Psalm 5-- The Only Answer to Moral Wickedness: Entering Into God's House, Bowing Down Before His Temple

Today, the reading from the handbook reminds us of the Legion's insistence that its members be experienced in prayer. It reminds us that the auxiliary is far more useful to the Legion than the active member, who does not pray. We should hold these exhortations in mind as we approach the text of the 5th Psalm, for this is one of the psalms, in which the role of Our Most Holy Lady is most apparent. Revealed here is the way that the life of the Mother of God is related to our life in prayer.

The 5th Psalm is concerned with the subject of moral rectitude, particularly as it is visible in social virtue. It is a troubling passage of Scripture, because it is one of the few places in the entire Bible, in which it is said that there are human beings that God hates. We know from the whole context of Divine Revelation that this cannot be taken literally. It is said, rather, in order to make a point and to make the point very starkly, for the mention of "God's hatred" can wake us from a slumber of presumption. The point is: God hates sin. Anyone who sins will go to destruction.

At the heart of the psalm, King David sets up a contrast. He says, "A man that is bloody and deceitful shall the Lord abhor." Then, he uses himself as a contrary example: "But as for me, in the multitude of Thy mercy shall I go into Thy house; I shall worship toward Thy holy temple in fear of Thee." Here at the outset, we should remember that the Fathers of the Church are in agreement: The temple of the New Covenant is the Most Holy Mother of God; She is Zion, the Ark of the Covenant. Here, in this verse, King David is bowing down before God's temple; he is entering into God's house.

It is interesting to see what the psalm does not say, as much as it is interesting to see what it does state. When King David confesses, "A man that is bloody and deceitful shall the Lord abhor," he does not go on to say that the Lord loves the man, who is truth-telling, honest and does not shed innocent blood. This is likely not a sentiment that the prophet would express, because he says in another place, "All have gone astray. There is no one, who is just. No, not one." Rather, the terms of the contrast are the following: On the one hand, there is the bloody and deceitful man, and then, on the other hand, there is the one who bows in worship in Zion, paying profound respect to the Holy Temple. He enters into the house of God, and he bows in worship toward the Holy Temple. There is nothing in the text to suggest that the man, who enters the house and bows in worship is not also bloody and deceitful. This is another claim that the Prophet King David would most likely never make. After all, it was he, who tried to deceive an upright and honest man, and, when he failed at this, he decided to murder this same upright and honest man, so that he could take his wife.

There is much debate in the scholarly world whether statements of this kind are literal or aspirational. The debate seems to be swaying towards the position that entering into the house of God is an aspiration, in the same way that the account of the calling of Isaiah in chapter six of his prophecy is likely a vision of the sanctuary, rather than a literal narration of something that happened there. The reason for this is clear. It is not clear that the Prophet Isaiah was a priest (perhaps he was, perhaps not), and it is certain that King David was not a priest. The English Scripture scholar Margaret Barker argues persuasively that normal, rank and file Israelites were taught to "enter" the sanctuary meditationally, offering their prayers up in the sanctuary by means of their concentration and imagination. In fact, this method of prayer may have continued even into New Testament times. This is the experience that is likely being expressed in the New Testament apocryphal book The Proto-Gospel of James, which relates that the Most Holy Mother of God, when she entered the Temple at the age of three, was taken by the High Priest Zechariah and placed on the 3rd step of the Altar of Holocausts, lived in the Holy of Holies and was fed by angels there. Everyone knew that these things could not be literally true. No, rather, they were expressing the close communion with God, which the Most Holy Mother of God enjoyed in the years of her service in the Temple. What could not be accomplished literally was all the more truly accomplished through prayer and meditation. To this day, in mystical Judaism, there remains a method of meditation with similar ends called Ma'aseh Merkavah (The Discipline of the Chariot), referring to the cherubim throne in the Holy of Holies.

