown of His love as a symbol of His good will, that He will always be with you and at your right hand: “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14). He will take beautiful care of you, if you simply open your hands to hold His. He will not let you be lost, so you need never despair, because He loves you too much to lose you. His good will is always with you, even if you cannot feel it, thus He is your shield and His love and righteousness is your crown.

Psalm 5:6-8

“Neither shall the wicked dwell near thee: nor shall the unjust abide before thy eyes. Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity: thou wilt destroy all that speak a lie. The bloody and the deceitful man the Lord will abhor. But as for me in the multitude of thy mercy, I will come into thy house; I will worship towards thy holy temple, in thy fear.”

Those that love according to the ways of the world, fixated on pleasure, self, and things, are far from God, for they do not love as He loves. Without the love that is the Holy Spirit, one’s love is passing and poor, starved of true love: “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, and I will send forth a famine into the land: not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, but of hearing the word of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). While the love of God shines upon the wicked and the unjust, and His eyes are upon them always: “…who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), their eyes are shut to this merciful love, for they are turned away from Him. His love reaches out constantly, be it through people: “Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19), through one’s own conscience: “For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me” (Psalm 37:5), or through nature: “O Lord, how great are thy works!” (Psalm 91:6), but these are lost on those whose eyes are infected: “The senseless man shall not know: nor will the fool understand these things” (Psalm 91:7). Now, God does not hate those that sin, for God is love, but He is turned against them in their hearts that, under His thumb, they may be pricked in their conscience and turn to His love: “Desolation is left in the city, and calamity shall oppress the gates. For it shall be thus in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the people, as if a few olives, that remain, should be shaken out of the olive tree: or grapes, when the vintage is ended. These shall lift up their voice, and shall give praise” (Isaias 24:12-14). He will also “destroy those that speak a lie,” for all heresies shall fracture themselves into nothing, unable to bear the burden of leading others into lies, and this also applies to the one pursuing God. The individual that truly seeks to love God may at some point speak gentle words that aren’t truthful, but in time the truth of God’s love will overwhelm this: “For Sion’s sake I will not hold my peace” (Isaias 62:1). This doesn’t mean that aggression will set in, for “A peaceable tongue is a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4), but peace and truth will find expression in a delicate middle: “Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed” (Psalm 84:11). All untruth, iniquity, and injustice is a deprivation of true love, and therefore those are gaps in the soul in which the Holy Spirit isn’t, for He is turned away. However, this same Spirit longs to dwell in these places: “My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall” (Song 2:14), to fill what is empty with love, that His love may find its fullest expression in truthful, merciful words that draw others to Christ. Now, the faithful see with horror the lack of love in the people that are far from God: “And Jesus going out saw a great multitude: and he had compassion on them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd” (Mark 6:34), and realize the greatest antidote is prayer, as well as to receive the love from God that is being rejected. In this way you will console His Heart and be able to love those that don’t know God’s love. Thus the Psalmist, embracing the endless merciful love of God, goes into the house of God: “I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 121:1). This house could also be your heart, for it is the dwelling place of God: “Know you not, that you are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). In either respect, entering into the house of God with love and awe is to go before Him with fear, “for you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry: Abba” (Romans 8:15). Go before your Abba, opening yourself to the unfathomable, infinite depths of His merciful love for you. Worship Him in loving adoration in the temple that you are, awed by the mystery of His merciful love, and in overwhelmed love fall upon your knees and pray: “Give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 117:1).

Psalm 5:1-5

“Give ear, O Lord, to my words, understand my cry. Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God. For to thee will I pray: O Lord, in the morning thou shalt hear my voice. In the morning I will stand before thee, and will see: because thou art not a God that willest iniquity.”

