In Psalmum 100

On the Hundredth Psalm. 1. Again, beloved, the blessed David the prophet exhorts us to sing spiritually; again he prepares us to chant the beautiful ode with one mind; again, putting forward the spiritual and heavenly melody, he makes us spiritual through the song. For, composing the melody with the Holy Spirit, and being struck like a living and rational lyre by the Holy Spirit, he teaches us to sing spiritually in all respects. He sings, not aiming to delight and sweeten the ears, but wishing to gladden and benefit the mind. For he does not stop the sung words at the hearing alone, but sends the spoken words on to the soul. To the hearing he delivers them for instruction and knowledge of the truth, and to the soul he implants them for security and confirmation of salvation. For he sings the song, not uttering the words with bare phrases, but correcting the life of the singers with beneficial ones. For this song is not worldly or secular, but divine and spiritual, and filled with all seemliness. For worldly songs and the melodies of the world, echoing in the hearing and deceiving the mind, lead far away from benefit, dragging down into desires of destruction. Being full of shameful words and filled with lawless appetites, they effeminate the courage of the soul and dissolve the nobility of the body, toward the voluptuousness of the sung words and the relaxation of the melody.

The heavenly things, which have their supply from the Holy Spirit, bring the mind into order through the good arrangement of the words and the good order of the thoughts, and render the soul orderly as well. For the soul, being moved together with what is spoken and assenting to what is thought, brings its disposition to where the word also draws the moving instrument of the melody of the spirit. Since such is the power in the song, and such is the energy in the melody, let us then see what the melody of the prophecy read to us today contains. What then does it say? "I will sing of mercy and judgment to you, Lord." This song is very beneficial, beloved, and salvific, beginning from mercy and judgment. For the one shows the abundance of God's love for humanity, and the other shows the great benefaction that has come to us from him. For mercy signifies the good will that has come to men from grace: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men." And judgment signifies the salvation predetermined from above: "For those whom he predestined, these he also called; and those whom he called, these he also justified." For the good God judged to save by mercy and love for humanity those who were being destroyed by sin. Having understood this, the prophet proclaims, teaching us through the song to make unceasing thanksgiving, saying: "I will sing of mercy and judgment to you, Lord.

It also signifies another thing, and he prophesies in thought, and relates future things as present by the Holy Spirit. For, beholding the just judgment of God, which took place against the unbelieving people of the Jews—those who did not accept the one proclaimed by the law and the prophets, justly punished for their unbelief, and justly deprived of the promise of the law—and seeing also the people from the nations saved by mercy, through the obedience and faith in the Lord, he proclaims beforehand, setting forth the goodness of the Lord to all with a sweet and pleasant voice, so that each one, bearing the song on his tongue and melodiously uttering the melody in the song, may have the grace of the Lord’s beneficence ever memorable. “Mercy,” he says, “and judgment I will sing to you, O Lord.” It is good, then, for us also to sing this song unceasingly, so that we may at once become grateful to the beneficent God, and correct our own life, doing everything by mercy and judgment. For, “Do mercy and judgment in the midst of the earth,” he says; “Because I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,” says the Lord. And also, “Do mercy,” he says, “each one to his neighbor, and direct a just judgment, for in these is my will,” says the Lord.

If we proceed in this way and occupy ourselves with these things, we too will say, singing with boldness, "I will sing of mercy and judgment to you, Lord." And that you may learn, beloved, that these things are so, consider the sequence of what is written, and you will find the truth of what has been said. For he adds, saying: "I will sing, and I will understand in a blameless path; when will you come to me?" Do you see how, having corrected his own life and proceeded in every path of righteousness, placing no blemish or stain on his own ways, understanding all uprightness and judgment, and the lawful conduct attested in deeds, he sings in the song with a cheerful face, recounting his actions? He sang with understanding, enumerating his deeds with an irreproachable heart. Having prepared, as it is written, the ways of the Lord and made straight the paths of God, he awaited the Lord's presence, summoning and saying, "When will you come to me?" He all but answered thus: "I have prepared the vessel of my mind, I have smoothed the hard places of my heart, I have cast away every obstacle, leaving no hindrance to your presence. I have made straight the path of my soul, I have wiped clean the senses of my heart, I have rendered pure the thoughts within me.

