HOMILY 44
HOMILY 44
ON PSALM 131 (132)
(fi EMEMBER' 0 LORD, for David all his meekness.'l There are many commentators who conclude from the words of the Gospel: 'Son of David, have mercy on us'2-the cry of the blind man sitting on the wayside at Jericho-that this David, whose name means 'strong of hand,' refers to the Lord Savior.3 If, however, we accept their judgment, we are doing violence to our intelligence, for if the words: 'Remember, 0 Lord, for David all his meekness,' refer to Christ, how, then, does Christ say as of another: '''Till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the God of Jacob."
Behold we heard of her in Ephratha, we found her in the fields of the wood'?4 Furthermore, what is the meaning of:
'For the sake of David your servant, reject not the plea of your anointed'?5 The order of exposition in the psalm does not admit of such interpretation, for if David is Christ, as they think, we begin our process of deduction thus: For the sake of Christ your servant, reject not the plea of your
Christ. I am opposing this consideration to those who construe David in this passage as Christ-not that we would deny that David is a type of Christ, in conformity with the Scriptural texts; but that in this particular instance such exegesis does not make sense.
How it happens that they make this blunder, I shall ex1 Cf. Ps. 131 (132).1.
2 Matt. 20.30.
3 Cf. Commentary on Galatians 5.22. PL 26.449 (512).
4 Cf. Ps. 131 (132).5, 6.
5 Ps. 131 (132).10.
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SAINT JEROME
plain to you. Because it is written: 'Remember, 0 Lord, for David all his meekness,' and the Lord says in the Gospel:
'Learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart,'6 they, with pious sentiment, indeed, but no less with error, interpret David here as Christ and apply his meekness to Christ. Consequently, let us expound this psalm in its reference to David, in order that we may discern Him more truly as the Christ who derives His origin from David. Besides, take note of the sequence in the psalm. Since, undoubtedly, this is one of the great psalms, and we have already said much, we shall have to compress our thoughts into concise remarks that the prudent hearer, from what we have said, may on his own comprehend what we must leave unsaid.
'How he swore to the Lord, vowed to the God of J acob.'7 In the Hebrew text, there is not the word W. equivalent to our
Latin 'sicut,' nor is the meaning such; but instead there is 6. or the Latin 'qui,' and the meaning is: 'Remember, 0 Lord, for David all his meekness, who swore to the Lord, who vowed to the God of Jacob.' I do not think that this discrepancy is as much a fault of the Septuagint translators, as 1 think it is an error on the part of the scribes.s '1 will not enter the house 1 live in.' David is saying here:
1 seek no other resting place save Christ who will be born of my seed, whom You promised would be born of my posterity.
'I will give my eyes no sleep, my eyelids no rest, nor rest to my temples, till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the God of J acob.'9 Many exegetes think that this foreshadows the Church, but to me it seems to refer not so much to the Church, as to holy Mary. It even says: 'Behold we heard of her in Ephratha; we found her in the fields of the wood.'l0
Let us read Sacred Scripture, and day and night let us ponder over every syllable, every letter; let us analyze and discuss
6 Matt. 11.29; cf. Letter 82.1, PL 22.736 (513); 76.1, PL 22.689 (456).
7 Cf. Ps. 131 (132).2.
8 Cf. Commentarioli in ps. 131.
9 Cf. Ps. 131 (132).4,5.
10 Cf. Ps. 131 (132).6.
HOMILY 44
it. Someone may say that here 'Ephratha' stands for Bethlehem. To be sure we read in Genesis: 'He came into Bethlehem, that is, Ephratha.'ll This is said of Jacob when his wife
Rachel died in Ephratha. Let us look into the origin of the name Ephratha. It is written in Paralipomenon that Maria, the sister of Moses and Aaron, had married a man by name,
Or-not Ur, but Or. By reason of this marriage the right order is defined and expressed as follows: 'Mary, the sister of Moses and Aaron, that is, Ephratha.'12 You will find this in Paralipomenon. This, then, is the source of the name
Ephratha in our psalm. Perhaps some one questions the derivation because it is so novel, but I refer such a one to the authority of the Book.
'Behold we heard of her in Ephratha.' The Hebrew text has 'him'13 instead of 'her,' calling attention to Him who is to be born of the descendants of David: 'We heard of him in Ephratha': because these words point to Mary. We also may understand simply that Ephratha is said for Bethlehem, and Christ is to be born in Bethlehem. Happy, indeed, the place celebrated so long before its time in the song of the prophets!
True, all the places are holy and venerable, where Christ was born, where He was crucified, where He rose from the dead, and where as victor He ascended into heaven, but this place is fittingly more venerable. Just think of the compassionate kindness of God! Here, a poor little Child is born, an Infant is laid in a manger: 'because there was no room for them in the inn.'l' 0 monks, the Lord is born on earth, and He does not have even a cell in which to be born; there was no room for Him in the inn. The entire human race had a place, and the Lord about to be born on earth had none. He found no room among men; He found no room in Plato, none in II Cf. Gen. 35.19; d. Hebrew Questions on Genesis 35.19, PL 23.1042
(360); Letter 108.10, PL 22.885 (698); d. Commentary on Michea 5.2,
PL 25.1197-1198 (489-490).
12 Cf. 1 Par. 4.4; 2.19; 2.50, 51; 6.3; d. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities II 1.4 (Loeb).
13 Cf. Letter 108.10, PL 22.885 (699); Commentarioli in ps. 131.6.
14 Luke 2.7; d. Letter 14.11, PL 22.354 (37).
SAINT JEROME
Aristotle, but in a manger, among beasts of burden and brute animals, and among the simple, too, and the innocent. For that reason the Lord says in the Gospel: 'The foxes have dens, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head.'15
15 Luke 9.58.