Psalm 119:33-40. Seek Christ and Flee Worldly Things

Teach me thy statutes, not the mere words, but the way of applying them to myself…

PSALM 119:33-40

HE.
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.

• Make me love thy commandments. (Haydock)

34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.

• Enable me to keep and to understand your law, Lord.
• We must observe what we know, that we may receive greater lights. (Haydock)

35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.

• Free-will concurs with grace.

36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to gain!

• Either of money, or any unlawful object.
• For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs. But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Tim 6:10-12)

37 Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; and give me life in your ways.

• Vanity. Idols, worldly prosperity, etc.
• Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. The words of his mouth are mischief and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. He plots mischief while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he spurns not evil. Your mercy, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God, your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. How precious is your mercy, O God! The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings. (Ps 36:1-7)
• We must pray that God will take away the occasions of sin, and help us to advance in virtue.

38 Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you.

39 Turn away the reproach which I dread; for your ordinances are good.

• Reproach. Hidden sins of thought, (St. Ambrose) or the sarcasms of the Babylonians.
• Sin is odious, because it is contrary to God’s law, which is most delightful.
• The saints have been often ridiculed.
• O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; every one mocks me. (Jer 20:7)
• And as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are mad; your great learning is turning you mad.” But Paul said, “I am not mad, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth.” (Acts 26:24)

40 Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!

• The just prays for greater perfection, and for perseverance.

*****

Therefore David, who had experienced those very glances that are dangerous for a man, aptly says that the one is blessed whose every hope is in the name of God. For such a person does not have regard to worthless things and follies if he always strives toward Christ and always looks on Christ with his inner eyes. For this reason David turned to God again and said, “Turn away my eyes, that they may not see vanity.” “All things are vanity!” as Ecclesiastes said, all things that are in this world. Accordingly, let one who wishes to be saved ascend above the world, let him seek the Word who is with God, let him flee from this world and depart from the earth. For one cannot comprehend that which exists and exists always, unless he has first fled from here. On this account also, the Lord, wishing to approach God the Father, said to the apostles, “Arise, let us go from here.” – Ambrose, Flight From The World 1.4.

*Ambrose of Milan (333-397) was Bishop of Milan and a teacher of Augustine who defended the divinity of the Holy Spirit and the perpetual virginity of Mary.

God, by his Spirit, gives a right understanding. But the Spirit of revelation in the word will not suffice, unless we have the Spirit of wisdom in the heart. God puts his Spirit within us, causing us to walk in his statutes. The sin here prayed against is covetousness. Those that would have the love of God rooted in them, must get the love of the world rooted out; for the friendship of the world is enmity with God. Beholding vanity deadens us, and slackens our pace; a traveler must not stand gazing upon every object that presents itself to his view. The promises of God’s word greatly relate to the preservation of the true believer. When Satan has drawn a child of God into worldly compliances, he will reproach him with the falls into which he led him. Victory must come from the cross of Christ. When we enjoy the sweetness of God’s precepts, it will make us long for more acquaintance with them. (source)

Beauty and miracles in the desert

“Boredom of course is another matter. It has little to do with what actually exists in the world outside any of us. The world is just fine; it is full of beauty and miracles abound even in the midst of the most desolate of deserts.” – Kevin Codd. To The Field of Stars: A Pilgrim’s Journey to Santiago de Compostella. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (2008).

*****

I read these lines just before turning in last night. The words struck hard at the heart of what has become such an epidemic in today’s modern world. Everyone, it seems, is bored. Or they are scared of being bored and race and work and stretch themselves in a million directions at once in order to avoid the fear of being bored. We stuff our lives and our homes with mountains of stuff, hoping that the next thing will once and for all fill that hole in our soul. When it doesn’t we work longer hours and push ourselves harder to make enough money to buy the next thing. Yet the hole remains, as we remain on the mad gerbil’s wheel. Instead of considering the miracles that surround us with each step we take, we bemoan the fact that our lives are drab, unexciting…boring.