It is clear both from the text and from the light of reason that there cannot be any distinction between bowing down to the Temple and bowing down to God. Similarly, there is no distinction between being a disciple of Mary and a disciple of the Lord Jesus. Whoever is the one, is also the other by necessity. Those who are devoted to the Most Holy Mother of God do not insist on their own moral rectitude. No, on the contrary, they are set apart from the wicked by the fact that they enter into the Lord's house and bow down in worship. Their reliance is upon the mercy of the Lord in the midst of His Temple, as in Psalm 47: We have thought on your mercy, O Lord, in the midst of Your Temple."

Здоровий християнин має теорію разом з практикою The healthy Christian has theory together with practice

Наш отець між святими, Григорій Двоєсловський, Папа Римський написав дуже цікаву проповідь про цю притчу, яку ми чули у сьогоднішньому євангельському читанні. Згідно його тлумачення, три слуги у притчі репрезентують три сорти християн. Сьогодні, ми повинні слухати цю притчу з цим тлумаченням твердо при розуми, щоб імітувати ці сорти́ християн, які мають користь від їхніх талантів, і також відкидати приклад тих, хто заховують талант у землі.

Our father among the saints, Gregory Dialogus, the Pope of Rome wrote a very interesting sermon about this parable, which we heard today in the Gospel reading. According to his interpretation, the three servants in the parable represent three kinds of Christians. Today, we should listen to this parable with this interpretation firmly in mind, so that we can imitate those kinds of Christians, who profit from their talents, and reject the example of those, who bury their talent in the earth.

Святий Григорій нам каже те, що п’ять талантів, які перший слуга приймав, репрезентують п’ять чуттів. Чуття є дуже важливими для людського життя, тому що вони є джерелом всього знання. Церковні отці нам кажуть знову і знову те, що ніщо́ у розумі, яке не є спочатку у чуттях. Завжди, ми мусимо навчатися через чуття. Тож, ми маємо дуже великий і урочистий обов’язок, щоб використовувати чуття згідно заповідей Божих. Ми повинні відкидати приклад нашої праматері Єви, бо вона уживала чуття, щоб творити бажання проти Божої заповіді. Книга Буття нам каже те, що вона «побачила, що дерево добре на їжу, і принадне для очей, і пожадане дерево, щоб набути знання.» Отож, вона дозволила її бажанню, щоб віднімати себе від Божої Волі.

St. Gregory tells us that the five talents, which the first servant received, represent the five senses. The senses are very important for human life, because they are the source of all knowledge. The Church Fathers tell us again and again that nothing is in the mind that was not first in the senses. Always, we have to learn through our senses. Thus, we have a very great and solemn obligation to use the senses according to the commandments of God. We should reject the example of our first-mother Eve, since she used her senses to create desires against God’s commandment. The Book of Genesis tells us that “she saw that the tree was good for food, delightful to the eyes, and desirable for attaining knowledge.” Thus, she allowed her desire to take her away from God’s will.

У правдивому християнському житті, ми використовуємо наші чуття, щоб служити Богові, замість того, щоб заохочувати пристрасті у нашому серці. Це означає те, що ми мусимо захоронити наші чуття від нагод спокуси. Коротко, ми не мусимо шукати за задоволенням через наші чуття, але за любов’ю до Бога і ближніх. Ми не страхаємося задоволення цього світу, яке є згідно Божого закону, але ми не шукаємо за тим. Як християни, ми маємо дуже високий стандарт: Ми шукаємо тільки за любов’ю до Бога і ближніх. Тим способом, ми переводимо нашу увагу від того, яке не є під нашою силою, на тому, яке ми можемо контролювати Божою благодаттю. Якщо ми маємо досвід задоволення або ні, це не є завжди під нашою силою, але якщо ми любимо або ні, це ми завжди контролюємо.

In an authentic Christian life, we use our senses to serve God, instead of encouraging passion in our heart. This means that we must guard our senses from occasions of temptation. Briefly, we must not seek pleasure through our senses, but love of God and neighbor. We do not fear the pleasures of this world, which are according to the law of God, but we do not seek them. As Christians, we have a very high standard: We seek only the love of God and neighbor. In this way, we transfer our attention from that, which is not within our power, to that, which we can control by the grace of God. Whether we experience pleasure or not is not always within our power, but we can always control whether we love or not.

