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*H The psalm of David before he was anointed. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?
Ver. 1. Anointed. Heb. has only, David. The rest of the title occurs only in some copies of the Sept. (Euseb. C.) and is not of divine authority. Yet if any attention be paid to it, we must suppose that David composed this psalm before his second anointing, as he speaks of great dangers. But this is all uncertain. Bert. — For dangers threatened David even after he had been declared king. H. — Before Samuel anointed him, he was not endued with the spirit of prophecy. See 1 K. xvi. 13. 2 K. ii. 4. and v. 3. C. — Some suppose that he alludes to the entertainment given him by Abimelech, (v. 5 and 12. Theod.) or to that night when, fearless of danger, he took away Saul's cup; (Ferrand) while Abenezra and De Muis rather believe, that he composed this psalm when his people dissuaded him from going out to battle. 2 K. xxi 17. It expresses the sentiments of the Levites in captivity, (C.) and most beautifully consoles the just in distress. David did not write this for himself alone, but for all future generations. Hence it is not necessary to discover the particular circumstance of his life, to which this and many other psalms allude; nor is there any difficulty in explaining away the various imprecations, as they are not directed against any individual, but relate to all the enemies of the soul; while they foretell what the wicked shall suffer. Bert. — Afraid. "Find one more powerful, and then fear." S. Aug. — God both giveth light and strength, so that no enemy can hurt his servants. Lu. xxi. 15. W.
*H Whilst the wicked draw near against me, to eat my flesh. My enemies that trouble me, have themselves been weakened, and have fallen.
Ver. 2. Flesh. This expression marks the fury of his enemies. See Job xix. 22. and xxxi. 31. C. — That. Heb. and Sept. "and my foes." This may denote domestic, and the former word public, enemies. H. — Weakened. Heb. also, "have stumbled." Those who came to take Jesus Christ, verified this prediction. Jo. xviii. 6. C.
*H If armies in camp should stand together against me, my heart shall not fear. If a battle should rise up against me, in this will I be confident.
Ver. 3. This; God's protection (H.) and light, (M.) or in the very heat of battle: prælium. Sept. express the Heb. fem. pronoun, as they do with the Vulg. v. 4. unam. There is no neuter in Heb. which commonly uses the feminine, instead. C. — It may be deemed too scrupulous an exactitude, to express this in a version. The word petition may be understood. Bert. M. — The one petition of David comprised every blessing; as he had his mind bent on heaven. D.
*H One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. That I may see the delight of the Lord, and may visit his temple.
Ver. 4. House; the tabernacle, (H.) or temple, (C.) unless he may rather allude to God's presence and union, or his enjoyment in heaven. Bert. — He had already expressed a similar wish. Ps. xxv. 8. C. — "When we love what God approves, he will surely grant our request." S. Aug. — David esteemed it as a special benefit to be in the Catholic Church, which is the only true house of God. W. — Delight; beauty and sweetness, as the Heb. implies. Many of the ancients read, "the will," voluntatem, with Sixtus V. &c. But the edition of Clem. VIII. agrees with the Heb. and Oriental versions. C. — To comply with God's will, is the only means of arriving at his beatific vision. H. — David was more grieved at being kept at a distance from the tabernacle, than from his own family. He envied the happiness of those who could attend the divine worship. M.
* Summa
*S Part 3, Ques 83, Article 1
[II-II, Q. 83, Art. 1]
Whether Prayer Is an Act of the Appetitive Power?
Objection 1: It would seem that prayer is an act of the appetitive power. It belongs to prayer to be heard. Now it is the desire that is heard by God, according to Ps. 9:38, "The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor." Therefore prayer is desire. But desire is an act of the appetitive power: and therefore prayer is also.
Obj. 2: Further, Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iii): "It is useful to begin everything with prayer, because thereby we surrender ourselves to God and unite ourselves to Him." Now union with God is effected by love which belongs to the appetitive power. Therefore prayer belongs to the appetitive power.