It’s a paradox perhaps that the hub of what modern man sees as the necessary excitement and activity is the modern city. But it is within these city walls that we block out the very miracles to which I refer. The sun setting (or rising) on the distant horizon is difficult to see when surrounded by city buildings or suburban rooftops. Nature, grass, animals (outside of the squirrel, possum or rat variety) are non-existent unless one goes to the zoo. And my personal favorite, millions of stars and the constellations that fill the night sky, are almost impossible to see in the illuminated city at night. God’s wonder in nature hasn’t left us…we left it.

And when nothing seems to work and we begin to wear down from all the fruitless pursuit of activity we can succumb to boredom, acedia, and finally melancholia. “What’s the point of all this?” we ask ourselves. “Is this all there is to life? How long will I wander in this paved, urban desert?”

The answer, I believe, is provided in many places. I happened upon one of them a few weeks ago when I read the following poem by Alfred Noyes (1880-1958):

To A Pessimist
Life like a cruel mistress woos
The passionate heart of a man, you say,
Only in mockery to refuse
His love, at last, and turn away.

To me she seems a queen that knows
How great is love—but ah, how rare!—
And, pointing heavenward ere she goes,
Gives him the rose from out her hair.

You see, I believe the hole that lies in the hearts of humanity is, to use a well-known cliché, God-shaped. It is a huge hole, one capable of only being filled by God. And what is God? Love, of course.

I’m sure I sound like a Hallmark card to you by now and I’d have to agree, but I also know from my own personal experiences in this life that this is true. I’ve ridden the depression rollercoaster. I’ve also watched as it took hold of friends and loved ones and attempted to pull them down below the ocean waves of this life. You feel as if you’re drowning; gasping; struggling to stay above water to breathe while clinging to any life raft, driftwood or flotsam you can find each time you can get your head above water. Only too many times we are grabbing an anchor, weighed down by yet another purchase or another activity that we gravitate towards instead of the one thing that we need. Such is the stubborness of man.

In his second stanza Noyes perhaps is pointing the way. I’m not a learned interpreter of poetry by any stretch of the imagination, but to me the “queen” he refers to is Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who knows the depths of love that God’s heart is capable of storing, as well as the depths of depravity possible in a human heart. She points heavenward, and gives the pessimist a “rose from out her hair.”

A rose is a widely recognized as the queen of flowers and a symbol of love. Catholics who pray the Rosary also know the significance of Mary and roses. Indeed, the word Rosary means “Crown of Roses”. One piece of Catholic imagery says that each time they say a Hail Mary they are giving Mary a beautiful rose, and that each complete Rosary makes her a crown of roses.

From The New Baltimore Catechism of 1941, Part 1, Lesson 1: The Purpose of Man’s Existence, we read

1. Who made us?
God made us.

2. Who is God?
God is the Supreme Being, infinitely perfect, who made all things and keeps them in existence.

3. Why did God make us?
God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven.

4. What must we do to gain the happiness of heaven?
To gain the happiness of heaven we must know, love, and serve God in this world.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church today begins thusly:

God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life. (CCC 1)

Both the old and the new Catechisms in their following paragraphs point towards Jesus as the key to knowing love and finding the chief truths taught by Him. The Rosary is a biblical meditation upon the life of Jesus and one of the best ways I’ve found to come to know Him.

Or, if you prefer, perhaps the queen is an allegory for what the Greeks called sophia; that is, Wisdom. The concept of wisdom goes all the way back to Plato and his Protagoras dialogue. It is also a common tenet in Christianity where it is not only found throughout the Old Testament in Proverbs, Psalms, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, the Book of Wisdom, etc., but also in the New Testament where Christ referred to wisdom, as in “the wisdom of God.” Indeed, wisdom is mentioned over 220 times in the Bible.

So what do I do when I feel I’m about to go under? The first thing I try to do is to get out of the city for awhile. Go camping. Or hiking. Visit family or friends who live in the country. And when I can’t get out of the city? I seek wisdom in the very spot I’ve been planted.

