The Psalm that we have just sung may be unclear in several parts. Yet, when it is illuminated and understood with the Lord's guidance, you will discover that it resonates with what you already comprehend. It is intentionally expressed in various ways to alleviate the monotony of the truth.
"Lord, I have cried unto Thee, hear me" (Psalm 140:1). This is a sentiment we can all share. It is not just I who proclaim it; all of Christ voices it. This declaration is made on behalf of the Body, for even while He walked this earth and inhabited our flesh, He prayed. In His fervent prayer, drops of blood flowed from His entire Body, as recorded in the Gospel: "Jesus prayed earnestly, and His sweat was like great drops of blood" (Luke 22:44). What could this sweat be if not the suffering of all the martyrs of the Church? "Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to You." You may believe that your weeping has ended when you state, "I have cried unto Thee." You have shed tears, but do not presume you are safe. If the trials are over, so too is lament; yet, if the struggle persists for the Church, for the Body of Christ, it must continue to implore: "I have cried unto Thee," and also, "Hear the voice of my prayer."
"Let my prayer be before Thy eyes as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 140:2). Every Christian understands this is most directly related to the Head Himself. For when evening approached, the Lord on the Cross offered His life only to take it up again (John 10:17); He did not forfeit it against His will. Yet, we are also represented there. For what hung upon the tree but what He took from us? How can we comprehend that the Father could forsake His only begotten Son, especially since they are one God? Affirming our weakness on the Cross, where, as the Apostle states, our old self was crucified with Him (Romans 6:6), He cried out with the voice of our old man, "Why have You forsaken Me?" This evening sacrifice embodies the Lord's Passion, the Lord's Cross, the offering of the saving sacrifice, the pleasing burnt offering to God. This evening sacrifice gave rise to a new morning offering in His Resurrection. Prayer, stemming solely from a faithful heart, ascends like incense from the holy altar. There is nothing sweeter than the aroma of the Lord: may all believers partake in that fragrance.
"Put, O Lord, a guard before my mouth, and a door of restraint round about my lips" (Psalm 140:3). He requested not a barrier of restraint, but a door. A door can swing open and shut. Thus, if it is a door, let it function in both capacities; open to the admission of sin; closed to its justification. This way, it becomes a door of restraint, not destruction. What purpose does this door of restraint serve us? What does Christ seek for His Body? "May You not turn away My heart to evil words" (Psalm 140:4). What is My heart but that of My Church, the heart of My Body?
Yet when your heart does not deviate, dear member of Christ, when your heart is not drawn to sinful speech, to justifications for transgressions, or to those who do wickedness, then you will not find kinship with their chosen ones. For it continues: "And I will not be united with their elect." Who are their chosen ones? Those who justify their actions. Who are their vindicated? Those who trust in themselves to be righteous, despising others, much like the Pharisee who proclaimed in the temple, "Lord, I thank You that I am not like other men" (Luke 18:11). Who are their chosen? This man, if he were a prophet, would know who the woman is who touched His feet (Luke 7:39). Here, you can discern the words of another Pharisee who invited our Lord into his home; when the sinful woman approached His feet. Even she, if her heart had turned to evil thoughts, would not have the means to defend her sins. Do not similar women, equal in defilement yet lacking in confession, defend their sins daily? If unobserved, they deny their actions; if caught, they justify their deeds. Their defense comes easily, fervently, although it is common and blasphemous! If it were not for God's will, they claim, they would not have acted; it was fate, it was destiny. Such is the rationale of the elect of this world. Yet let the members of Christ proclaim, as He does in the name of the Body: "Turn not away, O My Heart, to evil words," declaring, "and I will not be united with their elect."
Concerning those who engage in wickedness. What evil, you may ask? Allow me to highlight one explicit moral failing they acknowledge. They claim it is preferable for a man to be a moneylender than an agriculturist. You might inquire as to why; they provide their reasons. The man who plows the field serves as a burden to the members of Christ; the one who uproots grass does so as well; the one who gathers fruit does so at their expense. To avoid imaginary killings through farming, he commits real ones through usury. He provides no bread to the needy. Can there exist a more unjust righteousness? He gives no sustenance to the hungry. And why not? Because he fears that the beggar may take the substance of the bread, which they consider a member of God, and entrap it within the flesh. But what do you do? Why partake in food? You ask: do you not consume flesh? Yes, they respond, but through our enlightenment in faith, through our prayers and psalms, we claim to purify this bread and entrust it to the treasury of heaven. Such are their elect, who believe that it is not God who saves, but the saviors of God. And this is said to be Christ, crucified throughout the universe. I have accepted Christ the Saviour from the Gospel, and you in your tomes—the saviors of Christ. Clearly, you are blasphemers of Christ and thus cannot hope for salvation through Him. That none shall deliver a crumb to the hungry man, that in that crumb a member of Christ may not suffer—shall the hungry perish from want? False mercy regarding the crumb results in true murder. But who are their elect? "Turn not away, O My heart, from evil words, and I will not be united with their chosen."
