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In Psalmum 118 (homiliae 1-3) [Sp.]

ON THE 118TH PSALM, That is, the blameless. First Stasis.

55.675 1. A great treasure and spiritual wealth and a most pleasing benefit for souls, for both the praise and glorification of God, and for the security of our life and a pattern of good works, in the weekly cycle on the first day (which is also called the Lord's day by us, because of the Lord who rose on it), our renowned guides and teachers, our holy fathers, handed down to us to sing and to chant the one hundred and eighteenth psalm. For it is an instruction and a guidance for the life according to God. For it also has this title, because it directs those who pay attention and accurately investigate its meaning towards the perfection of life, and according to its name, it makes them blameless. Now, one who is blameless is he who is free from all pollution and defilement and filth, and is beyond every stain and lawlessness and sin; and this same one is also blessed, because after the departure from this life he will be deemed worthy of true blessedness, and will be illuminated by the light of divine knowledge, and will dwell in eternal rest and delight, which is the kingdom of heaven. Wherefore also the hymnodist David, perceiving with prophetic eyes the grace of holy baptism, cried out: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven. But those who have kept this grace, and have acted according to the covenant, and are brought to God and to holy baptism, these, as achieving practical virtue, he calls blessed in this psalm. But the theme of this psalm also has a certain other, most sublime meaning. For this same divine David had many and various changes of circumstances. For he both fled enemies, and pursued enemies, and fell into despondencies, and again had a more cheerful life; and he ran the divine way, and stumbled while on the way, and again followed the divine laws. Therefore, he brought all these things together in this psalm, and having fitted together the prayers offered by him to God at each particular time, he has set forth one profitable teaching for mankind, and he teaches through what he says, how it is possible to achieve practical virtue. But he does not neglect the accuracy of dogmas either, but to the moral precepts he also adds the teaching concerning these, so that this psalm is sufficient both to perfect in it those who aspire to perfect virtue, and to rouse to diligence those who live in ease, and to comfort the despondent, and to discipline the indolent, and, simply put, to apply an all-purpose therapy to the various passions of men. 55.676 Blessed are the blameless in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. As if we should say, blessed are those in this transitory life who walk in the law of the Lord. For the present life is called a "way" by the prophet, because it has nothing stationary or firm. For our life is a shadow, and like smoke it quickly passes away. For thus said the apostle James: For what is your life? It is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. And Gregory the Theologian philosophized something of this sort: a certain cycle of our affairs runs its course, differently at different times in a single day, and sometimes even in an hour, bringing changes. Therefore, brothers, we brought nothing into this world, as the divine apostle says, nor will we be able to take anything out. Let us be concerned about the things to come;

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In Psalmum 118 (homiliae 1-3) [Sp.]

ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΡΙΗʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ, Ητοι τὸν ἄμωμον. Στάσις αʹ.