No matter which method or activity you choose, whether accepting the conclusions of Socrates in the Protagoras:

Socrates claimed that “all virtue is knowledge and therefore one. He argues that the reason people act harmfully, to others or themselves, is because they only see the short term gains while ignoring the long term losses which might outweigh them, just like one makes errors in judging the size of objects that are far away. He says that if men were taught the art of calculating these things correctly, have a more exact knowledge that is, they would not act harmfully.

or by seeking, sharing and serving God in this world:

So that this call should resound throughout the world, Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” Strengthened by this mission, the apostles “went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it.” Those who with God’s help have welcomed Christ’s call and freely responded to it are urged on by love of Christ to proclaim the Good News everywhere in the world. This treasure, received from the apostles, has been faithfully guarded by their successors. All Christ’s faithful are called to hand it on from generation to generation, by professing the faith, by living it in fraternal sharing, and by celebrating it in liturgy and prayer. (CCC 2-3)

or both (because they are not necessarily mutually exclusive) pick one. Remember Psalm 19:1: The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 

Then (and with humility) end each day with these words from G.K. Chesterton:

“Here dies another day
During which I have had eyes, ears, hands
And the great world around me;
And with tomorrow begins another.
Why am I allowed two?”

[Admin: It should come as no surprise to anyone that my daughter's name is Sophia Rose. It was chosen for many of the reasons I've just mentioned. Also, I chose not to go into depth regarding the Rosary as I plan on writing more about this prayer in the coming week or two. This single prayer, meditation, or exercise…whatever you choose to call it…has been responsible for deepening and widening my faith more than any other. It has opened the door for me to a rich world in which my head is able to stay above water. At least for the most part. I am human after all.]

Psalm 119:25-32. Strengthened by God’s Word

While the souls of the children of this world cleave to the earth as their portion, the children of light are greatly burdened, because of the remains of carnal affections in their hearts…

PSALM 119:25-32

DALETH.
25 My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your word!

• The just, in great distress, beg to be delivered, conformably to God’s promise.
• …for a perishable body weighs down the soul, and this earthy tent burdens the thoughtful mind. (Wisdom 9:15)
• So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:24.)

26 When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes!

• Ways. Or sins.

27 Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.

28 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!

• Here the soul is in such a state of anxiety as to be almost distracted; weighed down to the point of slumber.
• Hence the three apostles slept: And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:45-46)
• Acedia, or torpor of mind, apathy, depression; hinders the persecution of any business.

29 Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me your law! 

• Iniquity. Hebrew, “lying.” Let me not imitate the wicked. (Haydock)
• Remit the punishment of my sins.
• He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me. (Psalm 18:17)
• And protect me from falling.

30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set your ordinances before me.

31 I cling to your testimonies, O LORD; let me not be put to shame!

32 I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my understanding!

• Man runs, but God must impart grace.
• An enlarged heart sometimes denotes the capacity of understanding: And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and largeness of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. (1 Kings 4:29)
• It is a singular mercy of God to make us love his commands. – St. Augustine

*****

“And you,” it says, “may dwell securely in your land.” The wicked person is never secure but is always disturbed and wavering. He is tossed about by every wind of doctrine to deceitful error, by the craftiness of people. However, the just person who observes God’s law dwells in security on his land, because he governs his body in fear of God and brings it into subjection. His understanding is firm when he says to God, “Strengthen me according to your words, O Lord.” Strengthened, secure and well-rooted, he dwells on the earth, founded in faith. His house is not built on sand but is established on solid ground. – Caesarius of Arles, Sermon 105.4.

*Caesarius of Arles (470-543) Bishop of Arles renowned for his attention to his pastoral duties. Among his surviving works the most important is a collection of some 238 sermons that display an ability to preach Christian doctrine to a variety of audiences.

It is unspeakable comfort to a gracious soul, to think with what tenderness all its complaints are received by a gracious God. We can talk of the wonders of redeeming love, when we understand the way of God’s precepts, and walk in that way. The penitent melts in sorrow for sin: even the patient spirit may melt in the sense of affliction, it is then its interest to pour out its soul before God. The way of lying means all false ways by which men deceive themselves and others, or are deceived by Satan and his instruments. Those who know and love the law of the Lord, desire to know it more, and love it better. The way of serious godliness is the way of truth; the only true way to happiness: we must always have actual regard to it. Those who stick to the word of God, may in faith expect and pray for acceptance with God. God, by his Spirit, enlarges the hearts of his people when he gives them wisdom. The believer prays to be set free from sin. (source)

Dream of Solomon by Luca Giordano

Friday Five (Vol. 24)

— 1 —

Happy Kissing Friday! Well, at least according to my daily desk calendar Forgotten English:

On the Friday immediately following Shrove (Fat) Tuesday, English schoolboys were once entitled to kiss the girls in their classes without fear of punishment or rejection—a custom that continued at least as late as the 1940s.