Let your heart cry out to God from the depths: “Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord” (Psalm 129:1), let your heart align with the words of the Psalter. Something is not heard by the other if it is not heard, understood, or the hearer’s attention is elsewhere, and none of these are true of God. He hears every movement of your heart, understands the depths from which they come, for He has walked through the miseries of life to know you and connect with you, and never turns His eyes from you. This beginning is meant to pull your heart from a place of distractedness into a deep pleading with God, to in a sense tune the strings of your heart that it may make sweet music to your King. Thus, there is a request for Him to turn His ears to the lyre of your heart: “Give praise to the Lord on the harp; sing to him with the psaltery, the instrument of ten strings” (Psalm 32:2). What a beautiful morning prayer, to come into the King’s court and sing to Him: “David took his harp, and played with his hand, and Saul was refreshed” (1 Kings 16:23). The morning could also refer to the beginning of life after the night of sin comes to a conclusion, for the heart sings with greater gratitude in realizing it has left such a night: “Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much” (Luke 7:47); “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted. Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy” (Psalm 125:1-2). Leaving the life of sin for the life of love is a triumphant entry into the heavenly Jerusalem, drawing praise from the heart: “Blessed be the king who cometh in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory on high!” ( Luke 19:38). With a heart in love, the King shall hear all you have to ask of Him: “And as she held her peace, he took the golden sceptre, and laid it upon her neck, and kissed her” (Esther 15:15), that what is in the heart may be drawn out. It is of great benefit to begin the day with prayer, that you may see the merciful love of God, standing before Love Incarnate and considering how He loved, and realize that He does not will what is contrary to love, for it is outside His nature to do anything less dignified than perfect love. Or “to stand” means that you are so inflamed with love that you cannot lay down and idly wait, but with zeal and love be ardent to come before Him. Ah, the Sweet Hunter draws you with love’s urgent longings, seeming to evade your sight, but desiring to bring you ever deeper into love. This seeming evasiveness is seen in the divine Canticle: “The voice of my beloved, behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills” (Song 2:8). He never wills anything else than love; to follow His will is to love at all times. Therefore, the King of Kings draws your heart out of itself with love, turning His ear to you that He may hear what you wish to sing to Him, particularly when you begin with praise, saying that He is a God of love, never willing what is contrary to merciful love.

Psalm 4:6b-10

“Many say, ‘Who sheweth us good things?’ The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us: thou hast given gladness in my heart. By the fruit of their corn, their wine, and oil, they are multiplied: In peace in the self same I will sleep, and I will rest: for thou, O Lord singularly hast settled me in hope.”

Everyone seeks happiness and goodness. Many, however, want to enjoy what is visible, graspable, pleasurable. “Who will give us the good things you speak of?” then is the reply, to which you, in your innocence, purity, and divine love reply: The light of the Holy Face is smiling upon me. All the things of this world fall away from you, o loved of God, for a clearer vision of His face, of which you are the reflection. Ah, what greater joy can there be than to be a reflection of infinite beauty, to be an object of infinite love! Simply knowing how loved you are gives a gladness of the heart that reaches far past what all the passing things of this world can possibly give. Thus devotion to the Holy Face is one of immense beauty, for it is natural of lovers to look on the face of their beloved and forget the toils and fleeting things that happen outside of love, and rest in love for a moment before returning to what life asks of them. This joy is only multiplied by the gifts He gives: The necessities of life, represented by the corn, which you never find yourself without: “He hath brought you forty years through the desert: your garments are not worn out, neither are the shoes of your feet consumed with age” (Deuteronomy 29:5). The inebriation of love, represented by the wine: “Eat, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved” (Song 5:1). Finally, the oil of anointing, that you might know the divine mysteries: “But you have the unction from the Holy One, and know all things” (1 John 2:20). Or, the oil could represent the anointing of Christ’s kingship, in which you participate, for you are one chosen by God for His kingdom: “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward” (1 Kings 16:13). There is also the peace of heart that comes from confidence in a holy death, anticipating your holy rest of heaven: “For we, who have believed, shall enter into rest” (Hebrews 4:3). A life lived in love will go straight to the heavenly embrace of love, that you may rest after your love story on earth unfolds. Because you know that you are loved, that you will be loved into heaven, and that you are loving now, you can rest in God, who alone gives you the hope and fulfillment you need. Let your heart rest on His heart, for He will give it the rest it needs: “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23), for love will set you on rock, so nothing can disturb the rest of your love: “Every one therefore that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock” (Matthew 7:24-25). Rejoice in love! Believe in love! Rest in love! For nothing can give you the rest of your heart like God’s love, which shines upon you always: “You may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).

