Bellarmine on Psalm 101: Title, theme and verses 1-3

Today, we begin a new series of posts featuring St Robert Bellarmine's commentary  on Psalm 101, the fifth of the Seven Penitential Psalms.

The Latin is reproduced courtesy of the Digital Collection site  - UANL and is accompanied by my fairly literal translation. The Scripture excerpts (Douay Rheims/Vulgate) are taken from the DRBO site but the verse numbering follows that of Bellarmine’s Latin text.

Where footnotes are included, the text follows each section.

All the codices, the Hebrew, Greek and the Latin, have this title, from which may be understood the subject matter of the Psalm. For this Psalm is a certain formula of prayer which can be used by anyone poor or afflicted when he is feeling very anxious and wants to pour forth prayer from his heart to God. By the word pauperem / poor man, St Augustine and St Gregory understand in this context Christ, who speaks partly in His own person and partly in the person of His body, in such a way as when the head speaks for the whole body (and members). By pauperem / poor man, Theodoretus and Euthymus understand the people captive in Babylon, seeking deliverance from captivity. Others would have pauperem / poor man, which is in this title, refer to some holy man who was anxious for the deliverance of the people, such as was Daniel. And indeed, the words of the Psalm can be accommodated to those men; but it seems that the Prophet wanted to instruct all those who pray in a situation of affliction; for it does not say: “The prayer of any poor man when he might be anxious” but “The prayer of the poor man, when he was anxious.” And this seems to have been what St Jerome thought who wrote in his commentary that the Prophet spoke in the person of a sinner. For truly no one is poorer and more miserable than he who is lacking God’s grace. Whence the Church numbers this Psalm among the seven penitential Psalms. Here then will be the sense of the title:  A prayer of the poor man, when he was anxious; that is, this Psalm teaches the form of prayer which can be used by any poor man, but chiefly by him, who because of sins he has confessed, is a debtor owing ten thousand talents but, not having the wherewithal to repay them, he is made anxious by the pricking of his conscience, fearing God’s judgement, panting for reconciliation. “And poured out his supplication before the Lord,” that is, an anxious poor man should use this form of prayer not just at any time or before any judge; but when in the presence of the Lord God, the supreme judge and Father of all, from the bottom of a humble and contrite heart with much weeping,  he wishes to pour out his prayers (or, as the Hebrew has, his speech).

Verse 1

Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to thee.

Domine, exaudi orationem meam, et clamor meus ad te veniat.

It is a custom of the Church frequently to pronounce this verse as a preparation for other prayers. She has learned from the Prophet to ask for an audience from God before making particular requests, not because God is intent upon other things and needs to be roused to our request for an audience, but because we need God to give us the spirit of prayer, for “ The Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings,” as Romans viii has it;[1] that is, He makes us call out and asks with unspeakable groanings. “Hear, O Lord,” he says, “my prayer;” that is, make me so to pray that I may be worthy of being heard. He repeats the same idea, indicating his desire: “and let my cry come to thee,” that is, make me so to pray that my prayer may be an intense cry from the heart, and so intense and on fire it may not falter on the way but, even though coming from the depths, it may rise unto Thee who art seated upon the most high throne. For many are those things which prevent prayer from penetrating through the clouds, such as lack of faith, trust, humility, desire and the like. And so he asks for the grace of praying well, in a way suitable to obtain what we ask for.

[1] Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings. Similiter autem et Spiritus adjuvat infirmitatem nostram : nam quid oremus, sicut oportet, nescimus : sed ipse Spiritus postulat pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus. [Rom. viii. 26]

Verses 2 & 3

Turn not away thy face from me: in the day when I am in trouble, incline thy ear to me. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily.

Non avertas faciem tuam a me; in quacumque die tribulor, inclina ad me aurem tuam; in quacumque die invocavero te, velociter exaudi me.

This is the first and principal prayer of the poor man who is oppressed or of the penitent sinner: “ No man can correct whom he [God] hath despised,” as it says in Eccli. Chapter vii.[1] And the first grace and very fount of graces is God’s consideration; and so he asks for this first of all

 things, for God to turn and look upon him, as though he might say: “Turn not away thy face from me,” however disfigured and repulsive I may be; and if Thy image[2] does not make Thee look upon me, since I have disfigured it, may Thy mercy do so, because the more repulsive I am, the more wretched and miserable I become; and unless Thou lookest upon me, I shall never be brought to look upon Thee, but each day I shall waste away in sins, and become more disfigured and repulsive. Now the one who says this has already made a start to being looked upon by God, but by a God who is still somewhat angry and hence turns His face away; but having experienced to a certain degree the grace of the (Divine) light and the gaze of God, he cries: “Turn not away thy face from me: cast me not away from thy face;” Complete what Thou hast begun, turning Thyself towards me, so that I may turn completely towards Thee. “In the day when I am in trouble, incline thy ear to me:” this is the other petition, which is a consequence of the first; for when God’s countenance is turned towards him, man begins to understand his shamefulness and destitution, and through this his true state of poverty. Then he begins to feel afflicted and troubled, and to call upon the supreme Physician, who is rich in mercy. For He knows that a contrite heart and an afflicted spirit will never be despised by God.[3]  And so he says, with confidence: “ in the day when I am in trouble, 

incline thy ear to me,” that is, whenever, through the influence of Thy grace, I feel my spirit afflicted and so cry out to Thee, I pray that thou may hear me kindly. And he adds, in explanation: “in the day when I am in trouble, incline thy ear to me,” that is, whenever I am afflicted and from my affliction I call upon Thee, Almighty Physician, hear me, and speedily too, lest if Thou dost delay Thou findest not Him whom Thou wouldst heal.  

[1] Consider the works of God, that no man can correct whom he hath despised. Considera opera Dei, quod nemo possit corrigere quem ille despexerit. [Eccli. vii. 14]
[2] And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem suam : ad imaginem Dei creavit illum, masculum et feminam creavit eos. [Gen. I. 27]
[3] Vide Ps l. 19.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.