Horton Cooper’s North Caroline Folklore (1972) reported these rules involving schoolchildren: “Boys shall not carry any girls in their arms or on their backs unless heavy rains or mush ice have made the creeks and branches impossible to cross because of flooded footlogs, and then, only boys who are barefoot or wearing boots may do so. No hugging, squeezing, or kissing shall take place while the girl is being transported across the water.”

No more touchin’? No squeezin’? Journey fans hardest hit.

— 2 —

A few months ago I picked up a few “bargain bin” books from my Catholic bookstore. One of them was To The Field of Stars, written by Father Kevin Codd, a Roman Catholic priest. Fr. Codd decided to walk the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) while he was assigned to work as the head of a small American seminary in Belgium for a few years. Having gained an interest in the camino by reading about the film The Way (see #4 and #5 below) I bought the book for $4. I am currently around 220 kilometers in to what will be his walk of over 800 kilometers and am finding it to be a book rich in experience and insights. When he entered into Pamplona the city was swelling with revelers there to celebrate the Sanfermines, the city’s annual festival that runs for nine consecutive days in honor of its patron saint, San Fermin. This is also the time of the “running of the bulls.” He describes his arrival:

We pass through a park where hundreds of dirty, hung-over, and often fairly naked young people are camping out. The landscape is dotted with plastic sandwich bags hanging from tree limbs and cyclone fences; they contain fermenting feces of the human variety. How thoughtful of these young revelers to collect their waste from the grassy lawns and hang it up for the tourists and pilgrims to admire as they stroll by. I am feeling cranky at the end of this day and the scene that is greeting me here pushes to the surface a sour burp of cynicism about humanity.

Around 20 kilometers down the road Codd is approaching the summit along a ridge of mountains called the Sierra del Perdón, the Mountains of Forgiveness. Just before the final push up the summit he comes to a fountain called the Fuente Reniega, or Fountain of Denial, and while recalling the legend attached to the fountain he ruminates over the lessons he’s learned since Pamplona.

I think to myself that (the lesson from the legend) is surely a reminder from Santiago (St. James) of what a cranky ass I have been all morning. I have failed the test. With every step taken since leaving Pamplona I have denied the simplest tenet of my  faith to forget self and love others.

[snip]

In my aloneness…the image of those small plastic bags filled with human excrement hanging in the trees and along the fences of Pamplona’s park comes to mind for a brief few seconds: what a perfect image of all that we human beings do to ourselves! How silly we are! The waste that collects in our hearts in the form of animosity, vengeful feelings, unrighteous anger, cantankerousness; all of it is in itself a normal byproduct of living. Our great stupidity is that we don’t just dump it. Foolishly, rather than letting it go, letting it fall away from us so that the earth and wind and sun might quietly turn it into harmless dust, we seal it in bags, let it ferment within us, and even display it proudly for all to see. And the poor world suffers under the burden of so much merde. It is so ridiculous, but it also is so sad because the consequences are so disastrous for life. We are burying our world in our fermenting merde.

A more keen insight I’ve not heard in quite some time. And during this time of Lent a most appropriate one.

— 3 —

I’ve begun to seriously consider walking the Camino de Santiago as a pilgrim.

— 4 —

An surprise that came about due to my interest in the movie The Way was hearing the reasons given by Martin Sheen and his son Emilio Estevez for making it in the first place. I’ve read a few interviews they’ve both given, but am going to quote from one I read earlier this week:

TPC: You been quoted as saying that The Way is a pro-people, pro-life film. What precisely do you mean by that?

Emilio: If you look at the products, or the widgets, coming out of Hollywood these days, they are filled with violence and profanity. This film really runs counter to that. This movie is not anti-anything. This film celebrates life. In many ways, a lot of films don’t these days. This is an industry that tends to make movies for 16-year-old boys, and in many ways it’s a reflection of the juvenile nature of the men who run these studios.

TPC: The idea of a spiritual journey is prevalent in this movie, which combines a very human, communal sense of faith with some very institutionally religious Catholic elements. Was that purposeful, and, if so, what is the take-away message?

Emilio: Well, I like to say that none of characters in this film go out purposefully looking for God, but I do think that God finds them. I think that allows the film to be less preachy. I think a lot of times when you make a so-called faith-based film, you run the risk of turning people off. With this film, I wanted to be all-inclusive; I wanted it to be the type of film anyone could see themselves enjoying.

[snip]

I think that maybe the real theme of the film at the end of the day is that we are all wonderfully and beautifully imperfect, wonderfully and perfectly broken, and that is the way God is allowed in. God loves us in our brokenness, in our imperfections. He doesn’t want us to be perfect; He wants us to be who we are. That is where I believe all the characters arrive at the end of the movie, being okay being exactly who they are and being comfortable in their own skin.

Who knew that the kid from the Brat Pack of my youth would grow up so seemingly unjaded by his experience? Though his father returned to the Catholic Church, Emilio remains somewhat of an agnostic, and together they created something beautiful.

— 5 —

I’ve been waiting to see The Way since I first heard about it about a year ago. It never came to my city as the release was fairly limited. The DVD/Blu-Ray was released on Tuesday and I bought a copy on my way home from work that night. After our parish’s fish fry tonight I plan on sitting myself on the couch under a blanket, with either a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of bourbon at the ready, and watch this film. Buen Camino!

Psalm 119:17-24. Listen and Meditate on God’s Word

While compiling and writing this piece on this portion of the psalm tonight my mind naturally turned to the state of events in our own country today. Like Abraham and Daniel before us, we find ourselves sojourners in an at times very foreign land ruled by princes who are hostile to our faith and lay traps through legislation or the fiat of executive orders. We knew this was part of the gig when we signed up as Christians and that the cross would be heavy. Preparing ourselves and having our “eyes opened” to God’s laws is very important if we are to be equipped to face what may lie ahead.

*****

If God deals in strict justice with us, we all perish…

PSALM 119:17-24

GIMEL.
17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live and observe thy word.

• I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (Ps 13:6)
• Draw me from this state of oppression, or rather, give me abundant grace, and eternal life. (St. Hilary)
• I cannot fulfill the law without thy grace.

18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

• Law. This God will enable me to perceive, as his law is too much above my comprehension.

19 I am a sojourner on earth; hide not thy commandments from me!

• Earth. At Babylon, or in the world, which is a pilgrimage, and I am unacquainted with the roads.
• By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of he same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Heb 11:8-10)

20 My soul is consumed with longing for thy ordinances at all times.

• If I have but a short time to live, I ardently seek for instruction, and wish to advance daily in virtue. David’s humility makes him fear, lest his desire should not be sincere. (Haydock)

21 Thou dost rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from thy commandments;

• Cursed. Becoming victims of hell.
• “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunken, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the hypocrites; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. (Mt 24:45-51)
• ‘Cursed be he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’ (Deut 27:26)

22 take away from me their scorn and contempt, for I have kept thy testimonies.

23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, thy servant will meditate on thy statutes.

• Princes. Thus Daniel was treated: It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom; but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.” (Dan 6:1-5)
• Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Tim 3:12)
• The servant of God will adhere to his duty, though his adversaries may be very powerful.

24 Thy testimonies are my delight, they are my counselors.

• The laws of God afford the best advice.
• An ancient king observed, that the dead were the best counselors, as they will not flatter. It is because of this that we turn to the wisdom of the saints who came before us. For they immersed themselves in the Word of God and in His precepts. They sugarcoat nothing in describing the trials they faced, both inwardly in dryness or struggles with prayer; or outwardly when faced with scorn, persecution and even martyrdom.

*****

God does not wish us merely to listen to the words and phrases contained in the Scriptures but to do so with a great deal of prudent reflection. Therefore, blessed David frequently prefixed to his psalms the expression “a meditation” and also said, “Open my eyes, and I will consider the wondrous things of your law.” And after him, his son (Solomon) also pointed out by way of instruction that one must seek for wisdom even as for silver, or, rather, to trade in it more than in gold. – Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of John 15.

