Joseph Kenny OP: Readings Lent Wednesday 2

READINGS: LENT WEDNESDAY II

Invitatory Psalm & BACK

PSALMS and BACK
שׁוּבוּ וְהָשִׁיבוּ מִכָּל־פִּשְׁעֵיכֶם — וַעֲשׂוּ לָכֶם לֵב חָדָשׁ וְרוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה

Even Years: Reading 1: Exodus 17:1-16
וַיִּסְעוּ כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּדְבַּר־סִין לְמַסְעֵיהֶם עַל־פִּי יְהוָה וַיַּחֲנוּ בִּרְפִידִים וְאֵין מַיִם לִשְׁתֹּת הָעָם׃ וַיָּרֶב הָעָם עִם־מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמְרוּ תְּנוּ־לָנוּ מַיִם וְנִשְׁתֶּה וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה מַה־תְּרִיבוּן עִמָּדִי מַה־תְּנַסּוּן אֶת־יְהוָה׃ וַיִּצְמָא שָׁם הָעָם לַמַּיִם וַיָּלֶן הָעָם עַל־מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר לָמָּה זֶּה הֶעֱלִיתָנוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם לְהָמִית אֹתִי וְאֶת־בָּנַי וְאֶת־מִקְנַי בַּצָּמָא׃
וַיִּצְעַק מֹשֶׁה אֶל־יְהוָה לֵאמֹר מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה לָעָם הַזֶּה עוֹד מְעַט וּסְקָלֻנִי׃ וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה עֲבֹר לִפְנֵי הָעָם וְקַח אִתְּךָ מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמַטְּךָ אֲשֶׁר הִכִּיתָ בּוֹ אֶת־הַיְאֹר קַח בְּיָדְךָ וְהָלָכְתָּ׃ הִנְנִי עֹמֵד לְפָנֶיךָ שָּׁם עַל־הַצּוּר בְּחֹרֵב וְהִכִּיתָ בַצּוּר וְיָצְאוּ מִמֶּנּוּ מַיִם וְשָׁתָה הָעָם וַיַּעַשׂ כֵּן מֹשֶׁה לְעֵינֵי זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם מַסָּה וּמְרִיבָה עַל־רִיב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל נַסֹּתָם אֶת־יְהוָה לֵאמֹר הֲיֵשׁ יְהוָה בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם־אָיִן׃
וַיָּבֹא עֲמָלֵק וַיִּלָּחֶם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּרְפִידִם׃ וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּחַר־לָנוּ אֲנָשִׁים וְצֵא הִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק מָחָר אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל־רֹאשׁ הַגִּבְעָה וּמַטֵּה הָאֱלֹהִים בְּיָדִי׃
וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר־לוֹ מֹשֶׁה לְהִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק וּמֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וְחוּר עָלוּ רֹאשׁ הַגִּבְעָה׃
וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר יָרִים מֹשֶׁה יָדוֹ וְגָבַר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכַאֲשֶׁר יָנִיחַ יָדוֹ וְגָבַר עֲמָלֵק׃ וִידֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּבֵדִים וַיִּקְחוּ־אֶבֶן וַיָּשִׂימוּ תַחְתָּיו וַיֵּשֶׁב עָלֶיהָ וְאַהֲרֹן וְחוּר תָּמְכוּ בְיָדָיו מִזֶּה אֶחָד וּמִזֶּה אֶחָד וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה עַד־בֹּא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ׃
וַיַּחֲלֹשׁ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת־עֲמָלֵק וְאֶת־עַמּוֹ לְפִי־חָרֶב׃ וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה כְּתֹב זֹאת זִכָּרוֹן בַּסֵּפֶר וְשִׂים בְּאָזְנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כִּי־מָחֹה אֶמְחֶה אֶת־זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם׃ וַיִּבֶן מֹשֶׁה מִזְבֵּחַ וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ יְהוָה נִסִּי׃ וַיֹּאמֶר כִּי־יָד עַל־כֵּס יָהּ מִלְחָמָה לַיהוָה בַּעֲמָלֵק מִדֹּר דֹּר׃
Exodus 17:1-16 1 The whole community of Israelites left the desert of Sin, travelling by stages as Yahweh ordered. They pitched camp at Rephidim where there was no water for the people to drink. 2 The people took issue with Moses for this and said, 'Give us water to drink.' Moses replied, 'Why take issue with me? Why do you put Yahweh to the test?' 3 But tormented by thirst, the people complained to Moses. 'Why did you bring us out of Egypt,' they said, 'only to make us, our children and our livestock, die of thirst?'