Psalm 4:1-6a

“When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress, thou hast enlarged me. Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer. O ye sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? Why do you love vanity and seek after lying? Know ye also that the Lord hath made his holy one wonderful: the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him. Be ye angry, and sin not: the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds. Offer up the sacrifice of justice, and trust in the Lord.”

This is a triumphant Psalm! This speaks from a departure from one of life’s many winters: “For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have appeared in our land” (Song 2:11-12). Though these will continue through the end of your life, it is important to enjoy the flowers and give thanks when you see them. Inspired with confidence, you can look at all the prayers of yours that God has answered, and take heart that He has heard you. He is called “the God of your justice,” because all the goodness in your heart has been gifted to you by Him. You cannot love without being loved, and by receiving the infinite love of God, you will become a wise, loving lover of your neighbor: “He brought me into the cellar of wine,” that is, into the divine mysteries and the true wisdom of love, “he set in order charity in me” (Song 2:4) by giving you the grace to love. Coming from one of life’s many trials, then, you can joyfully say that God took you from distress and enlarged your heart to a greater capacity to love. All trials are meant to make you love more or better, seeing the bond of love withstand yet another heaping of adversity. Thus, the divine Canticle continues: “The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come” (Song 2:12), “every [branch] that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15:2). With this greater ability to love, it is good to gather graces for the next trial, thus the Psalm asks for mercy and that your prayers may be heard. With your love story and the victories therein before your eyes, you can look to those whose reward is on earth and ask, “Why do you spend yourself on such trivial things?” and with a compassionate heart pray for them. Why must your hearts be dull, not illuminated by divine love? For “that was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world” (John 1:9). While the next verse, “he hath made his holy one wonderful” may seem rather adroit, it continues the theme of your victory of love. For while this refers in the utmost way to Christ, it also refers to His beauty that shines through you. Be honest about your gifts, and realize that He addresses you as beautiful: “How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou!” You are the one that Christ loves: “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). Thus He has made you wonderful, one of His holy ones, and will hear you when you call Him: “The Lord is far from the wicked: and he will hear the prayers of the just” (Proverbs 15:29). He hears your every breath, your every wail, your every loving word. He is like a loving mother, attentive to your every noise, that He may catch every moment and cherish it. He hears you when you are crying, and only waits to take action to give you a more beautiful relief in time. Cry out to Him with the depths of your heart, in praise, in sorrow, in need, in love. You may hear the reply, “What am I to do? How can my prayer be heard as yours are?” “Master, what shall we do?” (Luke 3:12). The answer is simple: Sin not. Anger may arise for your falling into sin, the world for its sins, or natural anger that needs controlling, but love and meekness will move past all three of these, yielding a loving heart towards yourself, the world, and all circumstances. This starts, however, by turning from sin, internal and external. “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but their heart is far from me” (Isaias 29:13); “You are like to whited sepluchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s bones, and of all filthiness” (Matthew 23:27). Therefore, the call is to bring “into captivity every understanding unto the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5), that is, to transform every internal dialogue and action into one of love. Regret what isn’t love in your heart by constantly being attentive to the voice of love, that you may be constantly aware of what the Holy Spirit is asking you to do. This attentiveness is necessary even when you are at rest: “In my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loveth” (Song 3:1). Rather than afflicting yourself as repayment to the Lord, offer Him the sacrifice of justice, a morally upright life: “He that followeth justice and mercy, shall find life, justice, and glory” (Proverbs 21:21), and trust in the merciful love of God. Live the life of the resurrection: “For we are buried together with him by baptism into death; that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3). Live on love, in love, and for love. He will not allow a wanting heart that desires justice to go barren: “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill” (Matthew 6:6).