*John Chrysostom (344/354-407) Bishop of Constantinople who was noted for his orthodoxy, his eloquence and his attacks on Christian laxity in high places.

We ought to spend our lives in God’s service; we shall find true life in keeping His word. Those that would see the wondrous things of God’s law and gospel, must beg Him to give them understanding, by the light of His Spirit. Believers feel themselves strangers on earth; they fear missing their way, and losing comfort by erring from God’s commandments. Every sanctified soul hungers after the word of God, as food which there is no living without. There is something of pride at the bottom of every willful sin. God can silence lying lips; reproach and contempt may humble and do us good, and then they shall be removed. Do we find the weight of the cross is more than we are able to bear? He that bore it for us will enable us to bear it; upheld by Him we cannot sink. It is sad when those who should protect the innocent, are their betrayers. May the Lord direct us in exercising repentance of sin, and faith in Christ. (source)

Intro to Series is here
Previous: Psalm 119:9-16
Next: Psalm 119:25-32

Psalm 119:9-16. One Remains Pure by Keeping God’s Word

To original corruption all have added actual sin…

PSALM 119:9-16

BETH.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to thy word. 

• The observance of the law is the only method to preserve innocence, or to regain it. (Haydock) The Holy Ghost gives this direction to youth, and to all who are exposed to the dangers of pleasure, as David might do to his son. In the same sense we pray, Lead us not into temptation. (Mt 6:13)

10 With my whole heart I seek thee; let me not wander from thy commandments!

• Literally “do not cast me off.” The just, or the Church in general, here confess that perseverance is a gift of God. (Haydock)

11 I have laid up thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.

• Heart. Here we guard against the temptations of vanity. Moses had given the letter of the law only, insinuating, that it must be kept with all the heart, as David more fully explains.

12 Blessed be thou, O LORD; teach me thy statutes!

• The psalmist considers himself as placed at the feet of his divine Master. Though he was just, he wished to increase in virtue.

13 With my lips I declare all the ordinances of thy mouth.

• I have concealed them in my heart. Now I am not ashamed to publish them.

14 In the way of thy testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.

• I give your law preference, Lord.
• The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; (Ps 19:7-8)

15 I will meditate on thy precepts, and fix my eyes on thy ways.

16 I will delight in thy statutes; I will not forget thy word.

*****

Let us listen, then, to the master of precaution: “I said, I will pay attention to my ways”; that is, “I said to myself: in the silent biddings of my thoughts, I have enjoined on myself, that I should pay attention to my ways.” Some ways there are that we ought to follow; others as to which we ought to pay attention. We must follow the ways of the Lord and pay attention to our own ways, lest they lead us into sin. One can pay attention if one is not hasty in speaking. The law says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God (Deut 6:4). It is not “speak” but “hear.” Eve fell because she said to the man what she had not heard from the Lord her God. The first word from God says to you, Hear! If you hear, pay attention to your ways; and if you have fallen, quickly amend your way.For “how does a young person amend his way; except by paying attention to the word of the Lord?” Be silent therefore first of all, and listen, so that you do not fail in your tongue. – Ambrose*, Duties of the Clergy, 1.2.7.

*Ambrose of Milan (333-397) was Bishop of Milan and a teacher of Augustine who defended the divinity of the Holy Spirit and the perpetual virginity of Mary.

The ruin of the young is either living by no rule at all, or choosing false rules: instead let them walk by Scripture rules. To doubt of our own wisdom and strength, and to depend upon God, proves the purpose of holiness is sincere. God’s word is treasure worth laying up, and there is no laying it up safe but in our hearts. And those whose hearts are fed with the bread of life, should with their lips feed many. In the way of God’s commandments there is the unsearchable riches of Christ. But we do not meditate on God’s precepts to good purpose, unless our good thoughts produce good works.

Intro to Series is here
Previous: Psalm 119:1-8
Next: Psalm 119:17-24

Happy 280th Birthday Mr. President

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice ? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

George Washington’s Farewell Address, September 19, 1796

American general and commander in chief of the colonial armies in the American Revolution (1775–83) and subsequently first president of the United States (1789–97).

