Psalm 102 (101):12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Behold, a destitute individual prays aloud, making his supplications known. We can hear his voice and discern his identity: could he be the One of whom the apostle proclaimed, "Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be enriched"? (2 Corinthians 8:9) If it is indeed Him, why does He find Himself in such poverty? How can He, who cannot be blinded by riches, be poor? Who is wealthier than the One through whom all riches were created, even those that are not genuine treasure? It is through Him that we receive health, abilities, memory, character, and the well-being of our bodies; when these are assured, even the poor find richness. Through Him also come the great treasures: faith, devotion, righteousness, love, purity, and good conduct; for no one possesses these virtues except through Him who redeems the unrighteous. Look at the wealth! How do we recognize these sentiments in someone so illustrious? “I ate ashes as bread, and mingled my drink with weeping.” (Psalm 102:9) Is such grand wealth reduced to this? The first fortune seems significantly elevated, while this appears quite low… Yet test whether this impoverished figure is indeed He; for the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) Consider these words: "I am Your servant, and the son of Your servant." Observe that this servant is chaste, a virgin, and a mother; for in Him we find our deprivation, as He took on the nature of a servant, humbling Himself, so that you might not be intimidated by His richness but could approach Him liberally in your state of need. There, He assumed the burden of servanthood, embracing our poverty; there He rendered Himself impoverished so that we might be enriched. We are edging closer to comprehending these truths about Him, yet we should refrain from making hasty declarations.

Let Him add poverty upon poverty; let Him transform our humble bodies into His likeness; let Him be our Head while we remain His members, that the two may become one flesh. (Philippians 3:21) For He desires to count us among His members. Those who repent also belong to these members. They are not isolated or apart from His Church, nor would He have chosen the Church as His bride were it not for the words, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2) So let us listen to the prayers of both the head and the body, the Bridegroom and the Bride, Christ and the Church—one Person combined. Though the Word and the flesh are not simultaneously one, the Father and the Word are one, and Christ and the Church form one complete entity in His fullness… Therefore, let us hearken to Christ, who is poor in our midst and for our sake. The very title signifies the impoverished. In conclusion, I have inferred the identity of that poor man; let us hear His prayer and recognize His essence; do not mistake anything you hear that cannot be applied to His Head; this is why I emphasize that any utterance you encounter in this description should be understood as emanating from the frailty of the flesh, recognizing the voice of the members through the head. The title is, "The Prayer of the Afflicted Man," as he was tormented, and he poured out his cries before the Lord. This is the same impoverished figure who, in another psalm, declares, "From the ends of the earth I will call upon Thee when my heart is in distress." He suffers because He embodies Christ; who, in the words of the prophet, identifies as both Bridegroom and Bride: "He hath put a diadem upon me as the bridegroom, and as the bride hath adorned me with jewels." (Isaiah 61:10) He referred to Himself as the Bridegroom and the Bride; for what does this signify, except that the Bridegroom represents the Head and the Bride signifies the body? Thus, they form one voice, as they are one flesh. Let us listen and identify ourselves in these words; and if we find ourselves distanced, let us strive to draw near.

"Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto Thee" (Psalm 102:1). "Hear my prayer, Lord," is synonymous with, "Let my cry come unto Thee"; the urgency of the supplicant is emphasized through repetition. "Turn not Thy face away from me." When did God avert His face from His Son? When did the Father turn away from Christ? But because of the lack of my members, I plead, "Turn not Thy face away from me"; in whatever day I grieve, incline Thy ear unto me. (Psalm 102:2) … You find trouble today, I find trouble; tomorrow brings troubles as well, even for those who will come after me; I feel their troubles; to the end of the ages, whoever is in distress within my being, I bear their troubles… Peter prayed, Paul prayed, the remaining Apostles prayed; the Faithful prayed in those days, the Faithful will pray in the coming days, and the Faithful are praying now. Swiftly, soon; for I now ask for that which Thou art ready to grant. I do not seek earthly things as a man of the earth; rather, redeemed at last from former bondage, I yearn for the heavenly kingdom. Hear me quickly; for it is only with such yearning that Thou hast proclaimed, "Even while you speak, I will respond: Here am I." (Isaiah 58:9) For what cause do you call? In what sorrow? In what need? O poor soul, standing at the gates of the all-rich, what longing compels your request? From what necessity do you seek relief? From what need do you knock that the gates may open to you?