4 Moses appealed to Yahweh for help. 'How am I to deal with this people?' he said. 'Any moment now they will stone me!' 5 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Go on ahead of the people, taking some of the elders of Israel with you; in your hand take the staff with which you struck the River, and go. 6 I shall be waiting for you there on the rock (at Horeb). Strike the rock, and water will come out for the people to drink.' This was what Moses did, with the elders of Israel looking on. 7 He gave the place the names Massah and Meribah because of the Israelites' contentiousness and because they put Yahweh to the test by saying, 'Is Yahweh with us, or not?'
8 The Amalekites then came and attacked Israel at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, 'Pick some men and tomorrow morning go out and engage Amalek. I, for my part, shall take my stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.'
10 Joshua did as Moses had told him and went out to engage Amalek, while Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to Amalek. 12 But Moses' arms grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him and on this he sat, with Aaron and Hur supporting his arms on each side. Thus his arms remained unwavering till sunset,
13 and Joshua defeated Amalek, putting their people to the sword. 14 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Write this down in a book to commemorate it, and repeat it over to Joshua, for I shall blot out all memory of Amalek under heaven.' 15 Moses then built an altar and named it Yahweh-Nissi 16 meaning, 'Lay hold of Yahweh's banner! Yahweh will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.'
Odd Years: Deuteronomy 29:1-5,9-28
1 וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה אֶל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם אַתֶּם רְאִיתֶם אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה לְעֵינֵיכֶם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְפַרְעֹה וּלְכָל־עֲבָדָיו וּלְכָל־אַרְצוֹ׃
2 הַמַּסּוֹת הַגְּדֹלֹת אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ הָאֹתֹת וְהַמֹּפְתִים הַגְּדֹלִים הָהֵם׃
3 וְלֹא־נָתַן יְהוָה לָכֶם לֵב לָדַעַת וְעֵינַיִם לִרְאוֹת וְאָזְנַיִם לִשְׁמֹעַ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃
4 וָאוֹלֵךְ אֶתְכֶם אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בַּמִּדְבָּר לֹא־בָלוּ שַׂלְמֹתֵיכֶם מֵעֲלֵיכֶם וְנַעַלְךָ לֹא־בָלְתָה מֵעַל רַגְלֶךָ׃
5 לֶחֶם לֹא אֲכַלְתֶּם וְיַיִן וְשֵׁכָר לֹא שְׁתִיתֶם לְמַעַן תֵּדְעוּ כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃...