Святий Григорій нам каже те, що два таланти, які другий слуга приймав, репрезентують теорію і практику. У правдивому християнському житті, ми мусимо мати обоє. Ми маємо навчатися віровчення, молитов і катехизму, і ми повинні читати духовні книжки, щоб продовжувати нашу освіту у вірі більше і більше. Але, ми потребуємо практику також. Все наше вивчення є безкорисним, якщо ми не практикуємо нашу віру, особливо через молитву, піст і милосердя. Здоровий християнин завжди має теорію разом з практикою так, як він завжди дихає обома легенями. Отже, ми завжди шукаємо за балансом у нашому житті. Ми не можемо бути недбайливими про молитву, духовне читання, богослужіння, і так далі, але ми мусимо присвячувати час для практики, особливо тих діл, які зобов’язані у стані нашого життя.

St. Gregory tells us that the two talents, which the second servant received, represent theory and practice. In the authentic Christian life, we must have both. We have to learn the creed, prayers, and catechism, and we should read spiritual books, in order to continue our education in the faith more and more. But, we need practice as well. All our study is worthless if we do not practice our faith, especially through prayer, fasting and mercy. The healthy Christian always has theory together with practice, just as he always breathes with two lungs. Therefore, we always seek a balance in our life. We cannot be neglectful of prayer, spiritual reading, divine worship, etc., but we must dedicate time for practice, especially those works, which are obligatory for our state of life.

І накінець, Святий Григорій приходить до вважання того останнього нещасливого слуги, який взяв його талант і заховав його у землі. Св. Григорій нам каже те, що цей талант репрезентує теорію єдину, і, на жаль, цей слуга є описом більшости християн, тому що вони знають навчання Святої Церкви, вони пізнають їхні обов’язки згідно стану життя, але вони не практикують віру. Теорія не плодоносна. Ми повинні нотувати те, що цей слуга знав характер господаря дуже добре, але його добре знання не веде у відповідну дію. Накінець, господар наказує відняти талант від того слуги і подати талант тому, який мав п’ять талантів. І чому йому, і не тому, який мав два таланти? Тому що, Св. Григорій пояснює, слуга з двома талантами був фактично багатшим. Згідно цього пояснення, всі таланти не були рівними. Другий слуга був багатшим, тому що він мав багатство повного знання про теорію і практику. Перший слуга тільки знав про його моральні обов’язки, щоб захоронити чуття і анулюва́ти серйозний гріх. Його практика віри була дефективною, але його серце було добрим, і отже господар йому дав дарунок теорії також, тому що додання́ теорії буде вдосконалювати його практику.

Finally, St. Gregory comes to the consideration of that last, unfortunate servant, who took his talent and buried it in the earth. St. Gregory tells us that this talent represents theory alone, and, unfortunately, this servant is a description of the majority of Christians, because they know the teaching of the Church, they recognize their obligations according to their state in life, but they do not practice their faith. The theory is not fruitful. We should note that this servant knew the character of his master very well, but his good knowledge did not lead to an appropriate action. In the end, the master commands that the talent be taken away from that servant and given to the one who has five talents. And why to him, and not to the one who had the two talents? Because, St. Gregory explains, the servant with the two talents was actually richer. According to this interpretation, not all the talents are equal. The second servant was richer, because he had the wealth of the full knowledge concerning theory and practice. The first servant only knew about his moral obligations to guard his senses and avoid serious sin. His practice of the faith was deficient, but his heart was good, and therefore, the master gives him the gift of the theory as well, because the addition of the theory would perfect his practice.

Взяття хреста Христового: Стати тими, ким нам судилося бути Taking Up the Cross of Christ: Becoming What We Were Meant to Be

Сьогодні в Євангельському читанні ми чули заповідь Господа про те, що кожен, хто хоче бути Його учнем, повинен взяти на себе хрест і слідувати за Ним на розп'яття та смерть. Господь говорить про нас про життя, присвячене покаянню. Коли Господь Ісус йде на Свою смерть на Хресті, Він абсолютно невинний у жодному гріху, але ми, навпаки, винні. Провина за наші гріхи може бути знята через Таїнства Христові, через Хрещення, Покаяння та Євхаристію, але гріховні пристрасті залишаються в нас, які продовжують бути в нас джерелом гріха, якщо ми не приймемо покаяння як «повноцінне» заняття. Тільки постійне покаяння, відвернення від наших гріхів і звернення до Бога, зможе вирвати нас з влади наших ворогів і уподібнити нас до Того, Хто переміг гріх і смерть і став Володарем усього всесвіту, особливо Небесного Царства, яке має прийти.