I am ready to receive your presence. When will you come to me? Tread without hindrance, my Master; you will find no path of wickedness in me. For I walked in the innocence of my heart, in the midst of my house. And that you may know how ready he was, working all righteousness, hear him proclaiming his deeds with a pleasant voice: "I walked," he says, "in the innocence of my heart, in the midst of my house." I did not set before my eyes any unlawful deed; I hated those who commit transgressions. No crooked heart clung to me; with evil turning away from me, I did not know it. The one who secretly slanders his neighbor—this one I drove out. With a proud eye and an insatiable heart—with this one I did not eat. My eyes were upon the faithful of the earth, that they might sit with me. Do you see, beloved, of how many and how great works the blessed one was a laborer, and how with great boldness and confidence he recounted the achievements of his deeds? Shall I then interpret what has been said, or shall I leave it to you to know the force of the writings from the words? For what is clearer than what has been said? What is so self-explanatory as what has now been enumerated? But that we may examine them in detail, setting forth the words as they are, come then, let us take them up again, recall them, and see how much benefit they provide when continually remembered. "I walked," he says, "in the innocence of my heart, in the midst of my house.

First, innocence is a great and noble achievement, not stopping only with its possessor, but also transmitted to those nearby, as Wisdom says: "Child, if you are good, you will be wise for yourself and for your neighbors; but if you turn out evil, you alone will draw the evils." So innocence is good, its imitation is lordly, its likeness is divine. For the Lord is innocent and holy. This innocence is a safeguard of the soul, a purifier of the mind, a restraint of character, a calmness of thoughts, a gentleness of countenance, a meekness of eyes, a guide of friendship, a mother of love, a companion of faith, a perfection of righteousness; and, in a word, innocence is the root of every virtue and the foundation of all goodness. It knows not the substance of enmity, it understands not the savagery of anger, it recognizes not the activity of evil; but it is like a queen attended by all the virtues as her bodyguards. So innocence is good, being the cause of so many goods. From this he begins, saying: "I walked in the innocence of my heart." And he did not simply say, "In innocence," but "In the innocence of my heart," meaning that I did not have one thing on my lips and another in my heart, nor did I speak peaceful words with my mouth while devising evil in my heart; but as I was in speech, so I was in the thoughts of my heart. So I walked in the innocence of my heart, in the midst of my house.

Here, beloved, he calls "house" not this man-made one composed of stones and timber, nor that fashioned from shapeless matter, but the rational temple of the soul, which externally imprints the invisible image within, which is formed by the intellectual and rational nature, which is given life by the divine inbreathing, which bears the soul and is borne by the soul, which is receptive to the gifts of the unmoved power. In the midst of this I was walking. And he calls "midst" the ruling part of the heart, since it lies in the middle of the whole human body. The evil roads are the reasonings and thoughts, as the Savior says: "From the heart come forth evil thoughts." For in it is all the movement of human nature. What he says is this: if a disturbance occurs, the heart is moved; if a tumult happens, the heart is troubled; if an uprising of an enemy befalls, the heart is agitated; if fear arises, the heart, shaken within by palpitations, shakes also the adjacent member of the body, and, abandoning it and again drawing it back, does not allow it to rest, but, being moved more frequently, provides greater struggle, and disturbs the whole body, alters the complexion, changes the form, transforms the condition, makes the face livid, stops the function of the eyes, makes the lips trembling, relaxes the strength of the knees, and, binding the tongue that moves everything, renders it stammering, and, in a word, makes the man wild and corpse-like.