Obj. 3: Further, the Philosopher states (De Anima iii, 6) that there are two operations of the intellective part. Of these the first is "the understanding of indivisibles," by which operation we apprehend what a thing is: while the second is "synthesis" and "analysis," whereby we apprehend that a thing is or is not. To these a third may be added, namely, "reasoning," whereby we proceed from the known to the unknown. Now prayer is not reducible to any of these operations. Therefore it is an operation, not of the intellective, but of the appetitive power.
_On the contrary,_ Isidore says (Etym. x) that "to pray is to speak." Now speech belongs to the intellect. Therefore prayer is an act, not of the appetitive, but of the intellective power.
_I answer that,_ According to Cassiodorus [*Comment. in Ps. 38:13] "prayer (_oratio_) is spoken reason (_oris ratio_)." Now the speculative and practical reason differ in this, that the speculative merely apprehends its object, whereas the practical reason not only apprehends but causes. Now one thing is the cause of another in two ways: first perfectly, when it necessitates its effect, and this happens when the effect is wholly subject to the power of the cause; secondly imperfectly, by merely disposing to the effect, for the reason that the effect is not wholly subject to the power of the cause. Accordingly in this way the reason is cause of certain things in two ways: first, by imposing necessity; and in this way it belongs to reason, to command not only the lower powers and the members of the body, but also human subjects, which indeed is done by commanding; secondly, by leading up to the effect, and, in a way, disposing to it, and in this sense the reason asks for something to be done by things not subject to it, whether they be its equals or its superiors. Now both of these, namely, to command and to ask or beseech, imply a certain ordering, seeing that man proposes something to be effected by something else, wherefore they pertain to the reason to which it belongs to set in order. For this reason the Philosopher says (Ethic. i, 13) that the "reason exhorts us to do what is best."
Now in the present instance we are speaking of prayer [*This last paragraph refers to the Latin word _oratio_ (prayer) which originally signified a speech, being derived in the first instance from _os,_ _oris_ (the mouth).] as signifying a beseeching or petition, in which sense Augustine [*Rabanus, De Univ. vi, 14]: says (De Verb. Dom.) that "prayer is a petition," and Damascene states (De Fide Orth. iii, 24) that "to pray is to ask becoming things of God." Accordingly it is evident that prayer, as we speak of it now, is an act of reason.
Reply Obj. 1: The Lord is said to hear the desire of the poor, either because desire is the cause of their petition, since a petition is like the interpreter of a desire, or in order to show how speedily they are heard, since no sooner do the poor desire something than God hears them before they put up a prayer, according to the saying of Isa. 65:24, "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will hear."
Reply Obj. 2: As stated above (I, Q. 82, A. 4; I-II, Q. 9, A. 1, ad 3), the will moves the reason to its end: wherefore nothing hinders the act of reason, under the motion of the will, from tending to an end such as charity which is union with God. Now prayer tends to God through being moved by the will of charity, as it were, and this in two ways. First, on the part of the object of our petition, because when we pray we ought principally to ask to be united to God, according to Ps. 26:4, "One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." Secondly, on the part of the petitioner, who ought to approach the person whom he petitions, either locally, as when he petitions a man, or mentally, as when he petitions God. Hence Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iii) that "when we call upon God in our prayers, we unveil our mind in His presence": and in the same sense Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iii, 24) that "prayer is the raising up of the mind to God."
Reply Obj. 3: These three acts belong to the speculative reason, but to the practical reason it belongs in addition to cause something by way of command or of petition, as stated above. _______________________
SECOND
*S Part 3, Ques 83, Article 14
[II-II, Q. 83, Art. 14]
Whether Prayer Should Last a Long Time?
Objection 1: It would seem that prayer should not be continual. It is written (Matt. 6:7): "When you are praying, speak not much." Now one who prays a long time needs to speak much, especially if his be vocal prayer. Therefore prayer should not last a long time.
Obj. 2: Further, prayer expresses the desire. Now a desire is all the holier according as it is centered on one thing, according to Ps. 26:4, "One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after." Therefore the shorter prayer is, the more is it acceptable to God.