"The righteous shall correct me with mercy, and reprove me" (Psalm 140:5). Here we see a sinner filled with humility. He longs to be corrected with love, not insincere praise. Yes, let him reprove me, but do so out of mercy, not hatred. He is a wise man indeed who, when you rebuke him, will love you (Proverbs 9:8). The righteous shall correct me. Is he doing it out of persecution? God forbid. Rather, one who seeks correction does so with a heart free of contempt. For what is the purpose of this correction? It is in mercy. And he shall judge me with mercy. For the oil of the wicked shall not bless my head; I shall not thrive on flattery. The insincere praise from flatterers is indeed poison, pretending to be the oil of approval. Therefore, when someone mocks another with empty praise, they might as well say, "I have anointed his head." Desiring to be judged in mercy by the Righteous One, do not crave the mockery of the wicked. Possess the oil of truth, and you shall not seek the oil of the wicked.
You may ask me, "What do I do?" I find myself surrounded by flatterers, who incessantly praise in me what I do not value; they denigrate what is dear to me. Flatterers, cunning deceivers! A man of great renown, great knowledge, and wisdom claims to be a Christian. Why is he a Christian? Because of his vast learning, his extensive reading, and his wisdom. If his wisdom is great, let that be proof of his Christianity; if his learning is considerable, he has chosen to be an intellectual. Generally, that which you scorn is loved by the one you esteem. However, this praise is not sweet; it is the wicked one’s oil. Yet he shall not cease to say so. Do not let him inflate your pride; do not rejoice in such things; consent to none of it; if he applies the oil of flattery to you, your head shall remain unchanged, proud, nor swollen.
"For My word shall yet be favorable to them." Wait: now they will revile Me, says Christ. In early Christianity, believers faced accusations from all sides. Yet wait: "My word shall yet be pleasing to them." The time will come when they will overcome, who will publicly lament and declare, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us" (Matthew 6:12). Even now, how many remain who blush in shame when they utter such words? Let them accuse us; let us endure. Let them revile, hate, accuse, and belittle; still, My word will be pleasing to them; that day is surely coming.
Oh, the justifications we hear for iniquity! Whole nations declare it, and the cries of the nations lamenting their transgressions are far from silent. Truly, the clouds rumble where the Lord now abides. Where is that boast: "I am just; I have done no wrong"? When you examine the Scriptures' code of righteousness, regardless of how deep you venture, you will find only sin.
What type of man do I refer to here, brethren? I speak of one who worships one God, openly confesses Christ, acknowledges the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one God; who engages in no illicit acts, who venerates no demons, who seeks no help from the evil one; holding steadfastly to the Catholic Church; of whom no neighbor laments oppression; who does not violate another's spouse; who is content with their own, or even without, if it aligns with lawful and apostolic guidelines, and with mutual agreement (1 Corinthians 7:5), or while still single. Even such a one may be overwhelmed by the transgressions I have mentioned. For all these daily failings, does not our hope exist unless we humbly proclaim in unison with the Lord’s prayer, acknowledging our sins but never justifying them: "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12), and recognize our Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, who is our propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:1-2)?
"See what follows: 'Their judges were swallowed up at the rock'" (Psalm 140:6). What is it that is consumed by the Rock? The Rock is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). They were absorbed by the Rock. They are their judges, proud and self-assured individuals who offer opinions. They might speak wise things, but juxtapose their authority with Christ’s Gospel. Who is Aristotle? Let him hear, says Christ, and shudder among the dead. Pythagoras and Plato said it; align them with Christ and they are swallowed whole. Their assertions seem valid until contrasted with the Rock. If one among them says what Christ has said, we commend him, but do not follow him—For Christ predated them. If anyone speaks truthfully, can they outshine the Truth? Look to Christ—not merely when He appears to you, but from the moment He created you.
Ailing souls may argue, "I was in bed before the doctor attended to me." Yet this affirms the very reason He arrived; you were sick first.
"They will hear My Words, for they have triumphed." My Words have triumphed over their teachings. They proposed clever assertions while I spoke candid truths. To commend someone for their eloquence is one thing; to commend them for speaking truth is quite another. They will heed My Words, for they are triumphant. How so? Who among them offered sacrifice when it was outlawed and did not deny it? Who was led to pay homage to an idol and did not protest, fearing condemnation? Such individuals serve the devil.
Yet how did the Lord's Words prevail? "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Fear not those who can kill the body" (Matthew 10:16). He instilled fear, granted hope, and ignited love. "Fear not death," He declared. "Are you afraid? I will die first. Are you worried that a hair on your head will perish? I will rise unharmed." You have received rightly His Words, as they have triumphed. They spoke and were slain; they fell, yet stood resilient. What was the outcome of such martyrdom, if not that these words prevailed, watering the earth with the blood of Christ’s witnesses, elevating the Church's cross globally?
THEOSIS