Today, in the Gospel reading, we heard the Lord’s precept that anyone, who wants to be His disciple must shoulder the cross and follow Him to crucifixion and death. What the Lord is talking about in relation to us is a life dedicated to repentance. When the Lord Jesus goes to His death on the Cross, He is totally innocent of all sin, but we, on the other hand, are guilty. The guilt of our sins can be taken away through the Mysteries of Christ, through Baptism, Repentance and the Eucharist, but the sinful passions remain in us, which continue in us as a source of sin if we do not embrace repentance as a “full-time” occupation. Only continuous repentance, turning away from our sins and towards God, will be able to pry us away from the power of our enemies and conform us to the One Who triumphed over sin and death and has become the Ruler of the entire universe, especially the Heavenly Kingdom that is to come.

Кожен з нас повинен усвідомити власну шкоду, яку ми завдали світові своїми гріхами, шкоду, яку ми завдали Божому творінню, не будучи тими святими, якими ми були створені. Ми знаємо з багатьох прикладів у повсякденному житті, що гріх і зло насправді заразні, але святість також, здавалося б, є заразною. Зрештою, в історії Церкви ми спостерігаємо появу святих людей, часто групами, тому що вони впливали один на одного непомітно. Ми просто не можемо бути впевнені, який вплив наші гріхи мають на світ навколо нас, а також не можемо бути впевнені в тому, як світ змінився б, якби через віру в Христа та покаяння ми стали тими, ким ми були створені.

Each of us must come to our own separate realization of the harm that we have done to world through our sins, the injury we have caused to God’s creation by not being the saints that we were created to be. We know from many examples in daily life that sin and evil are, in fact, contagious, but holiness is also seemingly communicable. After all, we observe in the history of Church the occurrence of holy people often in groups, because they influenced one another in subtle ways. We simply cannot be certain what impact our sins have on the world around us, nor can we be certain of the way that the world would be transformed if, through faith in Christ and repentance, we became what we were created to be.

Присвятити себе покаянню, взяти на себе хрест Христовий і слідувати за Ним не означає життя, сповнене тяжких страждань і горя. Навпаки, єдиним джерелом радості є становлення тим, ким нас створив наш Творець. Дозволити собі бути перетвореними благодаттю Святого Духа дозволяє нам відчути реальність Божого Царства навіть тоді, коли ми ще живемо в цьому житті. Якщо все це звучить як міфологія, дозвольте мені проілюструвати це чітким і незаперечним прикладом. Протягом року мого дияконату я мав виконувати пастирське завдання в ширшій громаді. За той рік у мене було два таких завдання: я був помічником капелана в Інституті серця Оттавської міської лікарні та помічником капелана в Старвуді, оттавському закладі догляду за хворими на деменцію. Заклади з лікування деменції десятиліття тому дізналися, що найкраща стратегія лікування деменції — це спільне лікування пацієнтів з деменцією з пацієнтами, які мають нормальні когнітивні функції. Під час мого перебування в Старвуді я часто відвідував обидва типи пацієнтів. Серед нормальних пацієнтів у мене була група жінок і чоловіків, які загалом були незадоволені своїм життям, як минулим, так і сьогоденням. Їхня поведінка та розмови загалом були депресивними, з частими скаргами на умови проживання, їжу, поведінку родини, стан світу. Вони жили в нудьзі, яка часто виражалася в прагненні смерті. Деякі з цих пацієнтів жили в окремих кімнатах або мали не більше одного сусіда по кімнаті. Однак серед цих пацієнток була Фло Фіск. В очах Фло все було прекрасним. Фло жила в одній кімнаті з трьома іншими жінками, кожна з яких мала зовсім інший темперамент, ніж вона, і все ж вона мала таку ж дуже люблячу прихильність до всіх них. У той час як її сусіди по житлу бачили лише недоліки закладу, Фло часто казала, яким чудовим для неї був Старвуд. Вона казала: «Я молилася, щоб мати змогу потрапити до Старвуду, і Господь почув мою молитву». У той час як її сусіди по житлу, навіть за їхнім власним визнанням, вже жили в пеклі, Фло вже жила в Царстві Небесному. Вона знала, що Царство реальне, бо вона вже, певною мірою, була там. Коротше кажучи, життя Фло не було без страждань, але вона єдина серед усіх своїх співмешканців взяла свій хрест, вирішивши жити життям віри та покаяння.