For my days have faded like smoke. (Psalm 102:3). O days! If days exist: for where the day is discerned, light is made known. My days, my times; therefore as smoke, is it not from the puffing up of pride? … Observe how smoke, akin to pride, rises and then dissipates: hence it rightly fades away and does not linger. "And my bones are burned as in a furnace." My bones and my strength are not devoid of sorrow, not void of anguish. The strength of Christ’s body—who possesses more than the holy apostles? Yet, you see that even their bones face burning. Who is offended, and I remain unscathed? (2 Corinthians 11:29) They are courageous, faithful, adept interpreters and proclaimers of the Word, living in accordance with their speech, and speaking as they understand; they appear undeniably brave, yet all who take offense act as a furnace against them. For there is love within, and even more so within the bones. The bones are concealed deep within flesh, providing support for all flesh. Yet if anyone suffers offense, compromising their soul; the bone burns as it desires…

Look at Adam, the progenitor of humanity. From him misery has spread—whence this intergenerational poverty arises? Let him, who once despaired in body, now within the body of Christ, proclaim with hope, "My heart is afflicted and withered like grass." (Psalm 102:4) Deservedly so, for all flesh is as grass. (Isaiah 40:6) But how did this afflict you? Because I neglected to partake of my bread. For God ordained His command concerning bread. What then is the bread of the soul? The serpent that compelled, and the woman that faltered, touched the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6); he disregarded the commandment; as a consequence, his heart was smitten as it ought to be, and withered like grass because he failed to partake of his bread. Forgetting to consume his bread, he ingests poison: his heart is struck and withered like grass… Now eat the bread which you have neglected. But that very Bread has arrived, in whose body you may recall the voice of your forgetfulness, and cry out in your destitution for true riches. Now partake, for you are within His body, saying, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven." (John 6:41) You have forgotten to eat your bread; yet after His crucifixion, all ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. After forgetting, let remembrance arise; let us eat the bread from heaven, that we may live—not the manna, for they ate and died (John 6:49)—but that bread of which it is proclaimed, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." (Matthew 5:6)

"From the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my flesh." (Psalm 102:5) For many groan, and I too groan; I even groan about this matter, for they lament over a transgression. A man who has lost a coin groans; yet he who has lost faith does not. I assess monetary loss against a loss of faith and find far greater cause for mourning in a man who groans not as he ought or does not groan at all. He engages in deceit yet feels joy. With what gain? With what loss? He gains riches but loses righteousness. For this reason, a man who understands how to groan, groans; he who is near the Head, who clings righteously to the body of Christ, groans thus. The carnal do not groan for this reason, but impose groaning upon themselves; they do not groan for this reason; yet we cannot scorn them, even should they not groan at all, or only groan for the wrong cause. We desire to correct them, yearning for their correction; and when we are unable, we groan; and in our groaning, we remain united with them…

"I have become like a pelican in the wilderness, and like an owl among the ruins." (Psalm 102:6) Here we observe three birds and three locations: the pelican, the owl, and the sparrow; alongside the wilderness, the ruined walls, and the roof of the house. The pelican is found in the wilderness, while the owl inhabits derelict walls, and the sparrow makes its home on the roof. Initially, we must elucidate the meaning of the pelican: it is born in locations that render it unknown to us, specifically in secluded areas, particularly along the banks of the Nile in Egypt. Whatever the bird is, let us explore what the psalm conveys about it. It states it dwells in the wilderness. Why inquire about its appearance, its form, its voice, or its conduct? To the extent that the psalm informs, it signifies a bird that exists in solitude.

