Chapter 117

The new people, made up of Jews and pagans, are taught the teaching that they must call on only one helper, that is, the self-incarnated Word of God, and during persecution, seek in Him all kinds of help for themselves - help sent from heaven, and bring thanks to Him for the victory, ask Him for guidance on the paths leading to virtue, and above all this, confess to the Lord, Who is called “the stone, rejected beaten by the builders,” but who became “at the head of the corner” (Ps. 117:22). Ps.117:1. Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Ps.117:2. Let the house of Israel speak for its sake. They are the first to begin confession, as the first of those called by the gospel preaching. Ps.117:5. Out of sorrow I called on the Lord, and heard me into space. In this verse, two instructions are taught, namely, that those who approach faith must have tribulations, according to what was said: “if you begin to work for the Lord... prepare your soul for temptation” (Sir. 2:1); and that the mourner should call upon no other helper than the Lord Himself, Who extends our grief to great breadth, because for small labors we will receive great rewards. Ps.118:10. All the nations have passed me by. Ps.117:12. They have devoured me like bees on a honeycomb: and in the name of the Lord I resisted them. The people of God call on the one God, and by pronouncing His name, they repulse visible and invisible enemies, while people plotting against them rely on only human principalities and powers. The expression: “all the nations” is used hyperbolically: all of Judea was surrounded by all nations. This is similar to what was said: “I slaughtered all the sinful lands of the earth” (Ps. 100:8), namely, passionate thoughts induced by demons, and sophistic arguments inspired by them, for he will crush these pagans. Sometimes he destroys them by invoking God, uprooting passionate aspirations and destroying cunning arguments. - Drones, so similar to bees that people who do not know them do not even notice them, do not have a sting and do not produce honey, but having a larger body, they eat the work of bees; It is these that the bees, rallying together, destroy. So, the Church is a bee, a honeymaker - she is the one who prefers divine wisdom to everything. Her works are used for the health of kings and private people, although she is not strong, according to what was said: “the preaching is not in the wisdom of men” (1 Cor. 2:4). However, having the word of faith, it has a thorn in the manifestation of the Spirit and the power of God, so that it destroys heresies, as if with drones, cutting them apart by the demonstration of truth. Only one bee honors the wisdom of God; many have retreated from Divine wisdom, of course - not bees, but drones similar to bees, wanting to devour the honey of a single bee: “like fire in thorns,” they flare up. For adherents of heresies kindle the shameful fire of passions, as Paul says: “For what happens is that it is a shame to eat and speak” (Eph. 5:12). By “thorns” the Gospel means passions, the arguments of which are refuted by those who call upon God: “for his weapons are not carnal, but are mighty by God,” ruining “every price charged against the mind of God” (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Ps.117:15. The voice of joy and salvation in the villages of the righteous. Since the mental enemies who at times persecuted the people of God have already been destroyed, it is not without reason that voices of joy are heard, and not in any other “place,” but “in the villages of the righteous.” The right hand of the Lord create strength. This is the very voice of joy that the Church raises, confessing that the Lord’s power alone saved and made those who strive victorious. Ps.118:19. Open the gates of truth for me. By the “gates of righteousness” we mean progress in virtue; those who have endured times of tribulation walk through them, Ps.117:20. This is the gate of the Lord: the righteous shall enter into it. Those who walk the path of virtues reach those gates that even lead to the sight of the Lord. What could be this gate other than purity of heart? “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Ps.117:22. The stone that was built carelessly, this quickly became the cornerstone. About You, Who for our sake became a rejected Stone, “heedless builders.” But, after the conversion of the pagans, You became the head of another corner. How is this possible? He combined both peoples “into one new man” (Eph. 2:15). Ps.117:24. This is the day the Lord has made. What day is this other than the Lord's Sunday? What day is this but the day of salvation for all nations, on which the rejected stone “became the head of the corner?” This day of the resurrection of our Savior, which received a borrowed name from Him and is called the day of the Lord, is meant here by the word. Ps.117:25. O Lord, save: O Lord, hurry up. Ps.117:26. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. To whom this applies was shown by the doxology in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9). It is said: Bless you from the house of the Lord. This is what the prophets say to those who believe in Christ, that is, we will call you blessed because you have become a spiritual home, because the Lord dwells in you. Ps.117:27. Make a feast for those who attend. “Make a feast” commands those who have come to faith to gather and fill the Divine Tabernacle, so that the multitude of those gathered extends “to the horns of the altar.” He calls the cherubim, who overshadow the purification, “the quickening ones.” This is the meaning of the word “increasing.” For “to increase frequency” means “to cover”; The cherubim covered the purification with their wings. Ps.117:28. You are my God, and we will confess to You. These are the words (as the Psalmist teaches) that should be proclaimed to the Savior Christ. You might be interested in: