Psalm 45 (44):11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do you recognize that what is present here is devoid of the sensual and the physical, existing entirely in the spiritual realm? Indeed, how can one be both a bride and a daughter of the same entity? How can a daughter also take on the role of a bride? Such a conjunction does not occur in worldly matters, which are typically separate; however, with God, it is possible to embody both identities simultaneously. He is the one who birthed the Church through baptism and also established her as His bride. ‘Hear, Daughter, and see.’ He bestowed upon her two gifts: teaching through His words and revealing Himself through miracles and faith; He had already granted her one blessing while assuring her of the other.

Her adversary is the city of the devil, Babylon, which signifies 'mixture.' However, through the process of rebirth, this queen is liberated from Babylon among the nations, transitioning from the wicked ruler to the benevolent Sovereign, moving from the devil to Christ. Therefore, it is declared to her, ‘Forget thy people and thy father's house.’ Among this treacherous multitude are also the Israelites by lineage, but not by faith; they stand as foes to the great King and His queen. The Christ who came to them and was rejected by them became even more the Christ of other nations, whom He had not encountered in the flesh.

"Hear, O daughter, and pay attention; forget your people and the house of your father." "And the King will be captivated by your beauty; for He is your Lord, and they will honor Him." The call to the Church is to listen and fulfill the commands given, as she is referred to as a daughter, establishing a relationship of love that grants her the privilege of being considered a child. "Hear, O daughter, and see." The term "see" encourages her to cultivate a contemplative mindset. Observe creation and, leveraging the order found within it, ascend toward a deeper understanding of the Creator. Thus, with a gentle admonition to set aside pride, He urges, "incline thine ear." Refrain from the myths of the pagans, and embrace the humble teachings of the Gospel.

Listen and observe. This message is directed once more to the Church. Leave behind your people and your father’s household. For one cannot approach the faith of Christ with purity unless they have wholly forsaken their past sinful actions. The members of the Church represent the former idolaters, while the house of their father symbolizes the wise of this world, wherein Satan resides like he does in dwelling places.

In the Hebrew text, it is stated, "Hear, O ye, and see, and incline thine ear, and forget thy people, and thy father's house, and the King shall desire thy beauty: for He is thy Lord, and thou shalt worship Him." This passage reflects the words of the prophet, whose messages, likened to the writings of a skilled scribe, convey the voice of the Holy Spirit referring to the same individual as King, Warrior, God, and Bridegroom. Here, the Father speaks to the bride of His Son, encouraging her to reject the deceptions of ancient pagan practices and idolatry. She is prompted first to pay attention to what is being communicated, as it is here that she, an outsider, will be recognized as a daughter.

Observe the abundance bestowed upon you by the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by the sacred Scriptures: the kingdom, gold, and beauty—this kingdom symbolizes your status as the bride of the eternal King. Alternatively, it signifies your unyielding spirit, which remains unaffected by the allure of worldly pleasures, allowing you to triumph over them like a sovereign. Gold represents the refinement that emerges from trials, much like how your virgin body, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, exudes an extraordinary loveliness.

This statement is certainly not relevant to the Jews, who take pride in the devotion of their forebears, through whom they have long experienced God’s protection. The Prophet instructs the Jews to adhere to the faith of their ancestors and to remember them. In contrast, the Church of the Gentiles had forefathers who worshiped idols. Hence, the Prophet advises her to be mindful of the traditions of her ancestors. The Holy Spirit refers to her as a daughter, signifying her spiritual rebirth, and assures her of the King's love for those who observe the commandments.

Observe, dear reader, how the prophet David allegorically engages the church to Christ, utilizing profound language. He refers to this same entity, the church, as the daughter of Christ. In human relations, it seems implausible for a single individual to regard the same person as both a bride and a daughter-in-law. Yet, in the divine context, Christ uniquely possesses the church both as His bride and as His daughter, for both relationships are spiritual in nature. Christ embraces His church as His bride through the binding of His gospel and as His daughter through the new birth conferred by holy baptism.

The bond that exists between the bride and groom symbolizes Christ and the believer’s soul. The bride is committed to her bridegroom, just as the human soul is united by faith with Christ, the Son of God, and cleansed through the sacrament of Baptism. The bride leaves behind her family and embraces her bridegroom exclusively. Likewise, the Christian soul, engaged to Christ, the Son of God, must abandon worldly distractions and hold fast to her Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, through the prophet, encourages such devotion: “Hear, daughter, and see, and incline thine ear, and forget thy people and thy father's house. And the King shall desire thy beauty” (Psalm 44:11-12). The bride adorns herself in beautiful garments for her bridegroom.