Obj. 3: Further, it seems to be wrong to transgress the limits fixed by God, especially in matters concerning Divine worship, according to Ex. 19:21: "Charge the people, lest they should have a mind to pass the limits to see the Lord, and a very great multitude of them should perish." But God has fixed for us the limits of prayer by instituting the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6). Therefore it is not right to prolong our prayer beyond its limits.
Obj. 4: _On the contrary,_ It would seem that we ought to pray continually. For our Lord said (Luke 18:1): "We ought always to pray, and not to faint": and it is written (1 Thess. 5:17): "Pray without ceasing."
_I answer that,_ We may speak about prayer in two ways: first, by considering it in itself; secondly, by considering it in its cause. The cause of prayer is the desire of charity, from which prayer ought to arise: and this desire ought to be in us continually, either actually or virtually, for the virtue of this desire remains in whatever we do out of charity; and we ought to "do all things to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). From this point of view prayer ought to be continual: wherefore Augustine says (ad Probam, Ep. cxxx, 9): "Faith, hope and charity are by themselves a prayer of continual longing." But prayer, considered in itself, cannot be continual, because we have to be busy about other works, and, as Augustine says (ad Probam. Ep. cxxx, 9), "we pray to God with our lips at certain intervals and seasons, in order to admonish ourselves by means of such like signs, to take note of the amount of our progress in that desire, and to arouse ourselves more eagerly to an increase thereof." Now the quantity of a thing should be commensurate with its end, for instance the quantity of the dose should be commensurate with health. And so it is becoming that prayer should last long enough to arouse the fervor of the interior desire: and when it exceeds this measure, so that it cannot be continued any longer without causing weariness, it should be discontinued. Wherefore Augustine says (ad Probam. Ep. cxxx): "It is said that the brethren in Egypt make frequent but very short prayers, rapid ejaculations, as it were, lest that vigilant and erect attention which is so necessary in prayer slacken and languish, through the strain being prolonged. By so doing they make it sufficiently clear not only that this attention must not be forced if we are unable to keep it up, but also that if we are able to continue, it should not be broken off too soon." And just as we must judge of this in private prayers by considering the attention of the person praying, so too, in public prayers we must judge of it by considering the devotion of the people.
Reply Obj. 1: As Augustine says (ad Probam. Ep. cxxx), "to pray with many words is not the same as to pray long; to speak long is one thing, to be devout long is another. For it is written that our Lord passed the whole night in prayer, and that He 'prayed the longer' in order to set us an example." Further on he says: "When praying say little, yet pray much so long as your attention is fervent. For to say much in prayer is to discuss your need in too many words: whereas to pray much is to knock at the door of Him we pray, by the continuous and devout clamor of the heart. Indeed this business is frequently done with groans rather than with words, with tears rather than with speech."
Reply Obj. 2: Length of prayer consists, not in praying for many things, but in the affections persisting in the desire of one thing.
Reply Obj. 3: Our Lord instituted this prayer, not that we might use no other words when we pray, but that in our prayers we might have none but these things in view, no matter how we express them or think of them.
Reply Obj. 4: One may pray continually, either through having a continual desire, as stated above; or through praying at certain fixed times, though interruptedly; or by reason of the effect, whether in the person who prays--because he remains more devout even after praying, or in some other person--as when by his kindness a man incites another to pray for him, even after he himself has ceased praying. _______________________
FIFTEENTH
*H For he hath hidden me in his tabernacle; in the day of evils, he hath protected me in the secret place of his tabernacle.
Ver. 5. Tabernacle; in the Catholic Church, so that the enemy can either not find, or at least cannot hurt, my soul. W. — I hope one day to enjoy rest in the temple. C. — The verbs are in the future, in Heb. both here and in the following verse. But they may be as well explained in the sense of the Vulg. Those who find themselves in danger, must still have recourse to God's presence, (Bert.) where, as (H.) in the asylum of the tabernacle, (M.) or of the temple, they will be protected. C. — God rewards those with glory in death, who have suffered for his name. W.
*H He hath exalted me upon a rock: and now he hath lifted up my head above my enemies. I have gone round, and have offered up in his tabernacle a sacrifice of jubilation: I will sing, and recite a psalm to the Lord.