Dedicating ourselves to repentance, taking up the cross of Christ and following Him, does not mean a life of drudgery and sorrow. On the contrary, becoming what our Creator created us to be is the only source of joy. Allowing ourselves to be transformed by the grace of the Holy Spirit permits us to experience the reality of God’s Kingdom even while we’re still living in this life. If all of this sounds like mythology, let me illustrate the point with a clear and undeniable example. During the year of my diaconate, I was required to have a pastoral assignment in the wider community. Over that year, I had two such assignments: I was the chaplain’s assistant in the Heart Institute of the Ottawa Civic Hospital and I was the chaplain’s assistant in Starwood, an Ottawa nursing facility specializing in dementia. Dementia facilities learned decades ago that the best strategy for treating dementia is to mix dementia patients with patients who are cognitively normal. During my time at Starwood, I frequently visited both kinds of patients. Among the normal patients, I had a collection of ladies and men, who were generally dissatisfied with their life, both their past and their present. Their demeanors and conversations were generally depressive with frequent complaints about the living conditions, the food, the conduct of family, the condition of the world. They lived in an ennui frequently expressed in a longing for death. Several of these patients lived in their own separate rooms or had no more than one roommate. However, among these patients, was Flo Fisk. In the eyes of Flo, everything was beautiful. Flo lived in the same room with three other ladies, all of whom had very different temperaments than her own, and yet she had the same very loving disposition towards all of them. Where her fellow residents could only see the shortcomings of the facility, Flo would often say how wonderful Starwood was for her. She said, “I prayed that I could come to Starwood, and the Lord heard my prayer.” While her fellow residents were, even by their own admission, already living in Hell, Flo was already living in the Kingdom of Heaven. She knew that the Kingdom was real, because she was already, to a certain extent, there. In short, Flo’s life wasn’t without suffering, but she alone among all her fellow residents had taken up her cross, deciding to live a life of faith and repentance.   

The Liturgy is Scripture in Action

Today, because of my recent experiences, I feel compelled to step away from our step-by-step explanation of the Psalter (but only in a sense). No, today, I would like to make some comments about my bishop's visit to my parish over this past weekend, particularly the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which was celebrated on Sunday. Specifically, it would be helpful I think to comment on the meaning of the Psalms, which are used in this service.

It is a surprise to many Christians from a Protestant background that historical Christians (Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Assyrians) do not look upon the Bible as being the word of God in the primary sense. No, the Word of God is primarily the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Who became man as Jesus Christ. This Word of God has revealed Himself in the Scriptures, making them the "word of God" in a secondary and derivative sense. This self-revelation of the Word takes the form of words in the Holy Scriptures. But what happens when these words, which tell the story of salvation, are translated into action. Then they become liturgy. Liturgy is the Scriptures put into action.