The owl, a creature that thrives in darkness, resides within the ruins, the parietines, or open walls, absent of a roof or dwelling. And concerning roofs and sparrows, you are already familiar with them. So here I find someone from the body of Christ—a herald of the Word, compassionate towards the weak, seeking the victories of Christ, and mindful of his eventual Lord. (Matthew 25:26) Let us reflect on these three entities through the lens of His stewardship. Should such an individual approach the non-believers? He embodies a pelican in the wilderness. If he encounters Christians and retreats, he embodies an owl among the broken walls; for he does not abandon even the darkness enveloping those dwelling in night but desires to seek them out as well. Consider this: if he does not reach out to Christians who seem as if they have not believed or appear to have cast aside their belief yet walk earnestly in what they profess, the sparrow cries out to them, neither in the wilderness because they are believers, nor in the ruins because they have not crumbled, but rather because they find themselves beneath the roof—more accurately, beneath the flesh.

The sparrow, as it were, cries out, not shrinking from the commandments of God, nor does it capitulate to become carnal to comply with the roof. "What you hear in the ear, preach upon the rooftops." (Matthew 10:27) There are three birds and three locations; a single individual may symbolize three birds, and three individuals may separately symbolize three birds; and the interactions among three types of places signify three classes of humanity; however, amid the wilderness, the ruined walls, and the roof, we find but three categories of people.

My days resemble a shadow. He refers to his days as those of righteous service, likening them to the harvest of impending blessings. And I am akin to chaff. It is stated 'az' in place of 'the people'; as noted earlier, the Psalmist identifies with what belongs to the community.

While reflecting on Your return and the impending judgement, I completed all of this. ‘For You, having lifted me high, have caused me to be humbled.’ This is the sentiment of those who have strayed from the path of righteousness after once standing firm in virtue. In contrast, the saints proclaim, ‘For You, having uplifted me, have raised me up.’

As I approach the final stages of life, I resemble a mere shadow, slipping away and gradually disappearing, akin to parched grass that has withered, beckoning the hands of reapers.

The span of my days, he expresses, has swiftly slipped away, much like a fleeting shadow. In another passage, it is stated, "Man is like a mere breath; his days are as a shadow" (Psalm 143:4). He notes that he is withered like dried grass, as previously mentioned. Earlier, he conveyed that his heart was parched, while now he asserts that his entire being is like a body that has wasted away, as if suffering from consumption. Theodoret reflects: I find myself at the twilight of life, resembling a transient shadow that is almost gone, akin to parched hay needing the hands of harvesters. Isychias reminds us not to be swayed by worldly achievements. This is why the prophet likens us to shadows and grass, guiding us to place no trust in the temporal, as we understand that all things are fleeting and ephemeral.

It is understood that when the sun is directly overhead at noon, a shadow becomes imperceptible; however, as the sun descends toward the west, the shadow becomes apparent and shifts each moment. For this reason, the Prophet aptly compares his days to a declining shadow. While this observation applies to humanity as a whole, he specifically connects it to the suffering Church, making it particularly relevant to the dire state of the Israelites in exile. There is no denying that old age leads swiftly to death; yet the Prophet mourns that this fate befell God's people during their youthful vigor. In referring to days, he signifies the span of a flourishing life, likening the godly’s captivity to the sun's descent.

The individual referred to here is a beggar, stripped of God’s grace due to his misdeeds, yet yearning to attain it. In his humility and contrition, he approaches the Lord with tearful supplication, knowing God, rich in mercy (Eph. 2:4). Christ the Lord, the Father of all, who during His earthly ministry took upon Himself no sin yet liberated sinners, humbling Himself even unto the crucifixion (Phil. 2:8), also raised those ensnared in their transgressions. He offered prayers and fervent cries, accompanied by tears, to the One who could deliver Him from death, and was heard by those who remained faithful, thus granting eternal salvation to all who listened to Him (Heb. 5:7-9), for all who are in Him abound in grace (1 Cor. 1:5).