Psalm 66 [MT 67]

...Thence he begins, "Be joyful in God." Who? "Every land" [Psalm 66:1]. Not therefore Judæa alone. See, brethren, after what sort is set forth the universality of the Church in the whole world spread abroad: and mourn ye not only the Jews, who envied the Gentiles that grace, but still more for heretics wail ye. For if they are to be mourned, that have not been gathered together, how much more they that being gathered together have been divided? "Jubilate in God every land." What is "jubilate"? Into the voice of rejoicings break forth if you cannot into that of words. For "jubilation" is not of words, but the sound alone of men rejoicing is uttered, as of a heart labouring and bringing forth into voice the pleasure of a thing imagined which cannot be expressed. "Be joyful in God every land:" let no one jubilate in a part: let every land be joyful, let the Catholic Church jubilate. The Catholic Church embraces the whole: whosoever holds a part and from the whole is cut off, should howl, not jubilate.

Exposition on Psalm 66

"But play ye to His name" [Psalm 66:2]. What has he said? By you "playing" let His name be blessed. But what it is to "play"? To play is also to take up an instrument which is called a psaltery, and by the striking and action of the hands to accompany voices. If therefore ye jubilate so that God may hear; play also something that men may both see and hear: but not to your own name....For if for the sake of yourselves being glorified ye do good works, we make the same reply as He made to certain of such men, "Verily I say unto you, they have received their reward:" [Matthew 6:2] and again, "Otherwise no reward ye will have with your Father that is in Heaven." [Matthew 6:1] You will say, ought I, then, to hide my works, that I do them not before men? No. But what says He? "Let your works shine before men." In doubt then I shall remain. On one side You say to me, "Take heed that you do not your righteousness before men:" on the other side You say to me, "Let your good works shine before men;" what shall I keep? What do? What leave undone? A man can as well serve two masters commanding different things as one commanding different things. I command not, says the Lord, different things. The end observe, for the end sing: with what end you do it, see thou. If for this reason you do it, that you may be glorified, I have forbidden it: but if for this reason, that God may be glorified, I have commanded it. Play therefore, not to your own name, but to the name of the Lord your God. Play ye, let Him be lauded: live ye well, let Him be glorified. For whence have ye that same living well? If for everlasting ye had had it, you would never have lived ill; if from yourselves ye had had it, you never would have done otherwise than have lived well. "Give glory to His praise." Our whole attention upon the praise of God he directs, nothing for us he leaves whence we should be praised. Let us glory thence the more, and rejoice: to Him let us cleave, in Him let us be praised. You heard when the Apostle was being read, "See ye your calling, brethren, how not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, but the foolish things of the world God has chosen to confound the wise." [1 Corinthians 1:26-27] ...But the Lord chose afterwards orators also; but they would have been proud, if He had not first chosen fishermen; He chose rich men; but they would have said that on account of their riches they had been chosen, unless at first He had chosen poor men: He chose Emperors afterwards; but better is it, that when an Emperor has come to Rome, he should lay aside his crown, and weep at the monument of a fisherman, than that a fisherman should weep at the monument of an Emperor. "For the weak things of the world God has chosen to confound the strong," etc. [1 Corinthians 1:27] ...And what follows? The Apostle has concluded, "That there might not glory before God any flesh." See ye how from us He has taken away, that He might give glory: has taken away ours, that He might give His own; has taken away empty, that He might give full; has taken away insecure, that He might give solid....

Exposition on Psalm 66

"Say ye to God, How to be feared are Your works!" [Psalm 66:3]. Wherefore to be feared and not to be loved? Hear another voice of a Psalm: "Serve the Lord in fear, and exult unto Him with trembling." What means this? Hear the voice of the Apostle: "With fear," he says, "and trembling, work out your own salvation." [Philippians 2:12] Wherefore with fear and trembling? He has subjoined the reason: "for God it is that works in you both to will and to work according to good will." [Philippians 2:13] If therefore God works in you, by the Grace of God you work well, not by your strength. Therefore if you rejoice, fear also: lest perchance that which was given to a humble man be taken away from a proud one....Brethren, if against the Jews of old, cut off from the root of the Patriarchs, we ought not to exalt ourselves, but rather to fear and say to God, "How to be feared are Your works:" how much less ought we not to exalt ourselves against the fresh wounds of the cutting off! Before there had been cut off Jews, graffed in Gentiles; from the very graft there have been cut off heretics; but neither against them ought we to exalt ourselves; lest perchance he deserve to be cut off, that delights to revile them that are cut off. My brethren, a bishop's voice, however unworthy, has sounded to you: we pray you to beware, whosoever you are in the Church, do not revile them that are not within; but pray ye rather, that they too may be within. For God is able again to graft them in. [Romans 11:23] Of the very Jews the Apostle said this, and it was done in their case. The Lord rose again, and many believed: they perceived not when they crucified, nevertheless afterwards they believed in Him, and there was forgiven them so great a transgression. The shedding of the Lord's blood was forgiven the manslayers, not to say, God-slayers: "for if they had known, the Lord of glory they never would have crucified." [1 Corinthians 2:8] Now to the manslayers has been forgiven the shedding of the blood of Him innocent: and that same blood which through madness they shed, through grace they have drunk....O fullness of Gentiles, say thou to God, "How to be feared are Your works!" and so rejoice thou as that you may fear, be not exalted above the branches cut off.

