THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
Bless the Lord, O my soul. Let us, united in Christ, proclaim this together. O Lord my God, You are highly exalted! Psalm 102:1. Where is Your majesty revealed? You have adorned Yourself with glory and splendor. Acknowledge Him so that you may be graced and clothed by Him. "Clothed in light as in a garment" Psalm 103:2. We are clothed in His Church, transformed into light through Him, previously enshrouded in darkness, as the Apostle declares, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." Ephesians 5:8. You stretch the heavens out like a covering, as easily as one would unfold a garment; or if one comprehends the authority of Holy Scripture, it is spread across the earth, signified by the term "skin," for skin represents mortality. The fullness of Divine authority has reached us through mortal messengers, whose accolades endure beyond their death.
He envelops the uppermost parts of creation with water Psalm 102:3. What does this encompass? The heavens. What are the heavens? Figuratively, they represent the Divine Scriptures. What are the uppermost parts of the Scriptures? The commandment of love, for there is none greater than this. Mark 12:31. Why is love likened to water? Because the love of God is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit bestowed upon us. Romans 5:5. Where does the Spirit, akin to water, come from? Jesus proclaimed, "Whoever believes in Me, out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water." John 7:37-38. How do we know this refers to the Spirit? The Evangelist states explicitly that "this He spoke about the Spirit whom those who believed in Him were to receive." Who ascends above the winds’ wings refers to the virtues of the spirit. What is the spirit's virtue? Self-love. Yet, how will He triumph over it? For God's love towards us surpasses our love for Him.
"He makes spirits His angels, and a blazing fire His ministers" Psalm 102:4. Those who are spiritual and not carnal He designates as His angels, sending them out to proclaim His gospel. The blazing fire serves Him, igniting passion in those who deliver His message. If a preacher is not fervent, they cannot kindle devotion in their audience.
"He established the earth upon its firm foundation" Psalm 103:5. This foundation refers to the Church. What is the Church's foundation if not as the Apostle reminds us: "No man can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus." 1 Corinthians 3:11. What, then, can it expect to endure upon such a foundation? "It shall not be moved forever and ever." He established the earth on its unwavering foundation. That is, He established the Church upon the foundation of Christ. If the foundation trembles, the Church will too; but how could Christ, through whom all things were created and who sustains all by His majesty, ever falter? John 1:3; Hebrews 1:3. Therefore, as Christ remains steadfast, the Church shall not be overthrown. Where are those who claim the Church has vanished from the world when she cannot even be removed from worship...
"The abyss is like a garment" Psalm 102:6. Whose garment could it be? Could it belong to God? Yet He has stated, "Clothed with light as a garment." I hear of God cloaked in light, and if we desire it, that light can also be us. What if we seek it? We shall cease to be darkness. If God is clothed in light, then whose garment is the abyss? The vast expanse of waters is called the abyss. All water, all moist essence, flowing through seas, rivers, and hidden caverns, is collectively termed the Abyss. Thus, we perceive the earth, regarding which He declared, "He founded the earth." I believe He meant, "The abyss is like a garment for it." For water is as if the very garment of the earth, encompassing and covering it.
The waters surge over the mountains, meaning that the apparel of the earth, which is the abyss, has risen to the extent that the waters cover even the mountains. We read of this during the flood... The prophet, anticipating the future rather than recounting the past, articulates this to signify that the Church will endure through the deluge of persecution. Indeed, there was a time when torrents of oppressors engulfed God's earth, submerging His Church to such a degree that even mighty mountains appeared not. How could they not vanish when they were dispersed? Perhaps it is these very waters that cry, "Save me, O God, for the waters have reached my very soul." Especially the waves that render the sea harsh and desolate. For wherever the sea touches land, it renders it unfruitful just as it would make it barren instead of fertile. For mountains also lay submerged under water, as waters once overflowed above them...
Why did the apostles flee? Because the waters rose above the mountains, their might overwhelming yet for a moment. Listen to the subsequent events. "At Your rebuke, they shall scatter" Psalm 102:7. This indeed transpired, brethren; by God’s rebuke, the waters receded, meaning they withdrew from the mountains. Look at the mountains themselves, Peter and Paul; they have been elevated! Those once oppressed by their tormentors are now honored as leaders. For the waters fled at God's command; the heart of kings is in God’s hands, directing it wherever He desires; Proverbs 21:1. He has granted peace to Christians; the authority of the Apostles has flourished and risen. The waters retreated at God’s command. "At the sound of Your thunder, they shall tremble." Who would not fear God's voice echoing through the apostles, through the Scriptures, through His messengers? The sea calmed, the waters quaked in fear, the mountains were laid bare, and the emperor issued decrees. Who could have commanded this had God not thundered? For what God has willed, was done through His commands. Thus, let no one seize His glory for themselves.