9 אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
10 טַפְּכֶם נְשֵׁיכֶם וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶיךָ מֵחֹטֵב עֵצֶיךָ עַד שֹׁאֵב מֵימֶיךָ׃
11 לְעָבְרְךָ בִּבְרִית יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וּבְאָלָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כֹּרֵת עִמְּךָ הַיּוֹם׃
12 לְמַעַן הָקִים־אֹתְךָ הַיּוֹם לוֹ לְעָם וְהוּא יִהְיֶה־לְּךָ לֵאלֹהִים כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר־לָךְ וְכַאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב׃
13 וְלֹא אִתְּכֶם לְבַדְּכֶם אָנֹכִי כֹּרֵת אֶת־הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת וְאֶת־הָאָלָה הַזֹּאת׃
14 כִּי אֶת־אֲשֶׁר יֶשְׁנוֹ פֹּה עִמָּנוּ עֹמֵד הַיּוֹם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה עִמָּנוּ הַיּוֹם׃
15 כִּי־אַתֶּם יְדַעְתֶּם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־יָשַׁבְנוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָבַרְנוּ בְּקֶרֶב הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עֲבַרְתֶּם׃
16 וַתִּרְאוּ אֶת־שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם וְאֵת גִּלֻּלֵיהֶם עֵץ וָאֶבֶן כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב אֲשֶׁר עִמָּהֶם׃
17 פֶּן־יֵשׁ בָּכֶם אִישׁ אוֹ־אִשָּׁה אוֹ מִשְׁפָּחָה אוֹ־שֵׁבֶט אֲשֶׁר לְבָבוֹ פֹנֶה הַיּוֹם מֵעִם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ לָלֶכֶת לַעֲבֹד אֶת־אֱלֹהֵי הַגּוֹיִם הָהֵם פֶּן־יֵשׁ בָּכֶם שֹׁרֶשׁ פֹּרֶה רֹאשׁ וְלַעֲנָה׃
18 וְהָיָה בְּשָׁמְעוֹ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הָאָלָה הַזֹּאת וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּלְבָבוֹ לֵאמֹר שָׁלוֹם יִהְיֶה־לִּי כִּי בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבִּי אֵלֵךְ לְמַעַן סְפוֹת הָרָוָה אֶת־הַצְּמֵאָה׃
19 לֹא־יֹאבֶה יְהוָה סְלֹחַ לוֹ כִּי אָז יֶעְשַׁן אַף־יְהוָה וְקִנְאָתוֹ בָּאִישׁ הַהוּא וְרָבְצָה בּוֹ כָּל־הָאָלָה הַכְּתוּבָה בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה וּמָחָה יְהוָה אֶת־שְׁמוֹ מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם׃
20 וְהִבְדִּילוֹ יְהוָה לְרָעָה מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אָלוֹת הַבְּרִית הַכְּתוּבָה בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה׃
21 וְאָמַר הַדּוֹר הָאַחֲרוֹן בְּנֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר יָקוּמוּ מֵאַחֲרֵיכֶם וְהַנָּכְרִי אֲשֶׁר יָבֹא מֵאֶרֶץ רְחוֹקָה וְרָאוּ אֶת־מַכּוֹת הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא וְאֶת־תַּחֲלֻאֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר־חִלָּה יְהוָה בָּהּ׃
22 גָּפְרִית וָמֶלַח שְׂרֵפָה כָל־אַרְצָהּ לֹא תִזָּרַע וְלֹא תַצְמִחַ וְלֹא־יַעֲלֶה בָהּ כָּל־עֵשֶׂב כְּמַהְפֵּכַת סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה אַדְמָה וּצְבֹיִּים אֲשֶׁר הָפַךְ יְהוָה בְּאַפּוֹ וּבַחֲמָתוֹ׃
23 וְאָמְרוּ כָּל־הַגּוֹיִם עַל־מֶה עָשָׂה יְהוָה כָּכָה לָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת מֶה חֳרִי הָאַף הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה׃
24 וְאָמְרוּ עַל אֲשֶׁר עָזְבוּ אֶת־בְּרִית יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָם אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת עִמָּם בְּהוֹצִיאוֹ אֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃
25 וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲוּוּ לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יְדָעוּם וְלֹא חָלַק לָהֶם׃
26 וַיִּחַר־אַף יְהוָה בָּאָרֶץ הַהִוא לְהָבִיא עָלֶיהָ אֶת־כָּל־הַקְּלָלָה הַכְּתוּבָה בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה׃
27 וַיִּתְּשֵׁם יְהוָה מֵעַל אַדְמָתָם בְּאַף וּבְחֵמָה וּבְקֶצֶף גָּדוֹל וַיַּשְׁלִכֵם אֶל־אֶרֶץ אַחֶרֶת כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃
28 הַנִּסְתָּרֹת לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְהַנִּגְלֹת לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ עַד־עוֹלָם לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת׃

1 Moses called all Israel together and said to them: 'You have seen everything that Yahweh did before your eyes in Egypt, to Pharaoh, to his servants and to his whole country— 2 the great ordeals which you yourselves witnessed, those signs and the great wonders.