Listen and observe, and direct your attention, and forsake your people and your father's household. The king will desire your beauty, for he is your Lord, and you shall worship him. (Psalm 44:11-12). God, who is wondrous in His plans, has ordained from eternity to elevate those who belong to Him to the heights of unfathomable joy by merging His divine essence with humanity through His only begotten Son. This union extends through Him to the full realization of the Church, which, in light of the mystery of the Incarnation, constitutes His body, thereby reconciling the entirety of the divine with the emptiness of all created things in anticipation of the fulfilling of time (Eph. 1:10). As the Apostle states, He aims ‘to gather together into one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth’ (Eph. 1:10), culminating in Him being ‘God all in all’ (1 Cor. 15:28). This profound declaration of the eternal council, or as the Apostle describes it, this mystery, ‘hidden from ages and generations’ (Col. 1:26), is now ‘made manifest’ (Rom. 14:25) only to the saints, yet carries ‘seven seals’ (Rev. 5:5) even in its revelation. The Holy Spirit has long revealed it to His faithful, and through them, to humanity, as its understanding gradually matures to align with its fulfillment.

Thus, one of the Prophets, perceiving humanity beyond its infancy and maturing under the guidance of the law, envisioned the time of its expected union with the Divine and the birth of one who would bear wings untethered. He portrayed the Son of God as a king coming to marry, taking on the role of the bridegroom’s friend, urging human nature not to shun this glorious union through treachery and disobedience, but rather to engage with total sincerity and faithfulness. ‘Hear and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father’s house. The king shall desire your beauty.’ For a lengthy period, this Divine call reverberated within the Church, much like in the wilderness, apparently unheeded. Humanity lacked the courage to rise triumphantly to meet the Divine presence.

Imagine what might have transpired if the blessed Virgin Mary's heart had not responded to the incomprehensible voice of the Incarnation, had she not submitted entirely to God’s will in her response to the heavenly messenger: ‘Behold the servant of the Lord: let it be to me according to your word’ (Luke 1:38). Here we witness how this seemingly private occurrence—the presentation of a three-year-old virgin in the temple, dedicated to God—transcends to become a universal observance within the Church. This event signifies the infant bride of God’s initial betrothal to the Holy Spirit, marking a promise of the collective commitment of all humanity to the Divine. Although this mystery remained closely guarded in her, akin to a flower hidden within its seed, Providence often precedes crucial deeds with pivotal events that foreshadow the future. Tradition holds that at the very moment of the Blessed Virgin's introduction to the Temple, she was already heralded by prophetic words: ‘Hear ye and see’ and others. Now, in this time of fulfilling ancient promises, do you yearn to perceive more clearly the glory of this celebration? - Follow the Prophet’s guidance. ‘With joy shall they be brought,’ he continues, ‘they shall be brought unto the King’ (Psalm 44:15).

Is it not evident that the presentation of the Blessed Virgin to the King of Kings initiates a majestic procession, one in which all virtuous, pure souls follow her? The current celebration, in the Church's intent, is a continuation of this grand procession; those desiring to partake must conform to the virtues embodied by its illustrious leader, ‘the virgins in her wake’. To avoid becoming passive participants in this sacred procession, let us turn our souls toward this prophetic call: ‘Hear ye and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house. The King shall desire your beauty, for He is your Lord, and you shall worship Him’ (Psalm 44:11-12).

Firstly, understand here, O Christian soul, the eternal right by which you belong to the King of Kings, that you may approach Him through obedience and love. ‘The King shall desire your beauty, for He is your Lord.’ In human kingdoms, it seems unusual for anyone in the presence of their king to engage in a dispute regarding his rights over them. Isn’t it somewhat audacious, both in the king’s realm and in His invisible yet ever-present domain, to question God’s eternal governance over us? Many haughty thoughts and desires, as well as actions committed without regard for God, overshadow this inquiry, echoing the sentiments David condemned, ‘the mouth of the flatterers’ and ‘the tongue of the deceitful: ... who is the Lord to us?’ (Psalm 11:4-5). If only we could silence this egregious cry by acknowledging and recognizing God’s sovereignty over us!

God is our Lord by His right of creation. - If we regard as our own the home we build or the garden we cultivate, is it not a far greater claim that God has to govern all we possess and are? If the works of our hands could contest our rights over them, as many attempt to argue with God over His claim upon us, then our house might protest that we did not create the stone and timber we dwell within, nor did our garden sprout the fruits we gather. But ‘Who makes you to differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive?’ (1 Cor. 4:7). In this moment, set aside the gifts of the One whose authority over you you wish to contest; return what is His: what remains? - Nothingness, and worse still, sin, which corrupts the creation of God!

God is our Lord by His image imprinted within us. - Just as we mark our possessions with a seal, so God has imprinted His image upon man, His prized possession, an inscription no creature may claim as their own, akin to a manuscript solely open to the only begotten Son of God. Though humanity has broken this sacred seal, unveiling the secret of knowledge of good and evil, and has sold this divine inheritance into sin, remnants of the divine image are preserved within us to guide us back to God and restore the seal upon us. In an untainted human, the image of God signified bliss, while in the fallen, it symbolizes hope. It is the very foundation of our nature, though now fouled and concealed, yet sustains the entirety of our being. To further grasp our relationship with God through His image in us, consider the body’s shadow cast by the light of the surrounding world. Without the body and the illumination, what substance remains in that shadow? - Without God’s power and light, the shadow is nothing.