Exposition on Psalm 66

Also in this place (which we have been quoting), the apostle to the Gentiles said that the wrath of God comes on the children of infidelity because of these evils. When, however, he says, "And you yourselves once walked in them when they were your life," he shows well enough that they were not their life then. To them, indeed, they were dead, since their life was hidden with Christ in God. For the evils, in truth, were living in those who were not living in the evils, as I indicated a little while ago. Likewise, the vices, indeed, that were dwelling in the members of certain people were said to be their members, by a figure of speech in which the name of a place is given to the things contained within it, just as it is said that the whole forum speaks when what is meant is that the people who are in the forum are speaking. By this same figure of speech, there is sung in the psalm, "Let all the earth adore you," that is, all people who are on the earth.

On Continence 14:30

"Come ye, and see the works of the Lord: terrible in counsels above the sons of men" [Psalm 66:5]. Son of Man indeed He too has been called, and verily Son of Man He became: very Son of God in the form of God; [Philippians 2:6] very Son of Man in form of a servant: but do not judge of that form by the condition of others alike: "terrible" He is "in counsels above the sons of men." Sons of men took counsel to crucify Christ, being crucified He blinded the crucifiers. What then have ye done, sons of men, by taking keen counsels against your Lord, in whom was hidden Majesty, and to sight shown weakness? You were taking counsels to destroy, He to blind and save; to blind proud men, to save humble men: but to blind those same proud men, to the end that, being blinded they might be humbled, being humbled might confess, having confessed might be enlightened. "Terrible in counsels above the sons of men." Terrible indeed. Behold blindness in part to Israel has happened: [Romans 11:25] behold the Jews, out of whom was born Christ, are without: behold the Gentiles, that were against Judæa, in Christ are within. "Terrible in counsels above the sons of men."

Exposition on Psalm 66

Wherefore what has He done by the terror of His counsel? He has turned the sea into dry land. For this follows, "That has turned the sea into dry land" [Psalm 66:6]. A sea was the world, bitter with saltness, troubled with tempest, raging with waves of persecutions, sea it was: truly into dry land the sea has been turned, now there thirsts for sweet water the world that with salt water was filled. Who has done this? He "that has turned the sea into dry land." Now the soul of all the Gentiles says what? "My soul is as it were land without water to You." "That has turned the sea into dry land. In the river they shall pass over on foot." Those same persons that have been turned into dry land, though they were before sea, "in the river on foot shall pass over." What is the river? The river is all the mortality of the world. Observe a river: some things come and pass by, other things that are to pass by do succeed. Is it not thus with the water of a river, that from earth springs and flows? Every one that is born must needs give place to one going to be born: and all this order of things rolling along is a kind of river. Into this river let not the soul greedily throw herself, let her not throw herself, but let her stand still. And how shall she pass over the pleasures of things doomed to perish? Let her believe in Christ, and she will pass over on foot: she passes over with Him for Leader, on foot she passes over.

Exposition on Psalm 66

Then [Symmachus] outlines what was done of old. "He turns the sea into dry land; they will cross the river on foot." The tense has been changed here: he spoke of the past as future, whereas the others retained the tense, Symmachus saying, "He turned the sea into dry land, they crossed the river on foot." This is the God, he is saying, who will grant us salvation as well, who of old divided sea and river, and bade our forebears cross without risk and accords the nations the crossing that they make when through the washing of regeneration they are reformed. In other words, just as at that time through the hand of the mighty Moses he divided the Red Sea at this point, … so now as well through the hand of the priests he renews the people who believe in Christ, while submerging in figure Pharaoh with his chariots—that is, the devil with his desires (the initiated know what I mean).

Commentary on the Psalms 66:4

In whom? "In Him that reigns in His virtue for everlasting" [Psalm 66:7]. For what virtue have we and is it everlasting? If everlasting were our virtue, we should not have slipped, should not have fallen into sin, we should not have deserved penal mortality. He, of His good pleasure, took up that whereunto our desert threw us down. "That reigns in His virtue for everlasting." Of Him partakers let us be made, in whose virtue we shall be strong, but He in His own. We enlightened, He a light enlightening: we, being turned away from Him, are in darkness; turned away from Himself He cannot be. With the heat of Him we are warmed; from whence withdrawing we had grown cold, to the Same drawing near again we are warmed. Therefore let us speak to Him that He may keep us in His virtue, because "in Him we will be joyous that reigns in His virtue for everlasting."

Exposition on Psalm 66

"Bless our God, you nations" [Psalm 66:8]. Behold, there have been driven back they that are bitter, reckoning has been made with them: some have been converted, some have continued proud. Let not them terrify you that grudge the Gentiles Gospel Grace: now has come the Seed of Abraham, in whom are blessed all nations. [Genesis 12:3] Bless ye Him in whom you are blessed, "Bless our God, you nations: and hear ye the voice of His praise." Praise not yourselves, but praise Him.

Exposition on Psalm 66