And when war occurs, it hastens to the battle, and is distressed unless it is at rest, until it has overcome the struggle. When this ceases and victory is achieved, under the same impulse it changes, turns to joy, embraces tranquility, and makes the one recently disturbed rejoice, and again recalls him to his original state, restoring to each limb its function: it again brightens the eyes, calms the lips, renders the organ of the tongue healthy, soothes the countenance, and like a good charioteer, turning back, brings the man to his ancient order. But not so the righteous man; he admits neither disturbance nor fear into his heart. For even if an uprising of enemies occurs, he says with confidence: "If an army is arrayed against me, my heart will not be afraid; if war rises up against me, in this I hope." Therefore he says, "I walked in the innocence of my heart, in the midst of my house"; that is, I examined, I investigated my own affairs, so that no root of bitterness springing up might trouble and defile the organ of my heart, but that the

Innocence preserved in me became the provider of all virtues for me; hence I did not set before my eyes a lawless deed. For I had no intention of sinning, nor was transgression my aim, as one who works things foreign to salvation; but before my eyes were fear of God, observance of commandments, works of righteousness, and every lawful conduct. I did not set before my eyes a lawless deed. For those whose aim is to sin, transgression also lies before them, and they have sin as a kind of primary object, first defining it in their heart, and then, having directed the whole eye of their mind toward it, they thus run into lawlessness. I was a stranger to these things. For a lawless deed was not before my eyes, but my whole aim was to conduct myself lawfully. But also I hated those committing transgressions. Not only did I myself not wish to act contrary to the law of God, but I also hated those who transgress any of the commandments; for I hated those committing transgressions.

Here the phrase "I hated those who commit transgressions" must be understood in two ways. For there are those who transgress the commandments, ordinances, and judgments of God, and these are transgressors of the law. Others again transgress the saving confession of the Lord himself, and these are transgressors of God. And there is a great difference between the transgression of the two. For the former still have hope of salvation, possessing the root of the knowledge of God, while the latter have entirely fallen from salvation, having denied the very author of salvation. "I therefore," he says, "hated all who commit transgressions." For the beginning of sin is to depart from God, as the wisest says. But we not only do not hate transgressors, but even greet them as friends, when we ought not even to say "hail" to such people. For "there is no peace for the impious," says the Lord; and we eat and drink with those whose very encounter we ought to shun, and we should not even consider as human beings those who have delivered themselves to demons and dedicated their lives to lifeless stones and wood. Or does not the same prophet teach us elsewhere, saying: "Did I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and did I not waste away against your enemies? Did I not hate them with a perfect hatred, because they became enemies to me?" Let us therefore also imitate the prophet, and let us hate those who commit transgressions, so that through our indifferent communion with them we may not be found accomplices in their transgression.

For in every way one must hate communion with them, because having turned away from the light they walk in darkness (and what communion has light with darkness?), and because having denied the name of Christ, they put upon themselves the name of Beliar (and what agreement has Christ with Beliar?), and because having fled the entrance here, they have gone mad for temples of idols, having befouled their own life with pollutions. What concord has the temple of God with idols? Therefore, "I hated those who commit transgressions." "A crooked heart did not cleave to me." When the evil one was departing from me, I did not know. Again here, beloved, attend to the power of what has been said. "A crooked heart did not cleave to me." There was nothing in me that was crooked, nothing twisted, but even if there are countless things that oppress, even if the things that happen are evil, even if the things that oppose are contrary, "A crooked heart did not cleave to me," no evil reasoning, no alien thought. Not because I am oppressed, not because I am distressed, not because I see sinners prospering and the impious wealthy and all the lawless succeeding, do I become perverted in heart, devising evil thoughts and saying: Why do the impious live and grow strong in wealth? Their seed in soul, their houses flourish; their cattle are fat. I have reasoned about none of these things anywhere, but even if they flourish and I am oppressed, I know that oppression