The Hierarchical Liturgy has an entirely different form than the regular order of the Liturgy. At the beginning of the Hierarchical Liturgy, an elaborate procession of servers, carrying a cross, candles and other liturgical appurtenances, followed by all the clergy, leaves the holy sanctuary through its side doors and goes to meet the bishop at the entrance of the church. The bishop, on entering the church is greeted with incense and the singing of "Blessed be the Name of the Lord." This is the Incarnation. The entry of the bishop into the church represents the entry of the Word of God into this world, His own creation. Going to the Amvon of the Hierarch, the raised platform prepared for him in the center of the church, the clergy and the servers help him to put on his vestments, each of the prayers of those vestments being chanted as he is putting it on. Then, once he is fully vested, he takes a candelabrum with three candles in his right hand and a candelabrum with two candles in his left hand, and with these lighted candles he blesses first towards the east, then to the west, then to south and then to the north with the words of Psalm 79:14 "Lord, O Lord, look down from heaven! See and visit this vineyard and bring it to perfection, for your right hand has planted it. May your hand be upon the Son of Man, Whom You have confirmed for Yourself." The vesting shows to us the Word of God putting on our human nature in the womb of the Most Holy Mother of God. In this way, by putting on human flesh, the invisible God becomes visible to us, he becomes the True Light, Who comes into the world for the sake of enlightening every human being. The three-candle candelabrum represents the revelation of the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, the inner life of God, while the two-candle candelabrum represents the union of His divine and human nature in the unity of His Person. For these actions, the words of Psalm 79 are extremely appropriate, for the Word enters the world to renew and perfect "the vineyard," Israel, the Church. At the time that the psalm was written, a "son of man" just meant a human being, but as time went on and God's revelation continued into the Book of the Prophet Daniel, this became a title of the Messiah, a divine name of the Son. The Christ, according to Daniel's visions, was going to be the New Adam, but the New Adam was not like the old Adam. The New Adam doesn't have a different nature than the old Adam. No, He takes Adam's nature from the Virgin Mary and renews and perfects it. The prayer, "May your hand be upon the Son of Man, Whom You have made strong for Yourself," is, of course, first and foremost, about the Christ, but it is also a prayer concerning every human being that is incorporated into Christ in the Church, His Mystical Body.

What follows this first hierarchical blessing is the Liturgy more or less conducted as usual, but conducted by the clergy, the priest and deacons, who met the bishop when he first entered the church. In this, they represent the angels, who met and greeted the Word when He came into the world in the Incarnation. As the Letter to the Hebrews tells us, "When the Son came into the world, it is written, "Let all the heavenly powers worship Him." So, the Liturgy continues up to the Little Entrance, the Entrance with the Book of the Gospels. During this entrance, the bishop, who is still standing in the middle of the church on the Amvon of the Hierarch, takes the candles again and blesses, once again to the east, the west, the south and the north.

The continuation of the Liturgy symbolically represents to us the same story of salvation that is commemorated in every Liturgy and every service of the Church. Just as the four evangelists tell the story of salvation in different ways, so too do the various services tell the same story of salvation history in different ways. Each of us, however, should treasure this story before all else, in its written form assuredly, but also in the liturgical services we know and love. It is our story, the story of our salvation. Perhaps one way to remember this is to make our that prayer from Psalm 79 our particular prayer in these or similar words: "May your hand be on this child of Mary, whom You have made strong for yourself."

ХРИСТОС: БЕЗМЕЖНЕ ДЖЕРЕЛО ВСЬОГО НЕОБХІДНОГО CHRIST: INFINITE SOURCE OF EVERYTHING NECESSARY

 

Сьогодні, у апостольському читанні, Святий Павло нам каже про те, що він носить Ісусові рани на його тілі, і ці рани є охоронним знаком для нього. «Ісусові рани», до яких Святий Павло відноситься є його стражданнями як апостола Христа. Свята Церква і Святе Письмо використовують той самий вираз, коли вони описують мучеників, ще ма́ючи рани свого мучеництва у небесному прославленні. Святий Апостол Павло відноситься до його великого страждання задля Євангелія Христа у кількох уривках своїх послань. Фактично, він починає той самий уривок, який сьогодні ми чули, зі словами, «Гляньте, якими великими буквами пишу вам власною рукою....» Ми розуміємо те разом з уривком від четвертого розділу, в якому Святий Апостол пояснює причину того, що його букви були б великими. Там, він сказав, «Ви ж знаєте, як я з-за недуги ті́ла звістував вам перший раз Євангелію, і, незважаючи на мою недугу, яка була вам спокусою, ви не погордували мною, ані відіпхнули, але, як ангела Божого, прийняли, як Христа Ісуса. Де ж воно, те ваше щастя? Свідку́ю вам, що, якби можна було, ви ви́рвали були б свої очі й мені віддали б!» Тож, ми бачимо те, що Апостол, під час його періоду між галатами, постраждав через серйозне запалення своїх очей, ніколи цілком не видужавши. Задля цієї причини, коли він написав до галатів власною рукою, написав великими буквами, як маленька дитина писала б.