Born: Feb. 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia
Died: Dec. 14, 1799 at Mount Vernon, Virginia

Psalm 119:1-8. Humanity’s Greatest Happiness

This portion of the psalm may be considered as the statement of a believer’s experience…

PSALM 119:1-8

ALEPH.
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!

• All aim at happiness, but only the virtuous take the proper means to attain it. (St. Augustine)

2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, 

• His testimonies. The commandments of God are called his testimonies, because they testify his holy will unto us. We must search the law, not out of curiosity, but to practice it; otherwise we shall become more guilty. (Haydock)

3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways! 

• Ways. They may, however, repent. The just are subject to fall.
• If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. – 1 Jn 1:8

4 Thou hast commanded thy precepts to be kept diligently. 

• Diligently. Literally “too much.” But this is a Hebrew idiom, to imply the greatest diligence. (Haydock)

5 O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping thy statutes! 

• O! that. Conscious of his own insufficiency, the psalmist prays for grace to be justified. Moses acknowledged that man could not observe the law without Christ.
• “For this commandment which I command you this day is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” – Deut 30:11-14.
• Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on the law shall live by it. But the righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascent into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believe with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. – Romans 10:5-10.

6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all thy commandments. 

• All. At the day of judgment, it will not suffice to have observed only some of the commandments. (St. Jerome & St. Ambrose)

7 I will praise thee with an upright heart, when I learn thy righteous ordinances. 

• A hymn of praise is not fitting on the lips of a sinner, for it has not been sent from the Lord. For a hymn of praise should be uttered in wisdom, and the Lord will prosper it. – Sirach 15:9-10.

8 I will observe thy statutes; O forsake me not utterly!

• Utterly. It may be advantageous to us to be left awhile, that we may know our own weakness. (St. Gregory)
• He (and you) may always at least have recourse to prayer: Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 Thess 5:16-18.
• The neglect of this duty is the cause of so many falls.

Jesus said, “If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” This statement of our Savior is very helpful for salvation, and we must ponder it attentively. We will be blessed if we know the heavenly commands, yet still more so if we eagerly pursue in our works the things that we know. One who neglects to keep his known commandments is not capable of being happy; one who scorns finding out about these [commandments] is separated much further away from the heritage of the blessed. The psalmist agrees with this. Weighing the hearts of mortals and in like manner perceiving that everyone loves happiness but few ask where it is, he clearly testified as to what is the greatest happiness of human beings in this life, saying, “Blessed are those who are undefiled in the way, who walk in the Lord’s law.” And lest it be supposed that this way of the undefiled and blessed can be laid hold of indiscriminately by the ignorant and the untaught, he subsequently continued and said, “Blessed are they who search his testimonies and seek him with their whole heart.” – Bede*, Homilies on the Gospels 2.5.

*Bede the Venerable (c.672/673-735). Born in Northumbria, at the age of seven, he was put under the care of the Benedictine monks of Saints Peter and Paul at Jarrow and given a broad classical education in the monastic tradition. Considered one of the most learned men of his age.

Why is it that in a country of laws, and one as litigious as the United States, these laws of God as manifested in Christ are so wantonly ignored? So many seem to have an attorney on speed dial. During this time of Lent let’s take our eyes off of ourselves and our grievances and instead take a hard look at walking a different Way.

Intro to Series is here
Next: Psalm 119:9-16

Lent 2012: a series on Psalm 119 to clean my “messy house”

When I was considering what to do as a series of posts for Lent I had considered the Psalms. Today I came across someone who had suggested writing in regards to the longest psalm, Number 119, and all of its 176 verses. Overwhelming to be sure, but when I did some research and learned that the psalm could be divided into twenty-two sections of eight verses each, I thought it a great idea. Then tonight I came across this story by Kathleen Norris from the book Bread And Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter:

When I’m working as an artist-in-residence at parochial schools, I like to read the psalms out loud to inspire the students, who are usually not aware that the snippets they sing at Mass are among the greatest poems in the world. But I have found that when I have asked children to write their own psalms, their poems often have an emotional directness that is similar to that of the biblical psalter. They know what it’s like to be small in a world designed for big people, to feel lost and abandoned. Children are frequently astonished to discover that the psalmists so freely express the more unacceptable emotions, sadness and even anger, even anger at God, and that all of this is in the Bible that they hear read in church on Sunday morning.