Endurance produces testing, and testing produces hope, and hope does not disappoint. A crooked heart did not cleave to me. Reasoning thus rightly and walking straight, when the Evil One rose up against my heart and I gave him no place, because he had no room against me, I did not know when he came, since I did not admit him; thus I did not know either when he departed. For wickedness, like a passing shadow, withdrew, working no harm in me. 4. Let us also be taught, then: if ever a difficult or critical matter befalls any of us, and a thought from the Evil One returns, let it not master our ruling principle, but let it pass by, keeping our heart unharmed, so that we too may say: When the evil one departed from me, I did not know. The one who secretly slanders his neighbor—that one I used to expel. Let us learn a good lesson, beloved: not only not to slander, but also not to listen to slander. For slander is a terrible evil, a restless demon, never making a person peaceful. What evil is not from slander? From it enmities spring up, quarrels are formed through it, divisions take their start from it, evil suspicions arising from it provide the causes of countless evils; hatred wells up from it as from a spring; and whatever evils one might reckon, one will find all these pouring forth from slander, drawing everyone into wickedness. Slander knows how to fill a person with rage, and, partaking of murder from it, to make him murderous toward his neighbor.

It knows also how to turn the soul wild and separate it from brotherly communion, and to make an enemy of a friend of a short time before without cause. This it was that, touching Mary the sister of Moses, immediately showed her leprous from herself, and brought wrath and anger against her from the Master. This it is that overturns whole households and stirs up cities at peace into war. This it is that dissolves the bonds of fair peace and breaks the link of great love. This it is that, turning men away from the commandments of God, teaches them to transgress, and, drawing them away from friendship with God, leads them far from the truth. This it is that was the cause of the destruction of the first-formed Adam, and deprived him of his life in paradise and of heavenly delight. For entering into the mouth of the serpent and working a lie against the truthfulness of God’s goodness, and saying, “Why did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the paradise’?” it brought about transgression of the commandment, turning the obedient one away from the truth; and having drawn to itself him who was a companion of the Master, it straightway made him an enemy through deceit, and once for all showed him alien to the good things. Let us therefore spare ourselves from slander, keeping far from it, so that we may not vainly acquire enmity towards our own Master.

Let us cease from slander, lest we become unjust judges of the truth and be found false witnesses against the law. For he who slanders a brother, or judges a brother, slanders the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are no longer a maker of the law, but a judge. Yet the judge and lawgiver is one, he who is able to save and to destroy. Do you see, beloved, how great a weight slander bears? Let us cease from it, lest we bring judgment upon ourselves. Let us also drive away from us those who wish to slander, lest by joining in others’ evils we procure destruction for ourselves; and let us not listen with pleasure to those who slander, lest we be filled with devilish thoughts. For this slander is called diabolical, receiving its name naturally from the one who begot it, when one, devoting himself to slander, serves the devil, performing the works of slander. But he who does not admit such a person frees himself from this vain

of sin, but to bring an unjust accusation against one's neighbor overturns the sinner, not unjustly; it also frees the slandered person from the accusation; it becomes an arbiter of peace and a teacher of friendship, abhorring the intention of the slanderer. Let us also learn to say, abhorring the deed: "They used to expel the one who slanders his neighbor in secret." And that you may learn, beloved, how slander is a worker of no truth, pay attention to the very designation of the name and to the following phrase, making the distinction. For slander is a teacher of accusation; but the word "secretly" reveals the falsehood and lack of frankness of the matter. For if it were true, it is good to reprove to the face and to make peace with frankness; but if you bring the accusation secretly, it is false, working an evil suspicion against your neighbor, being unable even to prove what you allege. It is good, therefore, to drive away the slanderer as a liar and a thief, so that, by not disturbing the peaceful soul, we may not render it warlike toward the neighbor through slander. "They used to expel the one who slanders his neighbor in secret." "With a haughty eye and an insatiable heart, they did not eat with this one." And that pride is hateful even to God Himself, hear the Scripture saying: "God sets himself against the proud, but to the humble he gives grace." And again elsewhere: "Pride is hateful before the Lord and men.