55.675 αʹ. Μέγα θησαύρισμα καὶ πλοῦτον πνευματικὸν καὶ ψυχῶν θυμηρεστάτην λυσιτέλειαν πρός τε τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ αἴνεσιν καὶ δοξολογίαν, καὶ τοῦ βίου ἡμῶν ἀσφάλειαν καὶ ὑποτύπωσιν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων, κατὰ ἀνακύκλησιν τῆς ἑβδομάδος τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ (ἥτις καὶ κυριακὴ παρ' ἡμῶν ὀνομάζεται, διὰ τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ ἀναστάντα Κύριον) οἱ κλεινοὶ καθηγεμόνες καὶ διδάσκαλοι, ἅγιοι πατέρες ἡμῶν, παρέδοσαν ἡμῖν ᾄδειν καὶ ψάλλειν τὸν ἑκατοστὸν ὀκτωκαιδέκατον ψαλμόν. Στοιχείωσις γάρ ἐστι καὶ ὁδή γησις τοῦ κατὰ Θεὸν βίου. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἔχει, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς προσέχοντας καὶ ἐρευνῶντας ἀκριβῶς τὴν τούτου σαφήνειαν ῥυθμίζει πρὸς τελειότητα βίου, καὶ κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ὀνομασίαν ἀμώμους ἀποτελεῖ. Ἄμω μος δέ ἐστιν ὁ παντὸς ἄγους καὶ μύσους καὶ ῥύπου ἀπηλλαγμένος, καὶ κηλῖδος ἁπάσης ἐκτὸς καὶ ἀνομίας καὶ ἁμαρτίας· ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ μακάριος, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν τοῦ βίου ἐκδημίαν τῆς ἀληθινῆς μακαριότητος ἀξιωθήσεται, καὶ τῷ φωτὶ καταγλαϊσθήσεται τῆς θείας γνώσεως, καὶ εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ τρυφὴν αἰωνίαν αὐ λισθήσεται, ἥτις ἐστὶν οὐρανῶν βασιλεία. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ ὑμνογράφος ∆αυῒδ τοῖς προφητικοῖς ὄμμασι κατανοήσας τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος χάριν ἐβόα· Μακάριοι, ὧν ἀφέθησαν αἱ ἀνομίαι. Τοὺς δὲ τηρήσαντας ταύτην τὴν χάριν, καὶ κατὰ τὴν συνταγὴν ποιήσαντας, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ προσαγομένους καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ βαπτίσματι, τούτους ὡς κατορθοῦντας τὴν πρακτικὴν ἀρετὴν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ψαλμῷ μακαρίζει. Ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν τινὰ ὑψηλοτάτην ἔννοιαν ἡ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ τοῦδε ὑπόθεσις. Αὐτὸς γὰρ οὗτος ὁ θεῖος ∆αυῒδ πολλὰς καὶ διαφόρους πραγμάτων ἔσχε μεταβο λάς. Καὶ γὰρ ἔφυγε πολεμίους, καὶ ἐδίωξε πολεμίους, καὶ περιέπεσεν ἀθυμίαις, καὶ θυμηρεστέραν πάλιν ἔσχε ζωήν· καὶ τὴν θείαν ὁδὸν ἔδραμε, καὶ προσέπταισεν ὁδεύων, καὶ αὖθις τοῖς θείοις ἠκολούθησε νόμοις. Ταῦτα τοίνυν ἅπαντα κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἐν τῷδε συνήγαγε τῷ ψαλμῷ, καὶ τὰς καθ' ἕκαστον καιρὸν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ προσενεχθείσας τῷ Θεῷ προσευχὰς προσαρμόσας ἀλλήλαις, μίαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὀνησιφόρον διδασκαλίαν προτέθεικε, καὶ δι δάσκει δι' ὧν λέγει, πῶς δυνατὸν κατορθῶσαι τὴν πρα κτικὴν ἀρετήν. Οὐκ ἀμελεῖ δὲ οὐδὲ τῆς τῶν δογμάτων ἀκριβείας, ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἠθικαῖς ὑποθήκαις καὶ τὴν περὶ τούτων διδασκαλίαν προστίθησιν, ὡς ἀρκεῖν τοῦτον τὸν ψαλμὸν καὶ τοὺς τῆς τελείας ἀρετῆς ἐφιεμένους ἐν αὐτῇ τελειῶσαι, καὶ τοὺς ῥᾳστώνῃ συζῶντας πρὸς σπουδὴν διεγεῖραι, καὶ ψυχαγωγῆσαι τοὺς ἀθυμοῦντας, καὶ ῥυ θμίσαι τοὺς ῥᾳθυμοῦντας, καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς παντοδαπὴν θεραπείαν ἐνθεῖναι τοῖς ποικίλοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων παθή μασι. 55.676 Μακάριοι οἱ ἄμωμοι ἐν ὁδῷ, οἱ πορευόμενοι ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου. Ὡς ἵνα εἴπωμεν, μακάριοι οἱ ἐν τῷδε τῷ προσκαίρῳ βίῳ πορευόμενοι ἐν νόμῳ Κυρίου. Ὁδὸς γὰρ παρὰ τῷ προφήτῃ ὁ παρὼν βίος εἴρηται, διὰ τὸ μη δὲν στάσιμον ἢ βέβαιον ἔχειν. Σκιὰ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ βίος ἡμῶν, καὶ καπνοῦ δίκην συντόμως παρέρχεται. Οὕτω γὰρ ἔφη ὁ ἀπόστολος Ἰάκωβος· Ποία γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ζωὴ ἡμῶν; Ἀτμὶς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ πρὸς ὀλίγον φαινομένη, ἔπειτα ἀφανιζομένη. Τοιοῦτον δέ τι καὶ ὁ θεολόγος Γρηγόριος ἐφιλοσόφησε· κύκλος τις τῶν ἡμετέρων πε ριτρέχει πραγμάτων, ἄλλοτε ἄλλως ἐπὶ μιᾶς ἡμέρας, ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ ὥρας, φέρων μεταβολάς. Οὐδὲν οὖν, ἀδελφοὶ, εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον, κα θὼς ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος λέγει, οὐδὲ ἐξενεγκεῖν τι δυ νησόμεθα. Περὶ τῶν μελλόντων φροντίσωμεν·