3 But until today Yahweh has not given you a heart to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.
4 I have been leading you for forty years in the desert, yet the clothes which you have been wearing have not worn out, nor have the sandals on your feet. 5 You have had no bread to eat, you have had no wine or fermented liquor to drink, so that you would learn that I, Yahweh, am your God.'
9 'All of you are standing here today in the presence of Yahweh your God: your tribal leaders, your elders, your scribes, all the men of Israel, 10 with your children and your wives (and the foreigner too who is in your camp, be he your wood-cutter or your water-carrier), 11 and you are about to pass into the covenant of Yahweh your God, sworn with imprecation, which he has made with you today, 12 and by which, today, he makes you a nation for himself and he himself becomes a God to you, as he has promised you, and as he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
13 Not only on your behalf am I today making this covenant and pronouncing this solemn curse, 14 not only on behalf of those standing here with us in the presence of Yahweh our God today, but also on behalf of those not here with us today. 15 Yes, you know the people with whom we used to live in Egypt, and those through whose countries we have travelled—the nations through whom we have passed. 16 You have seen their abominations and their idols made of wood and stone, silver and gold, which were there.
17 'Let there be no man or woman of you, no clan or tribe, whose heart turns away from Yahweh your God today, to go and serve the gods of these nations. Among you let there be no root which bears poison or wormwood. 18 If, after hearing this imprecation, anyone, blessing himself, should say in his heart, "I shall do well enough if I follow the dictates of my heart; much water drives away thirst," 19 Yahweh will not pardon him. The wrath and jealousy of Yahweh will blaze against such a person; every curse written in this book will fall on him, and Yahweh will blot his name out under heaven. 20 Yahweh will single him out of all the tribes of Israel for misfortune, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in the book of this Law. 21 'The future generation, that of your children coming after you, and the foreigner arriving from some far-away land, on seeing the plagues and diseases inflicted on this country by Yahweh, will exclaim, 22 "Sulphur! Salt!—The whole country is burning! No one will sow, nothing grow, no vegetation spring ever again! Devastation like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, devastated by Yahweh in his furious wrath!"
23 And all the nations will exclaim, "Why has Yahweh treated this country like this? Why this great blaze of anger?" 24 And people will say, "Because they deserted the covenant of Yahweh, God of their ancestors, the covenant which he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt; 25 because they went and served other gods and worshipped them, gods hitherto unknown to them, gods that were no part of their heritage from him: 26 this is why Yahweh's anger has blazed against this country, afflicting it with all the curses written in this book. 27 In anger, in fury, in fierce wrath, Yahweh has torn them from their own country and flung them into another country, where they are today."
28 Things hidden belong to Yahweh our God, but things revealed are ours and our children's for ever, so that we can put all the words of this Law into practice.