God is our Lord by His right of redemption. - It may happen that we, striving to retain what we deem our cherished possessions, negotiate to reclaim them, sacrificing other goods to satisfy unjust claims for the sake of our treasured possessions. The infinite love of God magnificently underscores His eternal claims over us in the extraordinary act of our redemption. Humanity desired independence from God, capturing itself back from the Divine will, yearning to be lord and god of their own. The guilty were condemned to eternal separation from Him. Yet love does not wish for humanity to perish. It embarks on a journey to extricate them from the abyss and reclaim them with a fervor surpassing that of before. It ‘redeems’ the sinner ‘from the curse of the law’ (Gal. 3:13) by becoming the curse itself. And by what means is the fallen redeemed, purchased from sin? - ‘Not with corruptible things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot’ (1 Pet. 1:18-19). Oh, the unfathomable dominion of love, which, to claim us, sacrifices itself; and gains us only to bestow upon us all that is good!

Christians! The Lord could do you no greater favor than that you ‘are not your own’ (1 Cor. 6:19). God is our Lord by His right of unceasing preservation and providential grace. - The elevation of humanity from nothingness, the exaltation via His image, and the restoration of the fallen manifest God’s ancient rights over us, rights that are better honored through reverence than through mere acknowledgment of power. But what does the Son of God proclaim? - ‘My Father works until now, and I work’ (John 5:17). There is no past for the eternal; all is ever-present. Everything exists solely through the continuous action of God’s being. A man may abandon his labor, for he only transforms pre-existing materials; however, if God were to withdraw His gaze from His creation, all would cease to be. ‘You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust’ (Ps. 104:29). How far must we look for You, O Lord! If we do not face oblivion, this itself signifies Your presence shining upon us. Does a sincere desire stir within us? Do we act righteously? - You ‘work in us both to will and to do for Your good pleasure’ (Phil. 2:13). Does a good thought arise? - We are ‘not sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from You’ (2 Cor. 3:5). If we escape danger, lamentation gives way to comfort, and overcome temptation? - ‘God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape’ (1 Cor. 10:13). Oh, how wonderfully strange we Christians would be if we took the time to recognize the divine fingerprints of God’s reign in everything that transpires around us!

On one occasion, the prophet Elisha, seeking to reassure his fearful servant, prayed: ‘Lord, open his eyes, that he may see,’ and the Lord opened his eyes, revealing a mountain filled with horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha (2 Kings 6:17). If faith could unveil our spiritual perception even now, we might behold all the heavenly hosts mobilized to guard our well-being and battle against the shadows of darkness. Yes! All heavenly hosts; for are not ‘they all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation’ (Heb. 1:14)? Even the one who refuses to believe without tangible evidence, like Thomas, will inevitably discover the truth of God’s universal dominion and declare: ‘My Lord and my God’ (John 20:28).

What is there that the powerful, the supremely benevolent Lord and Master within us could not justly demand from His servants, those whose existence resides solely in His hands, by whom alone ‘we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28)? What burden imposed by Him would we dare label as a hindrance to our freedom? What tribute would we deem excessive when weighed against His rightful authority over us? What offering could ever sufficiently honor Him? If He were to take back all He has graciously given, what could we respond but: ‘Your will be done, O Lord, for we hold no claim to a single particle of Your gifts, nor even a moment of existence.’ Yet God imposes upon us no burdens other than those which are ‘light and easy’ (Matt. 11:30). He asks for no offering beyond a willing heart to receive His gifts. He does not require sacrifices and burnt offerings, having fulfilled all the needs for us through the eternal sacrifice of His Son, who, having paid the price for our redemption, reigns only for our benefit. Indeed, His infinite sovereignty, in all its splendor, is merely a diverse service to His creation.

What, then, does this King wish from His servants? - ‘The King will desire your beauty’ (Psalm 44:12). Your Savior wishes to ‘betroth’ (2 Cor. 11:2) you to Himself ‘as a pure virgin, to betroth you to Himself forever’ (Hos. 2:19). ‘As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you’ (Isa. 62:5). Can you scorn this blessed longing? Therefore, heed and observe, and direct your heart, and forsake your kin and your father’s house. ‘The King shall desire your beauty. And you shall worship Him.’

In this passage, the message is directed toward the bride, referred to as the daughter of the king of Egypt. Although the Jewish law prohibited Solomon from marrying a foreign woman, it is clear that it was by God's unique grace that the Egyptian king sought a union with him. Nevertheless, since the same law required that Jewish wives be educated in the true worship of God prior to marriage, the Prophet took the young woman, who came from a nation of idolaters, and integrated her into the body of the Church through a new covenant. He instructed her to leave behind her former ways and upbringing, so as to prevent her from falling back into her previous idolatrous practices.