Psalm 43 (42):5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

We come to understand that within us exists something reflecting the image of God, specifically our mind and intellect. This same mind yearns for the Light and Truth of God. It is through this intellect that we discern good from evil, and distinguish truth from deception. This faculty is known as understanding, which is distinctly absent in animals. To this understanding, anyone who disregards it within themselves, paying less attention to it than to other aspects of their being, and neglects it as if it were nonexistent, finds themselves reminded in the psalm: “Be not as a horse or a mule, which have no understanding.”

Then, our understanding directs us toward our soul. The soul languishes in sorrow, tires from longing, grieves amidst temptations, and grows weary from toil. The mind, catching a glimpse of the ultimate Truth, seeks to awaken the spirit and queries, “Why are you downcast, O my soul?” These words, dear friends, hold true: yet remain steadfast in good deeds. Engage with the psalms by observing the Commandments; approach the harp by enduring your trials with patience. As Isaiah instructs, “Break thy bread to the hungry.” (Isaiah 58:7) Do not assume that fasting alone fulfills the requirement. Fasting merely punishes oneself; it does not uplift others. Your sorrow can bring you closer to God if you seek to console others. Reflect on your own self-denial; to whom will you extend what you have withheld? How many needy individuals could benefit from the meal we elected to forgo today?

Fast in such a way that you rejoice in having given someone else your meal. Elevate your prayers, so they may be answered. For it is written: “While ye yet speak, I will say, Here am I, if you willingly share your bread with the hungry.” Often, people offer assistance begrudgingly, simply to rid themselves of a bothersome beggar, rather than to genuinely aid those in need. Yet, God delights in a cheerful giver. (2 Cor. 9:7) Bestow your offerings joyfully; otherwise, both your gift and the merit of the action will be lost. Let your generosity spring from the heart so that He who sees in secret (Matt. 6:6) may respond while you are still declaring, “Here am I.” The prayers of those who act righteously are swiftly answered. In this life, righteousness consists of fasting, charity, and prayer. Do you wish for your prayer to ascend to God? Equip it with two wings: almsgiving and fasting. In these manners, let the Light of God and the Truth of God encounter us, so that we may stand unafraid when He comes to rescue us from death, having already come to endure death on our behalf. Amen.

This arrival of Christ fulfills this need. Youth symbolizes the restoration from death, while the Gospel is the very essence through which humanity praises God. It delights the Redeemer that we might partake in His divine indifference to suffering while being filled with holiness even in our mortal state. The cry, "My God, my God!" signifies the profound love that burns within the heart for God.

The divine resemblance in humanity encompasses intellect, speech, and spirit; furthermore, as the Apostle Paul articulates, man consists of spirit, soul, and body. Within the physical form resides the animal soul, which includes passion-driven aspects as well as the faculties of hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch. Humanity is elevated due to God's act of creation, where He breathed into man the breath of His own might. The inner spiritual being discerns good from evil, possesses the freedom of will, and exercises self-control. While earthbound existence includes prisons and hell after death, animals do not partake in such consequences; for man is a morally accountable being, bearing the image and likeness of God and should aspire to goodness and holiness. Christ is the source of human salvation. Our tranquility resides in the Lord, as He proclaimed, "This I say to you, that in Me you may have peace."