Ver. 6. Round. Heb. "my enemies around." But the Sept. understand it of David, (Bert.) or of the priest, who poured the blood of the victims on different sides of the altar. H. — Jubilation: singing and music, which are styled the fruit, or calves of the lips. Is. lvii. 19. Os. xiv. 3. C. — David diligently recounted God's benefits, with all his heart and voice. W. — He offered sacrifices by ministry of the priests, on the altar of holocausts, which was not in, but before, the tabernacle. M.
*H Hear, O Lord, my voice, with which I have cried to thee: have mercy on me and hear me.
Ver. 7. To thee, is understood in Heb. and the Rom. Sept. H.
*H My heart hath said to thee: My face hath sought thee: thy face, O Lord, will I still seek.
Ver. 8. Face hath. Heb. pointed, "faces seek ye." But Sept. S. Jer. Chal. &c. take no notice of these points; and even Prot. marg. has, "My heart said unto thee, Let my face seek thy face;" (Bert.) though in the text they derange the words, and add, "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart said," &c. H. — Seek. "I have sought for no reward besides thee." S. Aug. — I have earnestly desired to see thee face to face. 1 Cor. xiii. 12. W.
* Summa
*S Part 3, Ques 83, Article 12
[II-II, Q. 83, Art. 12]
Whether Prayer Should Be Vocal?
Objection 1: It would seem that prayer ought not to be vocal. As stated above (A. 4), prayer is addressed chiefly to God. Now God knows the language of the heart. Therefore it is useless to employ vocal prayer.
Obj. 2: Further, prayer should lift man's mind to God, as stated above (A. 1, ad 2). But words, like other sensible objects, prevent man from ascending to God by contemplation. Therefore we should not use words in our prayers.
Obj. 3: Further, prayer should be offered to God in secret, according to Matt. 6:6, "But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret." But prayer loses its secrecy by being expressed vocally. Therefore prayer should not be vocal.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Ps. 141:2): "I cried to the Lord with my voice, with my voice I made supplication to the Lord."
_I answer that,_ Prayer is twofold, common and individual. Common prayer is that which is offered to God by the ministers of the Church representing the body of the faithful: wherefore such like prayer should come to the knowledge of the whole people for whom it is offered: and this would not be possible unless it were vocal prayer. Therefore it is reasonably ordained that the ministers of the Church should say these prayers even in a loud voice, so that they may come to the knowledge of all.
On the other hand individual prayer is that which is offered by any single person, whether he pray for himself or for others; and it is not essential to such a prayer as this that it be vocal. And yet the voice is employed in such like prayers for three reasons. First, in order to excite interior devotion, whereby the mind of the person praying is raised to God, because by means of external signs, whether of words or of deeds, the human mind is moved as regards apprehension, and consequently also as regards the affections. Hence Augustine says (ad Probam. Ep. cxxx, 9) that "by means of words and other signs we arouse ourselves more effectively to an increase of holy desires." Hence then alone should we use words and such like signs when they help to excite the mind internally. But if they distract or in any way impede the mind we should abstain from them; and this happens chiefly to those whose mind is sufficiently prepared for devotion without having recourse to those signs. Wherefore the Psalmist (Ps. 26:8) said: "My heart hath said to Thee: 'My face hath sought Thee,'" and we read of Anna (1 Kings 1:13) that "she spoke in her heart." Secondly, the voice is used in praying as though to pay a debt, so that man may serve God with all that he has from God, that is to say, not only with his mind, but also with his body: and this applies to prayer considered especially as satisfactory. Hence it is written (Osee 14:3): "Take away all iniquity, and receive the good: and we will render the calves of our lips." Thirdly, we have recourse to vocal prayer, through a certain overflow from the soul into the body, through excess of feeling, according to Ps. 15:9, "My heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced."
Reply Obj. 1: Vocal prayer is employed, not in order to tell God something He does not know, but in order to lift up the mind of the person praying or of other persons to God.
