Tomorrow, the Psalm at mass is Psalm 42: "As the deer longs for the water-brooks, so longs my soul for you, O God." Here is what Augustine says:
“It [the deer] destroys serpents, and after the killing of serpents, it is inflamed with thirst yet more violent; having destroyed serpents, it runs to the water-brooks, with thirst more keen than before. The serpents are thy vices; destroy the serpents of iniquity, then wilt thou long yet more for the Fountain of Truth.”
Verse 2: "My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God; when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?"
Verse 3: "My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long they say to me, 'Where now is your God?'"
Verse 3 is reminiscent of Ecclesiasticus: "[Wisdom] will feed him with the bread of understanding, and give him the water of wisdom to drink."
So penance is the route to wisdom. Therefore "My tears have been my food day and night" etc.
St. Bonaventure considers the vindication of the wise and penitent soul: "What would I not give to behold the multitude, composed not only of victors from among every tribe of men, but of Angels, of Archangels, of every dignity of the celestial hierarchy? Of these I may speak: of these I can perchance think: but of the King Who is in the midst of them, -- but of the Lamb That liveth, and yet hath, as it were, been slain, what voice of man can say a single word, what heart of man can think a single thought? My soul is athirst for that city which is the dwelling-place of all Angels, all Saints: where eternal salvation abounds as from an overflowing fountain; where truth reigns, where none deceives or is deceived, where nothing that is beautiful can be ejected, where nothing that is wretched can be admitted.”
Amen; I say. Amen.
“It [the deer] destroys serpents, and after the killing of serpents, it is inflamed with thirst yet more violent; having destroyed serpents, it runs to the water-brooks, with thirst more keen than before. The serpents are thy vices; destroy the serpents of iniquity, then wilt thou long yet more for the Fountain of Truth.”
Verse 2: "My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God; when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?"
Verse 3: "My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long they say to me, 'Where now is your God?'"
Verse 3 is reminiscent of Ecclesiasticus: "[Wisdom] will feed him with the bread of understanding, and give him the water of wisdom to drink."
So penance is the route to wisdom. Therefore "My tears have been my food day and night" etc.
St. Bonaventure considers the vindication of the wise and penitent soul: "What would I not give to behold the multitude, composed not only of victors from among every tribe of men, but of Angels, of Archangels, of every dignity of the celestial hierarchy? Of these I may speak: of these I can perchance think: but of the King Who is in the midst of them, -- but of the Lamb That liveth, and yet hath, as it were, been slain, what voice of man can say a single word, what heart of man can think a single thought? My soul is athirst for that city which is the dwelling-place of all Angels, all Saints: where eternal salvation abounds as from an overflowing fountain; where truth reigns, where none deceives or is deceived, where nothing that is beautiful can be ejected, where nothing that is wretched can be admitted.”
Amen; I say. Amen.
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