Tag: Ambrose
Psalm 62(61): In God alone be at rest!
1. The gentle words of Psalm 62[61] have just resounded; it is a hymn of trust that opens with what appears to be an antiphon, repeated halfway through the text. It is like a peaceful and strong ejaculatory prayer, an invocation that also becomes a programme of life: “In God alone is my soul at… Read More ›
5 Things We Can Learn from the Martyrdom of St. Lawrence
In the year 257, the Roman Emperor Valerian ordered that all Christians as well as Bishops, priests, deacons, and Pope Sixtus II, were to be apprehended and put to death. One year after this decree was issued, Pope Saint Sixtus was taken into custody by Roman soldiers and martyred. Four days later, the Pope’s good… Read More ›
Psalm 46(45): God “our refuge and strength”
1. We have just heard the first of the six hymns to Zion that are contained in the Psalter (cf. also Ps 48[47]; 76[75]; 84[83]; 87[86]; 122[121]. Like the other similar compositions, Psalm 46[45] celebrates the Holy City of Jerusalem, “the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High” (v. 5), but above… Read More ›
Psalm 119(118):145-152: Praise God for His Gift of Law
1. What the liturgy of Lauds for Saturday of the first week offers us is a single strophe of Ps 118[119], (the verses 145-152), in the monumental prayer of 22 strophes or stanzas, that correspond to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each strophe begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the… Read More ›
Psalm 119(118): v. 145-152: let Christ be light of day
1. In our already long journey through the Psalms that the Liturgy of Lauds presents, we come to one strophe – to be precise, the 19th – of the longest prayer of the Psalter, Psalm 118[119]. It is a part of an immense alphabetical hymn. In a play on style, the Psalmist divides his work into 22… Read More ›
Psalm 118 [117]: In all our trials, God has the last word
1. The sequence of Psalms from 112[111] to 117[118] was sung during the most important and joyful feasts of ancient Judaism, especially during the celebration of the Passover. This series of hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God were called the “Egyptian Hallel” because, in one of them, Psalm 114 A [113], the exodus of Israel… Read More ›
Do you own possessions or do they posses you?
A possession ought to belong to the possessor, not the possessor to the possession. Whosoever, therefore, does not use his patrimony as a possession, who does not know how to give and distribute to the poor, he is the servant of his wealth, not its master; because like a servant he watches over the wealth… Read More ›