Even Years: Cyril of Alexandria, Worship in spirit and truth, Liber 3 (PG 68, 275-278)
Εἶτα πρός τινα βουνὸν καὶ ἐπὶ κορυφὴν ἄνεισι γηλόφου Μωσῆς, ὡς ἂν δύναιτο καταθρεῖν τὴν μάχην καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ τοῦ πάντων Ἰησοῦ κατορθώματα. Ἀναβιβάζει γὰρ συμμέτρως καὶ ἡ κατὰ νόμον μυσταγωγία πρὸς τὸ οἱονεὶ μακρόθεν δύνασθαι καθορᾷν τὰ Χριστοῦ στρατηγήματα. Καὶ ἀνατείνοντος μὲν Μωσέως τὰς χεῖρας, κατίσχυεν Ἰσραήλ· καθιέντος δὲ, ἠσθένει, καὶ κατίσχυε Ἀμαλήκ· ἀνάλωτος γὰρ αὐτῷ τε τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ παντὶ γέγονεν ἐχθρῷ, καὶ καταδῃοῦν ἐθέλοντι πικρῶς, οὐχὶ δήπου πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλ' ὅσοι τὴν πρὸς Χριστὸν τετιμήκασι συμμορφίαν, διὰ τοῦ φορέσαι τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτοῦ, τοῦτ' ἔστι, τὸν τίμιον σταυρόν· χεῖρες γὰρ ἀποτάδην εἰς ἀέρα δεικνύμεναι, τὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ σχῆμα γράφουσιν ἐναργῶς
Βαρείας δὲ εἶναί φησι τὰς χεῖρας Μωσέως, καὶ μόλις ἐπαιρομένας, ὀκνηρῶς τε λίαν ἐκτεινομένας Καὶ λαβόντες, φησὶ, λίθον, ὑπέθηκαν ὑπ' αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐκάθητο ἐπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ Ὣρ ἐστήριζον τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, ἐντεῦθεν εἷς, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν εἷς. Λίθος δὲ τίμιος, ἐκλεκτὸς, ἀκρογωνιαῖος, ἔντιμος ὁ Χριστὸς, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ἀναπαυόμενοι (δηλοῖ γὰρ ἡ κάθησις τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν) οἱ ἐπιεικέστεροι δὲ καὶ εὐμαθέστεροι τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, τὸ λῆμμα τῆς χάριτος τῆς κατ' ἐκλογὴν, ἁπλοῦσι τὰς χεῖρας, τοῦτ' ἔστι, καταδέχονται τὸν σταυρὸν, στηρίζοντος οἱονείπου καὶ διακρατοῦντος αὐτοὺς καὶ πρός γε τοῦτο Χριστοῦ, ὡς ἐν Ὥρ τε καὶ Ἀαρὼν σημαίνεται, νοούμενος ἐν ταὐτῷ κριτὴς καὶ ἀρχιερεύς.
Ὣρ μὲν γὰρ ἦν ἀδέκαστος κριτής· Ἀαρὼν δὲ ἀρχιερεὺς, ὁ τὸ λῆμμα συνέχων, τὸ κατ' ἐκλογὴν χάριτος τῶν ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, πρὸς τὴν διὰ πίστεως σωτηρίαν. Τουτὶ γὰρ οἶμαι δηλοῦν τὸ διὰ φωνῆς Ἡσαΐου προφητικῶς εἰρημένον· Καὶ εἰ μὴ Κύριος Σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγενήθημεν, καὶ ὡς Γόμοῤῥα ἂν ὡμοιώθημεν.
Πεπτωκότος τοιγαροῦν τοῦ ἀνθεστηκότος, φημὶ δὴ τοῦ Ἀμαλήκ· Κατάγραψον, φησὶν, εἰς μνημόσυνον τοῦτο εἰς βιβλίον, καὶ δὸς εἰς τὰ ὦτα Ἰησοῦ. Ἔμελλε γὰρ διὰ τῆς τῶν ἁγίων εὐαγγελιστῶν συγγραφῆς εἰς ἀτελεύτητον καὶ μακρὰν ἐκτείνεσθαι μνήμην τὰ διὰ Χριστοῦ κατορθώματα. Δίδοσθαί γε μὴν ἔφη τὴν συγγραφὴν εἰς τὰ ὦτα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Ἀνάθημα γὰρ ὥσπερ ἔπαινοί τε καὶ ἐγκώμια τῷ Χριστῷ τὰ τῶν ἁγίων συγγράμματα.