Today, in the epistle reading, Saint Paul tells us that he bears the wounds of Jesus in his body, and these wounds are a protecting mark for him. “The wounds of Jesus,” to which Saint Paul refers are his sufferings as an apostle of Christ. The holy Church and holy Scripture use that same expression, when they describe the martyrs, still bearing the wounds of their martyrdom in their heavenly glorification. The Holy Apostle Paul refers to his great suffering for the sake of the Gospel of Christ in several passages of his letters. Actually, he begins this very passage, which we heard today, with the words, “See by what large letters I write to you in my own hand…” We understand this together with the passage in the fourth chapter, in which the Holy Apostle explains the reason his letters would be large.  There, he says, “You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first; and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What has become of the satisfaction you felt? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.” So, we see that the Apostle, during his time among the Galatians, suffered a serious eye infection, never fully recovering. For this reason, when he wrote to the Galatians in his own hand, he wrote with large letters, like a little child would write.

Тим самим способом, коли ми є у Христі, як ми є заради нашого хрещення або нашого примирення з Ним через таїнство покаяння, наше страждання є «Ісусовими ранами.» Наше страждання є правдивою участю у стражданні Господа Ісуса. Чим добрим це є? Тому, що втілення Господа Ісуса, є джерелом всього добра. Його життям, стражданням, смертю і воскресінням, Він нам дав все, що потрібне для нашого життя, страждання, смерти і воскресіння. Якщо ми потребуємо чого-небудь у нашому житті, нам треба тільки, щоб прийти до Нього і запитати, віруючи в те, що ми будемо приймати те, що нам треба. І якщо ми не приймаємо те, що нам треба раптом, ми потребуємо продовжувати, віруючи в те, що наш Отець буде давати нам те, яке є необхідним.

In the same way, when we are in Christ, as we are by virtue of our baptism or our reconciliation to Him through the Mystery of Repentance, our suffering is “the very wounds of Jesus.” Our suffering is a true participation in the suffering of the Lord Jesus. What good is that? Because the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus is the source of all good. By His life, suffering, death and resurrection, He has given to us everything that is necessary for our life, suffering, death and resurrection. If we need something in our life, we only need to go to Him and ask, believing that we will receive what we need. And if we do not receive what we need immediately, we need to continue believing that our Father will give us what is necessary.

Коли ми вирі́шуємо, щоб сповідати, «я—християнин,» тоді зразок нашого життя є життям Господа Ісуса, і, навіть більше, наше життя стає правдивою участю у Його житті. І не тільки все, що є необхідним для життя нашого, є доступним у Христі, але також все, що є необхідним для життя наших ближніх, і тож практика є плодоносною, щоб молитися за потреби інших людей. Але, ми повинні наголосити на цьому пункті дуже сильно, тобто, Христос є безмежним джерелом всього, що ми потребуємо для нашого спасіння. Якщо ми пізнаємо те, що чеснота є необхідною для нас, ми тільки потребуємо просити цієї чесноти, раптом віруючи в те, що ми вже прийняли її, тому що Бог є Добрий Отець.

When we decide to confess, “I am a Christian,” then the pattern of our life is the life of the Lord Jesus, and, even more, our life becomes a true participation in His life.  Not only everything that is necessary for our life is available in Christ, but also everything that is necessary for the life of our neighbors, and so the practice is fruitful of praying for the needs of others. But, we should emphasize this point very strongly, namely, Christ is an infinite source of everything we need for our salvation. If we recognize that we lack some virtue, we only need to ask for this virtue, immediately believing that we have received it, because God is a good Father.

