THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
I wish, dear brethren, that we had chosen to follow our Father; nevertheless, it is indeed good to obey Him. Therefore, as the one who humbly intercedes for us has instructed, I will share with you, beloved, what this psalm conveys that is common to our Lord Jesus Christ. The psalm bears the title "A Song of Praise by David." This song signifies joy, being a song, and devotion, being praise. For what is more deserving of our praise than that which we cherish so deeply that we could never detest it? Thus, when we extol God, we do so with assurance. The one who praises finds safety in a place where there is no fear of disgrace concerning the object of such praise. Let us, therefore, engage in both praise and song; that is, let us celebrate with exuberance and joy. The psalm reveals to us the substance of our praise in the verses that follow.
Come, let us sing to the Lord. He invites us to partake in a lavish feast of joy—not one confined to this earthly realm, but one that is genuinely in Him. If joy in this life were solely virtuous, it would suffice to merely say, "Come, let us rejoice;" yet He underscores the point. What does it mean to rejoice? It means to take joy in the Lord. It is essential to rejoice in the Lord if indeed you wish to tread safely upon the world. What does this word "Come" imply? He calls forth those distant from Him so that, through coming closer, they may draw near, and in drawing near, find themselves rejoicing. Yet, from where are they distant? Can one truly be spatially separate from the One who is omnipresent? It is not a matter of distance in terms of place, but rather that a person is far from God due to a life that is contrary to His nature. What signifies being unlike Him? It manifests as a life filled with sinful habits; for through good conduct, we draw closer to God, but through wicked deeds, we drift away. Therefore, if by dissimilarity we move away from God, through likeness, we draw near to Him. What likeness are we referring to? It is the divine image after which we were created, that we corrupted through sin, which has been restored to us through absolution, and renewed within us in our minds, so that it may be etched anew, like an impression on a coin—that is, the likeness of God within our souls, enabling us to return to His bountiful treasures.
Let us shout for joy to God, our Salvation. Consider, beloved, those who express exuberance in ordinary songs, perhaps during some worldly celebration; observe how, as they read the lyrics, they often erupt with a joy that language fails to adequately capture. If they can exclaim with joy over earthly matters, how much more should we not express joy from the heavenly blessings that we cannot fully articulate?
Let us approach Him with confession. Confession holds a dual significance in Holy Scripture. There exists the confession of praise—which honors the one praised—and the confession of lament—which pertains to repentance. Men confess when they extol God and when they acknowledge their shortcomings; the tongue has no more worthy application. I genuinely believe this relates to the vows mentioned in another psalm, where it is declared, "I will repay You my vows that I have voiced." There is nothing more exalted than discernment; it is essential both for comprehension and action. How then can you discern the vows you make to God? By praising Him, while simultaneously acknowledging your failings, for it is His mercy that forgives our transgressions. Had He chosen to judge us according to our merits, He would have found only grounds for condemnation. "Oh, come," He beckons, "let us finally return from our wrongdoings, so He may not remind us of our past sins, but in starting afresh, all records of our debts will be erased." Therefore, the more you feel despair for your sins, the more fervently you should confess; for the more profound the mercy of the Forgiver, the more generous the confession of the repentant. Let us not think that we have strayed from the song of praise by recognizing the confession where we admit our faults; rather, it is indeed an aspect of praising, as acknowledging our sins glorifies God's splendor.
And let us raise our voices joyfully with psalms. We have already defined what it means to make a joyful noise: this reiteration serves to emphasize action. We do not merely repeat to reiterate but to enhance the impact of our message. We recall that in emotionally charged settings, familiar words are repeated, not to render them more common, but to amplify the sentiment expressed. Listen now, for the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. The Lord will not forsake His people. Praise Him and raise your jubilant voices to Him! Whom is He unwilling to reject? Here we cannot offer our own interpretations, for the Apostle has illuminated this for us, clarifying who is meant. It refers to the Jewish nation—a lineage of prophets and patriarchs, born of the seed of Abraham—where all the mysteries heralding our Savior had their beginnings; a people among whom the temple, the anointing, and the Priest as symbol had been established, so that upon the fulfillment of these shadows, the Light itself may descend. This was indeed the people of God; the prophets were sent to them, and through them, the messengers relayed the divine revelations of God. What, then? Is this entire people cast away? Absolutely not. The apostle refers to it as the good olive tree, originating from the patriarchs. So, this remains the tree itself: though some branches may have been pruned, not all have fallen. For if every branch had been removed, from where would Peter come? From where would John arise? What of Thomas, Matthew, or Andrew? All these apostles are connected to this lineage. Where did the five hundred brethren go to whom our Lord appeared post-Resurrection? From where did such multitudes come that, according to Peter, those filled with the Holy Spirit spoke with the tongues of all nations, turning with zeal for God's glory? And those who had first shed the Lord's blood in rage, came to believe and embraced His teachings? These five thousand were so transformed that they sold their possessions and presented the proceeds to the Apostles. What one wealthy individual could not do when commanded by the Lord—departing sorrowfully—many thousands of those who had participated in Christ's crucifixion did swiftly. The greater the wound in their hearts, the more desperately they sought a healer. Thus, since they are all from this lineage, the psalm affirms that "the Lord will not forsake His people."