Πεπτωκότος δὲ ἤδη καὶ νενικημένου τοῦ Ἀμαλὴκ, ἀνίστησιν ὁ Μωσῆς θυσιαστήριον τῷ Θεῷ· καταγράφει δὲ καὶ αὐτῷ ὄνομα, Κύριός μου, καταφυγή μου. Τύπος δὲ ἂν εἴη καὶ τοῦτο Χριστοῦ. Κύριος γὰρ ἡμῖν γέγονε καὶ καταφυγή· νενικηκὼς γὰρ τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, πατήσας δὲ τοῦ θανάτου τὸ κράτος, καὶ ἀναθεὶς ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὥσπερ ἄμωμον ἱερεῖον, εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρί. Τύπος οὖν ἄρα Χριστοῦ, τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ᾧ καὶ πρέπον τε καὶ ἀληθὲς ὄνομα, Κύριός μου, καταφυγή μου.
Odd Years: Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon 61 on Canticle of Canticles, 3-5
(Opera omnia, edic. cisterciense, 2, 1958, 150-151)
Et revera ubi tuta firma que infirmis requies, nisi in vulneribus Salvatoris? Tanto illic securior habito, quanto ille potentior est ad salvandum. Fremit mundus, premit corpus, diabolus insidiatur: non cado; fundatus enim sum supra firmam petram. Peccavi peccatum grande: turbabitur conscientia, sed non perturbabitur, quoniam vulnerum Domini recordabor. Nempe vulneratus est propter iniquitates nostras. Quid tam ad mortem, quod non Christi morte solvatur? Si ergo in mentem venerit tam potens tam que efficax medicamentum, nulla iam possum morbi malignitate terreri.
Et ideo liquet errasse illum qui ait: Maior est iniquitas mea, quam ut veniam merear. Nisi quod non erat de membris Christi, nec pertinebat ad eum de Christi merito, ut suum praesumeret, suum diceret quod esset illius, tamquam rem capitis membrum.
Ego vero fidenter quod ex me mihi deest, usurpo mihi ex visceribus Domini, quoniam misericordia affluunt, nec desunt foramina, per quae effluant. Foderunt manus eius et pedes, latus que lancea foraverunt, et per has rimas licet mihi sugere mel de petra, oleum que de saxo durissimo, id est gustare et videre quoniam suavis est Dominus.
Cogitabat cogitationes pacis, et ego nesciebam. Quis enim cognovit sensum domini, aut quis consiliarius eius fuit? At clavis reserans clavus penetrans factus est mihi, ut videam voluntatem Domini. Quidni videam per foramen? Clamat clavus, clamat vulnus, quod vere Deus sit in Christo mundum reconcilians sibi. Ferrum pertransiit animam eius, et appropinquavit cor illius, ut non iam non sciat compati infirmitatibus meis.
Patet arcanum cordis per foramina corporis, patet magnum illud pietatis sacramentum, patent viscera misericordiae dei nostri, in quibus visitavit nos oriens ex alto. Quidni viscera per vulnera pateant? In quo enim clarius, quam in vulneribus tuis eluxisset, quod tu, Domine, suavis et mitis, et multae misericordiae? Maiorem enim miserationem nemo habet, quam ut animam suam ponat quis pro addictis et damnatis.
Meum proinde meritum, miseratio Domini. Non plane sum meriti inops, quamdiu ille miserationum non fuerit. Quod si misericordiae Domini multae, multus nihilominus ego in meritis sum. Quid enim, si multorum sim mihi conscius delictorum? Nempe ubi abundaverunt delicta, superabundavit et gratia. Et si misericordiae Domini ab aeterno et usque in aeternum, ego quoque misericordias domini in aeternum cantabo. Numquid iustitias meas? Domine, memorabor iustitiae tuae solius. Ipsa est enim et mea; nempe factus es mihi tu iustitia a Deo.

Prayer