Psalm 3:5-9

“I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill. I have slept and have taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me. I will not fear thousands of the people surrounding me: arise, O Lord save me, O my God. For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners. Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.”

It is not the physical voice that cries out to the Lord, but the ten-stringed lyre of your heart: “Upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the psaltery: with a canticle upon the harp” (Psalm 91:4). The ten strings are representative of the Ten Commandments, showing that a heart that sings, tuned by a righteous life, emits a tune of praise that is beautiful to the ears of Jesus: “Shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely” (Song 2:14). Thus it is in the cry of your voice, with prayer coming from the heart being of greater importance than the words themselves, and it is a call that truly rings from the heart that the Almighty Three hears: “Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord: Lord hear my voice” (Psalm 129:1-2). He hears from His holy mountain, that is, His place as the greatest of all that is. Even He who stands above the angels, above time, above every passing thing of this world, comes down to hear the cries of your little heart: “He sent from on high, and took me: and received me out of many waters” (Psalm 17:17), and is always attentive to what your heart is doing and when it needs His love. Both David in the uprising of Absalom and Jesus in the betrayal of Judas went into a type of sleep, Christ that of death and David that of exile, showing that this sleep is a humble accepting of trials and sufferings. It is a call to fall asleep to pleasure, comfort, and ease, and to embrace the cross with love. It is in times of suffering that Jesus is most manifest through you; even though you may not be able to feel his presence, he is shining through you like light through a window: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) when you suffer for love: “For unto you it is given for Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29). The ensuing rising up, then, is one of pure love, for when trials strip away all else, love will remain. Seeing the might of the love of God, and how it has upheld you through grave afflictions, fear melts away, for “perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). An army of devils could not break this bond, nor could the persecution of nations: “fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28), for these cannot quench love: “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it” (Song 8:7). Therefore, with this confidence, call out to the Lord your God to arise and be your help at all times: “Our God is our refuge and strength: a helper in troubles, which have found us exceedingly” (Psalm 45:1). For He will remove the fangs from the serpent, that you will not be infected with the bites of sin, though you still may be buffeted by temptations. All that the forces of darkness can do to you is bark, but cannot bite you and cause harm to your soul. Though your understanding may be filled with gruesome images, temptations to despair or lust or hate, love still remains, and every renunciation of these temptations is another act of love that deepens your bond. The image of teeth may also be representative of words, which also lie within the mouth. St. Paul exhorts you: “Let no man deceive you with vain words” (Ephesians 5:6), that is, with anything that is not of sound doctrine, upright correction, or to make you fall more in love with Jesus. These words have no power, and God will break these words in your life that you may cling to His words of love: “Thy teeth as a flock of sheep, which come up from the washing, all with twins, and there is none barren among them” (Song 6:5). That is, every word from the Lord is calming, pure, filled with meaning, and with no emptiness, for each is a word of wisdom and love. The Psalmist finally says that salvation is of the Lord, for it is His love for you that has rescued you from the pit: “Let us therefore love God, because God hath first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Finally, you can breathe, recognizing God’s grace working in your soul and in the world today, and admit with confidence: “Thy blessing, Lord, is upon Your people.”

Psalm 3:1-4

“Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? Many are they who rise up against me. Many say to my soul: There is no salvation for him in his God. But thou, O Lord, art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.”

