"Why do the nations conspire together, and the peoples plot in vain; the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel togehter against the Lord and against His Christ."
The nations conspire together because of the inclination of human sin. The psalm refers to "nations" here, which makes us think of governments. The inclination of worldly governments is contrary to the Will of God, friendship with God and peace with the Church. The psalm then speaks of "peoples"; This makes us think of ethnic groups and other human associations, which always strive to exalt their ideologies and agendas over the Gospel.
The psalm turns to describe the same conflict internally. The powers of the soul are described as "kings of the earth," because they rule the soul and are yet bound by the earthly things that claim their attention and affection. It is characteristic of the human soul that these "kings" (its higher powers) are not its "rulers." Thus, the psalm adds, "the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Christ." The rulers are the passions, which, in fallen human nature, override the soul's higher powers. This is what St. Paul is describing, when he states: "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 in the law of sin which dwells in my members."(Romans 7:22-3) Our mission is to destroy the passions through our union with Christ.
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