"The mountains rise, and the valleys sink to the place You have appointed for them" Psalm 102:8. He continues to speak of the waters. Let us not interpret mountains here as the earthly kind; nor valleys as mere physical spaces; rather consider the great waves rising akin to mountains. The sea once surged, and its waves resembled heights that could have concealed the mountains of the Apostles. But how long do the mountains rise and the valleys fall? They raged, and now they are quieted. When they erupted, they were mountains; now that they are subdued, they have become plains, for He has established a region for them. There exists a channel, a profound place where all these furiously stirring hearts of mortals have retreated... Once they were mountains; now they have been flattened. However, brethren, even the stillness represents the sea. Why are they no longer cruel? Why do they not rage? Why do they not attempt to engulf our land or to cover it?
Listen. "You have set a boundary that they shall not cross, nor shall they return to cover the earth" Psalm 103:9. Then, since the most bitter waves have received their bounds, we are granted the freedom to preach with liberty; because there is a designated limit they cannot surpass nor return to overwhelm the earth; what then transpires on the earth itself? What activity occurs now that the sea has left it bare? Though light waves murmur at the shore, and even the nations still stir around; I hear the surf, but I do not fear the flood. What then occurs within the earth? "You send springs into the valleys" Psalm 102:10. You send, he states, springs into the valleys. You know what valleys are—low regions amid vast lands. For mountains dominate in height, and valleys possess low positions. Do not despise the low points; springs arise from there. You send springs to the humble valleys. Hear the mountain; the Apostle states, "I have labored more abundantly than all." Some greatness may appear before us, yet in an instant, that he might allow the waters to flow, he humbled himself into a valley. "But I am not the source, but the grace of God with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10. There is no contradiction in mountains being valleys also; for as they are recognized as mountains by their spiritual excellence, they are valleys through the humility of their spirits. "Not I," he affirms, "but the grace of God with me."
What does it signify, "Through the midst of the mountains, the waters shall flow"? We identify who the mountains are, the great proclaimers of the Word, exalted angels of God, though still cloaked in mortal flesh; exalted, not through their own might, but through His grace; yet they are valleys in humility, pouring forth springs. Between them, it can be said, "In the hearts of the Apostles shall flow the preaching of the Word of Truth." What is found in the center among the apostles? That which is central is communal property. This common wealth, by which all equally thrive, does not belong to me exclusively; it is not for individual claim... For if it were privately owned, it would not serve the public good; thus, this represents not the preaching of peace... Consequently, brethren, let what we have shared with you serve this purpose concerning the springs: that they may pour forth from you, as valleys, sharing what you have received from God. Let the waters flow in the midst, harbor no envy; drink, be filled, let your abundance overflow. May the common streams of God’s grace be celebrated everywhere, not the private inventions of humanity...
Thus, "All the beasts of the field shall drink" Psalm 103:11. We observe in creation that the wild animals of the forest drink from the springs flowing amid the mountains; yet now, as it pleases God to veiled His wisdom within these images, He seeks not to remove it from genuine seekers, but rather to conceal it from the indifferent and reveal it to those who knock. It has delighted the Lord God Himself to urge you through us, so that through all these images, reflecting the tangible and visible world, we might seek something spiritually concealed that, once found, will bring us joy. By "beasts of the forest," we comprehend the Gentiles, to which the Scriptures attest multiple times.
These animals partake of the waters, but only fleetingly; they do not linger, but pass. For all teachings that have been disseminated during these days are transient... Unless your love envisions that in that city where it is proclaimed, "Praise the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion,” for He fortifies the bars of your gates; when now the bars are strengthened and the city secured, thus no friend shall go out, nor enemy enter; because, as we mentioned previously, we shall possess a text to read, or a discourse elucidated as it is currently discussed. This is why it is now treated, that it may be preserved; this is why it is currently articulated clearly, so that it may be contemplated whole and in full. There will be no lack of the Word of God there, nor of texts, sounds, nor readers, nor interpreters. How then? "In the beginning was the Word," John 1:1. For He did not come to us to be excluded from there; for He was in the world, and the world was constructed through Him. This is the Word we ought to reflect upon. For the God of gods shall appear in Zion. But when is this? After our pilgrimage, once the journey is complete; unless, however, after the journey’s end, we are brought before the Judge, that the Judge might send us into exile. But if, at our journey’s completion, as we hope, desire, and strive, we reach our homeland, we shall behold that which we shall eternally praise; and he who has it, and we who partake, shall never be satisfied; neither will the feeder be satiated, nor will the one consuming ever tire of what is consumed. This contemplation shall be wondrous and marvelous...