Children who are picked on by their big brothers and sisters can be remarkably adept when it comes to writing cursing psalms, and I believe that the writing process offers them a safe haven in which to work through their desires for vengeance in a healthy way. Once a little boy wrote a poem called “The Monster Who Was Sorry.” He began by admitting that he hates it when his father yells at him: his response in the poem is to throw his sister down the stairs, and then to wreck his room, and finally to wreck the whole town. The poem concludes: “Then I sit in my messy house and say to myself, ‘I shouldn’t have done all that.”

“My messy house” says it all: with more honesty than most adults could have mustered, the boy made a metaphor for himself that admitted the depth of his rage and also gave him a way out. If that boy had been a novice in the fourth-century monastic desert, his elders might have told him that he was well on the way toward repentance, not such a monster after all, but only human. If the house is messy, they might have said, why not clean it up, why not make it into a place where God might wish to dwell?

*****

And that little story sealed the deal. Because I love the Psalms. I didn’t always, but after spending a lot of time with them while praying the Liturgy of the Hours with the Church I have developed a real appreciation for these beautiful poems from Holy Scripture. And so for twenty-two of the forty days of Lent I will be doing an exercise of which I hope you’ll find useful. I’m going to look at the Psalm in its twenty-two parts and, using a few books and commentaries I own, do a verse-by-verse commentary of the Psalm. Most utilized will be Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Old Testament, Vol. 8: Psalms 51-150) from InterVarsity Press and Haydock’s Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859 edition.

As Kate writes at Australia Incognita, Psalm 119

is an extended meditation on the importance of God’s law. It is a psalm above all about the path to happiness, as its first line makes clear:

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!”

The first eight verses of this psalm in the original Hebrew begin with Aleph, which is the name of the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The second eight verses begin with Beth, the name of the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet; and so to the end of the whole alphabet, in all twenty-two letters, each letter having eight verses. The poem is an acrostic; its twenty-two stanzas are in the order of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses within a stanza begins with the same letter. Each verse contains one word for “instruction. There are nine words for “instruction,” not eight, so the principle of a different word for “instruction” in each verse cannot be maintained with perfect consistency. The nine words for “instruction” in the translation are: law, statute, commandment, precept, testimony, word, judgment, way, and promise.

There is a tradition that King David used this psalm to teach his young son Solomon the alphabet—but not just the alphabet for writing letters: the alphabet of the spiritual life. Others believe that he composed it while he himself was young, and persecuted by Saul. It seems very probable, that David wrote it for the consolation of the captives.

The Israelites might recite this psalm on their journey, three times a-year, to the temple, as Psalm 119 comes immediately before the fifteen gradual canticles that follow. These are associated literally with the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for major Jewish feasts and the climb up the steps of the Temple, and spiritually with the Ascent to heaven. This psalm is letting us know that as a preparation for the celebration of the Resurrection at Easter it is necessary to reflect on the Law of God.

Like the child who wrote “The Monster Who Was Sorry” that Ms. Norris referred to in her story, I must confess that my house is messy. There are things I really shouldn’t have done. I’ve sat in the middle of the mess for too long and it’s time to throw open the windows to my soul and give my heart a good spring cleaning. I hope that you’ll join me on this journey as tomorrow we begin by taking a look at verses 1 through 8.

Who will survive?

I informed my wife yesterday that I’d finally decided what to give up for Lent this year: Clutter. She immediately let out a whoop and did a celebratory dance; obviously I made the right choice. However, I wasn’t just referring to my little piles of books and papers that are spread out all over the house. I’m also going to continue to de-clutter my mind (no Facebook, still) as well as my inbox and posts that I’ve had drafted for awhile but not posted and attempt to spend the next 40 plus days focused on Lent and then the Easter that will come. What follows is one of those posts. Have a good Lent everyone.

*****

Among many things over the past 2000+ years, Christians have survived this:

Konstantin Flavitsky – Christian Martyrs in Colosseum. 1862

This:

And this:

Going forward the Church will survive this:

This:

And this:

Will the principles which founded the United States of America survive this?