Тому що життя Господа Ісуса є зразком нашого життя, ніщо не може бути пропащим, а радше все має цінність, і страждання, і природне зло. У кожному випадку, ми мусимо звернутися до Господа, очікуючи необхідних речей для наших турбот і спокус.

Because the life of the Lord Jesus is the pattern of our life, nothing can be wasted, but rather, everything has value, both suffering and natural evil. In each circumstance, we must turn to the Lord, awaiting the necessary things for our troubles and temptations.

Psalm 4: The utter vanity of hankering after material things

As we saw in our examination of Psalm 3, the mountain of the Lord is envisaged as the source of divine help and the source of all divine blessing. After such clarity of expression in the preceding psalm, Psalm 4 presents to us certain interpretative difficulties. This song combines thanksgiving and lament in a very awkward way, and unlike the preceding songs, it shows none of the clear orientation towards Zion and its holy Temple that we are used to seeing. Nevertheless, the same surety of being heard in time of prayer is present in this psalm as well. Just as Psalm 3 said confidently, "I cry aloud to the Lord. He answers from His holy mountain," this psalm says with equal confidence, "In the time that I called upon Thee, O God of my righteousness, Thou didst hearken to me; in mine afflictions Thou didst enlarge me."

This psalm is a good reminder to us that the way that God answers our prayers is not always a way that satisfies us. Indeed, in this case, how does God answer David's prayer? By scolding him for being slow of heart, vain and self-seeking. No, rather, David is told to put his attention elsewhere. "Know also that the Lord made wonderful His Holy One." It is important for us to realize at this point that the term "the Holy Ones" in Old Testament language is a technical term. The Holy Ones is the blanket term for the angelic beings who were created before the foundation of the world. According to biblical and extra-biblical Israelite tradition God Most High divided up the world and assigned every nation and part to the care of one or another of the Holy Ones. Special among these "Holy Ones" was "the Holy One of Israel," the same Person we now know as the Son. It is very possible that we are dealing here with one of the many mutilated texts in the Old Testament. Just as Psalm 109 bears witness to the Lord begetting Someone Else, Who is also the Lord (the Lord said to my Lord, "Sit Thou at my right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool... with Thee is the sovereignty in the day of Thy power, in the splendor of Thy Holy Ones, from the womb before the morning star did I beget Thee.), this psalm seems originally to have made a similar point. The Septuagint text reads: "Know also that the Lord made wonderful His Holy One. The Lord Himself will hearken to me when I cry out to Him." In other words, the Holy One, Whom the Lord made wonderful, is also, mysteriously, the Lord. In the Hebrew text this truth is utterly effaced, for it reads banally, "the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself."

The psalm's expression of confidence and hope, "The Lord Himself [the Holy One Whom the Lord has made wondrous] will hearken to me when I cry out to Him," is followed immediately by the Lord's saying. He says to His suppliants, "Be ye angry, and sin not; for that which ye say in your hearts, feel compunction upon your beds. Sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness and hope upon the Lord." Thus, the Lord clearly tells His people what they should be concerned about. Another way to make the point would be, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything else will be given to you besides." The sacred author is at pains to point out that it is vain to hanker after material goods when "the light of Thy countenance, O Lord, was signed upon us." No, the psalm ends with a reiteration of the point made forcefully in the previous psalm: the Lord is the only source of abundance. Hankering after wheat, wine and oil is the very essence of vanity, but all of those things will come in sufficiency to those who "sacrifice the sacrifice of righteousness and hope upon the Lord." Again, as we saw in the previous psalm, sacrifice must be offered ONLY at the exclusive dwelling place of the Lord's Name. The last verse in the Septuagint version reads: "In peace, in the same place, I shall lay me down and sleep; for Thou, O Lord, alone didst cause me to dwell in hope." Once again, in the Hebrew, "in the same place" has been completely removed. What place is the psalm referring to? It is the only place that is at all important in the Psalter, the dwelling place of the Holy One of Israel.

The central message of this psalm is at its center: Sacrifice a sacrifice of righteousness and trust in the Lord. Just do that. Everything else will follow on that. Our sacrifice is in and with Mary, the exclusive Temple, the dwelling place of God. "In the same place" we can also rest.