This Psalm is written in David’s exile when his son Absalom rose up and turned Israel against him. It prefigures Judas rising up against Jesus: “If my enemy had reviled me, I would verily have borne with it. And if he that hated me had spoken great things against me, I would perhaps have hidden my self from him. But thou a man of one mind, my guide, and my familiar” (Psalm 54:13-14). Just as Israel rose against David in the insurrection of Absalom, both Judea and Rome stood against Christ in the betrayal of Judas. It is a cry from the depths of social suffering, when friends are few and far, and enemies are many and near, when the words of God that proceed from your lips find no soil in which to be planted, and all seems fruitless and empty. Thus, either the voice of the devil or a person can find footing against you: “There is no salvation for you in your God.” “Dost thou still continue in thy simplicity? Curse God, and die” (Job 2:9). When all seem to turn against you, and there is nothing to show for it, this is when Jesus is nearest to you, and when it is most fruitful to pray: “But thou, O Lord, art my protector.” It is a great act of faith to maintain your confidence in God and love of Him while all things are crumbling, and to maintain that He protects you, even when you feel the opposite. His seeming departure makes you more tender, and increases your desire for Him: “I sought him, and found him not: I called, and he did not answer me” (Song 5:6). He is your protector that will keep you near to His heart, even when it feels as though you are cast far from Him, keeping your love safe by the intercession of angels and saints: “Thy neck,” that is, the love by which you are connected to the Head of the Church, “is as the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks: a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armour of valiant men” (Song 4:4). He is your glory, because heavenly glory is simply a measure of the love with which you lived your life, and it His Holy Spirit that gives you this love: “The Spirit breatheth where he will” (John 3:8). Finally, He lifts up your head, because from this place of deep sorrow and heaviness, He will raise your head to great joy and rejoicing: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy” (Psalm 125:5). “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive the crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12). Even if your joy is postponed to the next life, look for love in all circumstances, for He is present through you in your suffering, and a joy that remains even through grave trials is an immovable one: “The joyfulness of the heart, is the life of a man, and e never failing treasure of holiness: and the joy of a man is length of life” (Ecclesiasticus 30:23).

Psalm 2:10-13

“And now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth. Serve the Lord with fear: and rejoice unto him with trembling. Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way. When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.”

The Lord then gives a prayer for world peace, a command to the nations that those that pray the Psalter will often repeat. However, it can also be taken in a personal sense, for you are the ruler of yourself, and with the Lord lowering His scepter upon your worldly desires, your heart can be free to love. “Wisdom is better than strength, and a wise man is better than a strong man” (Wisdom 6:1); “God will not except any man’s person, neither will he stand in awe of any man’s greatness: for he made the little and the great, and he hath equally care of all” (Wisdom 6:8). He looks upon both the leaders of nations and on you, with the rulers needing to know how to lead correctly, that their people may be free to love rightly and worship freely and glorify God in all things. For you, it is a call to flee vain things: “But thou, O man of God, fly these things: and pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness” (1 Timothy 6:11) and cling to the love of God alone, which is then expressed to others. Then is the call to serve the Lord with fear, but “perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18): Discretion and wisdom are required for expressing love well: “The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence” (Proverbs 4:7), but having a heart that trusts your God in doing all these things is a precious gem. Therefore, the Psalmist invites you to rejoice with trembling, that is, in “speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19), without falling into recklessness. Jesus wants your heart to sing always, to be joyful and filled with praise: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4), but your words to be reverent and collected: “”Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: and a door round about my lips” (Psalm 140:3), and your life to be calm and modest: “And that you use your endeavour to be quiet, and that you do your own business” (1 Thessalonians 4:11), for “the heart of fools is in their mouth: and the mouth of wise men is in their heart” (Ecclesiasticus 21:29). The discipline of wise love is a guard upon your soul, the cherubim that guards paradise, and you are summoned to embrace it, that you may cling to love alone, and not to what fades: “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world… For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16). Serve God as the beloved child that you are, having the utmost respect to His ways: “My son, hear the instruction of thy father” (Proverbs 1:8), but with a loving trust that He will take care of you, support you, and love you in all things. Thus, when Jesus rises from His throne to “wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Apocalypse 21:4) and condemn those that brought these same tears, you may cling to Him fast in love, built upon a love that has been lived out in your life on earth. His plan for you is beautiful, and He will bring you to Himself in the fullest expression of yourself, that you may give yourself to Him entirely. Trust in Him, and He will be a mighty King against everything that would come between you and Him: “Behold I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared… If thou wilt hear his voice, and do all that I speak, I will be an enemy to thy enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee” (Exodus 23:20-22).