And, "Why does earth and ash become haughty?" And in many places you will find pride abominable and utterly detested. So then, here too it says, "With a proud eye and an insatiable heart, I did not eat with this one," since pride is a most harmful and injurious thing, not only for the one who has taken it up, but also for the one who feigns it for a short time. And he has joined the insatiable in heart to the proud, since the disposition of both is one, both of the one who exalts himself against his neighbor and of the one who is similarly insatiable against his neighbor. 5. It is good, therefore, beloved, for us to put aside pride and to take up humility, so that we may not hear, "He who exalts himself will be humbled," but that we may hear, "He who humbles himself will be exalted." And to be content with moderate sufficiency, and not to deviate from righteousness through the insatiability of the heart, so that we may not hear, "Because of the multitude of your injustice, your back parts were uncovered, your heels were exposed to shame." Let us therefore flee both the lifestyle of the proud and of those insatiable in heart, so that through the habit of association with them we do not become imitators of their wickedness. Let us therefore practice doing and saying, "With a proud eye and an insatiable heart, I did not eat with this one." And these things are said as from the person of the righteous man; and again, as from the person of God, the Holy Spirit, making the response, says, "My eyes are upon the faithful of the earth, that they may sit together with me." For truly the eyes of God are upon the faithful, watching over them, so that they may not fall outside the truth.

If you wish to learn that what has been said is true, consider the blessed apostles, and see that these, being faithful of the earth, have filled the whole world with the proclamation of salvation through their faith. For their voice went out into every land, and their words to the ends of the earth. Indeed, the whole world, having partaken of their faith, has been filled, possessing the inexhaustible wealth of piety. These faithful, then, sit together with the Master, hearing: "You, the twelve, shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. My eyes are upon the faithful of the earth, that they may sit together with me." O wonder! The clay ones sit, and the bodiless ones stand by. But I do not disparage the angels of God—far from it—rather, I proclaim the love of God for humanity, through which He honored the human nature. If the holy apostles sit, having become judges of the unbelievers, it is necessary that those who have had the faith of the apostles and have believed as they did also sit together with the apostles, being judges of those who have not accepted the faith nor confessed the saving word. For perhaps, so to speak, there will be twelve faithful nations, those catechized by the apostles, which will judge together with the apostles the twelve tribes of Israel, those not persuaded by the apostolic proclamation nor believing in the Master's will, so that they too, gathered together in faith, may hear: "My eyes are upon the faithful of the earth, that they may sit together with me.

Then let us examine what follows. What does he say? "Walking in a blameless path, this one served me." He did not dwell in the midst of my house practicing arrogance; the one speaking unjust things did not direct himself before my eyes. To the boast of the righteous man, God likewise responds, and sets forth how those who have passed through faith ought to be. He says, "Walking in a blameless path, this one served me." For I choose such as these as ministers, those who walk in a blameless path, and neither deviate to the right nor to the left, nor go astray concerning the path of righteousness and truth. For blessed are those who are blameless in path, who walk in the law of the Lord. So, in response to the utterance made by the prophet, the one saying, "I will sing and understand in a blameless path," here he says, "Walking in a blameless path, this one served me." And again, as he says, "I passed through in the innocence of my heart, in the midst of my house"; and, "With an arrogant eye and an insatiable heart, I did not eat with this one," he responds by saying, "He did not dwell in the midst of my house practicing arrogance," but also, "Speaking," he says, "unjust things, he did not direct himself before my eyes." For just as there he says, "The one slandering his neighbor in secret, this one I drove out," so here, "Speaking unjust things, he did not direct himself before my eyes." Then see what he says: "In the mornings I killed all the sinners of the earth, to destroy from the city of the Lord all those working lawlessness.

Here then he hints at matters concerning the future age. For since the present age is night, and the future age is day, as the most wise Paul says, "Has the night advanced? The day has drawn near." He calls "morning" the rising of the eternal light, which the righteous are to enjoy. So in this morning he will slay the sinners, sending them into the eternal fire. For this is the death of sinners, as the Savior himself says: "Fear rather the one who can kill both soul and body in Gehenna." So in the mornings they slew all the sinners of the earth, to destroy from the city of the Lord—that is, from the upper Jerusalem—all those who work lawlessness. For in that city only the righteous rest, enjoying the eternal kingdom, of which may it be granted that both we and you all enjoy, having pleased him, having lived piously in Christ Jesus our Lord; to whom is the glory and the power, unto the ages of ages. Amen.