Reply Obj. 2: Words about other matters distract the mind and hinder the devotion of those who pray: but words signifying some object of devotion lift up the mind, especially one that is less devout.
Reply Obj. 3: As Chrysostom says [*Hom. xiii in the Opus Imperfectum falsely ascribed to St. John Chrysostom], "Our Lord forbids one to pray in presence of others in order that one may be seen by others. Hence when you pray, do nothing strange to draw men's attention, either by shouting so as to be heard by others, or by openly striking the heart, or extending the hands, so as to be seen by many. And yet, according to Augustine (De Serm. Dom. in Monte ii, 3), "it is not wrong to be seen by men, but to do this or that in order to be seen by men." _______________________
THIRTEENTH
*H Turn not away thy face from me; decline not in thy wrath from thy servant. Be thou my helper, forsake me not; do not thou despise me, O God my Saviour.
Ver. 9. Decline not. Heb. "put not away." Prot. But the Vulg. seems preferable. — Forsake. Sept. (Compl. and Ald.) μη αποσκορακισης, "send me not to the crows," an expression borrowed from profane authors, who said, "to the crows," when they held a person in sovereign contempt. Theod. Bert. — Grabe substitutes this word, though the Alex. and Vat. MSS. agree with us. H. — There seems to be a gradation in the condition of the reprobate here observed. God hides his countenance, withdraws, abandons, and despises them; and they only perceive their misery, when it is too late. Bert. — David implores aid in this life, and deprecates the divine anger, looking upon himself as an orphan, whom God takes under his special protection. W.
*H For my father and my mother have left me: but the Lord hath taken me up.
Ver. 10. For. Heb. "Though." David's parents fled to him. 1 K. xxii. 1. Yet they had made small account of him, till Samuel called him forth. 1 K. xvi. 10. The father-in-law and mother-in-law may be also designated. When a saint is deprived of every human advantage, he may still say with S. Aug. "They have taken from me what God gave, but they have not taken God from me, who gave those things." Bert. — Though I am like an orphan, I hope for all good from God, my father. Is. lxiii. 16. C.
*H Set me, O Lord, a law in thy way, and guide me in the right path, because of my enemies.
Ver. 11. Enemies, who strive to pervert me. Keep me in the right path, which thou hast already made known to me. W.
*H Deliver me not over to the will of them that trouble me; for unjust witnesses have risen up against me; and iniquity hath lied to itself.
Ver. 12. Will. Lit. "souls." H. — Some ancient copies have, "the hands." — Unjust. Heb. "false." H. — To itself, ought not to be urged no more than eat sibi, vade tibi. Gen. xii. 1. Cant. i. 7. C. — It is a Heb. idiom. H. — Many find fault with the Sept. and Vulg. in this place, but without reason; and they do not agree in their versions. Sym. and S. Jer. come near to us. Puach means to breathe, or entangle; and our version intimates, that "iniquity has entangled itself:" vipheach chamas, "and open lying." S. Jer. Bert. — The accusers of Susanna, and of our Saviour, could not agree in their testimony. The Chaldees continually calumniated the captives. Isai. lii. 4. Jer. l. 33. C. — Worldlings still do the same, (Matt. v.) delighting in lies, which will prove their own ruin. W.
*H I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Ver. 13. I. Heb. "But I believe that I shall see." S. Jer. — "I had fainted, unless," &c. Prot. H. — Living, or of promise, as this country is often designated, (Muis. T. Du Pin. C.) or rather in heaven, (Bert. M.) where death shall be no more. H. — The Fathers explain it in this more elevated sense. C. — The just are comforted by God, and by the hope of heavenly rewards. W. — The land of the living may be opposed to the grave, where none can worship God. H.
*H Expect the Lord, do manfully, and let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord.
Ver. 14. And let. Heb. "and he will strengthen my heart, and wait" (instead of and, Prot. put, without reason, "Wait, I say) on the Lord." We must do our utmost: yet all our strength must come from God. H. — The prophet encourageth his own soul to exercise patience, fortitude, and longanimity (Ps. xxx. W.) unto the end. M.