Psalm 25 (24):16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I am united as one people, preserving the humility of Your singular Church, free from any divisions or false teachings.

Other translators have rendered the term as isolated. However, the Prophet declares: I am forsaken; thus, I implore You to extend Your intercession. He articulates his plea with deep emotion: Consider me and show compassion to me; in other words, acknowledge my isolation and the many foes surrounding me; for when You behold these circumstances, You will undoubtedly extend Your mercy towards me.

Gaze upon me and show compassion toward me The manner in which God observes me has been discussed in previous psalms. Refer to Psalm 12:4 where it states, Look upon me and hear me. Why does David refer to himself as the only begotten when he had siblings? The explanation is that he identifies himself as the only begotten because he stands apart and isolated from those around him, as illustrated in another passage where he mentions, And by the hand of the dog my only begotten (Psalm 21:21); he refers to himself as poor due to his lack of any human assistance.

Recognizing his own dependence on God, he justly beseeches the Lord to also turn His gaze towards him. This silent plea, made with his eyes set on God, expresses a desire for the Divine to perceive his isolation and need with compassion and understanding. Referring to himself as a unicorn, he indicates his status as an orphan and a solitary figure, whether due to actual abandonment by friends and family or a conscious withdrawal from others, placing all his trust solely in God. He calls himself a beggar, reflecting his humility and acknowledgment of his own shortcomings in virtues and merits.

The Lord Jesus prays to God the Father in His human nature, as the only Son to the mountaintop, and as the unique Son to His Mother. Yet humanity is so destitute for the sake of others that it finds no resting place (Matthew 8:20). As beings created in God's likeness and endowed with the breath of the Almighty, humans are called to emulate Christ the Savior, being born of both water and the Spirit.