What more does the psalm declare? All corners of the earth lie within His grasp. We recognize the cornerstone, which is Christ. A corner cannot exist without connecting two walls; they converge from different sides into a single corner, without conflict. The circumcised are from one side, the uncircumcised from another; yet in Christ, both groups unite, as He became that stone of which it is written, "The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone."
For the sea belongs to Him, and He created it. The sea symbolizes this world, and though created by Him, the waves have boundaries where He has marked their limits. Therefore, no trial exceeds its limits. His hands have fashioned the dry land. Be dry land; yearn for the grace of God, so that it may rain upon you like refreshing waters and yield fruit within you. He does not allow the waves to wash away what He has sown. Thus, let us fervently call upon the Lord.
Come, let us bow down in worship; let us weep before the Lord our Maker. You may be smoldering with the burden of your mistakes; extinguish the fire of your sin with tears: weep before the Lord; weep fearlessly before the One who created you; for He will not disregard the work of His hands within you. Do not expect to recover on your own. By yourself, you may stumble, but you cannot restore yourself; it is He who fashioned you who restores you. Weep before the Lord our Maker: weep before Him and confess to Him, letting His presence guide your confession. Who are you weeping and confessing before Him but one whom He has created? The trust of a created being in the Creator is significant, fashioned in His image and likeness.
For He is our Lord and God. But so we may kneel and submit to Him without fear, who are we? We are the flock of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Notice how gracefully He reorders these words, endowing each with its own significance, allowing us to perceive that His sheep are also His people. He did not say, "The sheep of His pasture and the people of His hand," which might have seemed more fitting since sheep dwell in the pasture; rather, He affirmed, "The people of His pasture," thus merging the identities. His people are indeed His sheep. He also commends His flock in the Song of Songs, describing them as perfect sheep, equating them to the teeth of His Bride, the Holy Church. Your teeth resemble a flock of shorn sheep emerging from a cleansing process, where each one produces twins, and none is barren. What does "your teeth" symbolize? They represent those through whom you express yourselves, as the teeth of the Church are her means of communication. How are your teeth akin to a flock of shorn sheep? They have shed the burdens of the world. Were those sheep not divinely shorn when the command was given, "Go, sell what you possess, give to the poor, and you will find treasure in heaven; then come, follow Me?" They obeyed this directive; they came free of the weight of worldly concerns. And what of the baptized believers in Christ? They emerge from the cleansing—thus born anew. Moreover, each gives birth to twins. What twins? These are the two commandments upon which all the Law and the Prophets depend.
So today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. O my people, the people of God! He speaks to His people—not only to those He will not cast away but to all His people. For He speaks through the cornerstone to every wall, as prophecy in Christ transcends both Jew and Gentile. You once heard His voice through Moses and hardened your hearts. But now, as He speaks through a herald, He Himself speaks to soften your hearts. He who sent heralds to proclaim His word now comes to you personally, speaking with His own voice, just as He did through the Prophets.
As in the provocation and testing during the wilderness, your forefathers tempted Me. Let your ancestors not serve as your example: do not mimic them. They may have been your forebears, but if you do not follow their example, they will cease to be your ancestors; yet, because of your birth, they are nonetheless linked to you. If Gentiles from the corners of the earth—the scripture asserting, "The Gentiles shall come to you from the ends of the earth and testify, ‘Our ancestors inherited falsehood, vanity, and emptiness’"—abandon their idols and return to the God of Israel, how should the descendants of Israel, liberated by their God from Egypt through the Red Sea, where He vanquished their pursuers and sustained them in the wilderness with manna, ever forsake Him? He has not removed His rod of correction from them. For forty years, He was near to that generation, affirming: "These are a people who continually err in their hearts, for they have not recognized My ways." The number forty carries the meaning of completeness; it encapsulates the fullness of the ages. Our Lord fasted for forty days, was tempted for forty days, and appeared to His disciples for forty days after His resurrection. In those first forty days, He demonstrated temptation, while in the latter forty days, He imparted comfort, for it is in our trials that we find solace. For His Body, which is the Church, must endure tribulation on this earth; yet, the Comforter who promised, "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age," is ever present. His community has seen forty years of journeying, to illustrate a generation that perpetually frustrates Him, even to the end of this world; through these forty years, He signifies the entirety of this earth's duration.