In Psalmum 75

Of the Same Author: A Discourse on "Pray, and Render to the Lord Our God." The teachers of this world lead children to the knowledge of letters; the teachers of the Church instruct disciples in the perfection of virtues. And it is possible, beloved, to learn precisely from what has just been read to us in the psalm the most exact truth of what has been said. For what did the prophet of the Spirit, the great writer David, say now? "Pray, and render to the Lord our God." Just as the blessed Judith, when the Babylonian Holofernes once surrounded Jerusalem with his own army and cut off all the water-bearing springs that led into the city, and the Hebrews were perishing from thirst so that they were ready to surrender themselves and the city to the one imposing this necessity upon them—that blessed woman, coming forward with a courageous spirit and faithful resolve, prevented the surrender of the city; and rousing herself to fight and wage war against so great an army, and wishing to avenge her own race and save the city, trusting in God, devoting herself with bodily strength to the war against the enemies, she said to the priests and to all the faithful people: "Pray, and render to the Lord our God.

She, having gone out of the city, when evening had already overtaken her, with one maidservant, having taken measured provisions for faith (for, being a Jewess and prohibited by the law, she did not wish to make use of Greek foods), and having come to Holofernes as a suppliant, in a clean garment and in seemly feminine attire, having enslaved the foreigner by his desire for a woman, she kept herself undefiled; for she was not defiled by chastity. For at night, when the camp was sleeping and Holofernes was stupefied with much wine, having boldly taken his two-edged sword, she beheaded him; it is clear that God was strengthening the right hand of the young woman. And on that very night in which she performed this brave deed, having run back victorious to the city and having let down his head through the wall, she displayed him as a trophy to all the foreigners, so that on the next day the foreigners, seeing their own general slain by one woman, pressed by much cowardice and much fear, fled from before the Hebrews, and the scripture was fulfilled: How shall one pursue a thousand, and two move ten thousand? For the most courageous Samson is found to have alone pursued a thousand, and the most courageous Judith with her own maidservant to have moved the ten thousand foreigners.

You see how great a good it is to pray and to render to the Lord our God. Hezekiah the king, being a faithful man and relying more on faith and prayer than on arms and military force, contrary to expectation achieved victories over the enemy. For instance, when Sennacherib came with a great host of barbarians, besieged Jerusalem, reviled God and those who believed in Him, and sent written insults to Hezekiah against God, Hezekiah, having received the letter and read it before God, prayed and rendered to the Lord our God; whence he was immediately freed from the danger surrounding him; thus suddenly and marvelously he received help from God. For one angel from heaven, sword in hand, descending by night, slew one hundred eighty-five thousand of the foreigners, none of them being able to withstand the onset of his right hand, so that the races of the foreigners might be taught not to sharpen a blasphemous tongue against God. So great a good is it, beloved, to pray and to render to the Lord our God. And David, the most wise, when under Saul the king of Israel the foreigners had encamped against the race of the Israelites and had put forward for single combat a man, a giant in bodily strength, but in wisdom of mind more than a giant, speaking great things and promising great things; this man was named Goliath, whose size the children of the Hebrews, having beheld, were constrained by much cowardice and fear, avoiding the clash of war.

But David, being shrewd, knowing that bodily strength avails nothing for victory, nor the array of arms and horses (for a king is not saved by great might, nor will a giant be saved by the abundance of his strength; a horse is false for salvation; nor will he be saved by the abundance of his might), took five stones, a symbol of the Pentateuch given to them by God—the small one, the younger one, the one despised by his own people and by the foreigners—and striking the arrogant giant on the forehead with a single stone cast, brought him down on his face. And it is, beloved, worthy of inquiry, how, having been struck on the forehead, Goliath did not fall backward, but was dashed forward on his face. It is clear that we must understand that an angel was standing behind the God-fighter, hurling him forward on his face. Thus it is good to pray and to render to the Lord our God. 2. And the blessed Moses, having moved the people of the Hebrews from Egypt, and having come to the streams of the Red Sea, with the Egyptians rushing upon them with a strong and numerous host, while the Hebrews could neither withstand the war nor secure their own safety by flight—for before them the sea was spread out, preventing flight, and behind them the dark host of the Egyptians, sword in hand, was bearing down upon them—

And as overjoyed as the Hebrews were at the thought of what had been accomplished, so suddenly, upon seeing Pharaoh and the Egyptians, they were seized with fear, and were driven in confusion by their anxieties, just as the sea is driven when strong winds blow upon it, so that, because of the extremity of their fear, they even dared to say to Moses: "Do you see how far matters have come to this final end, and how fear writhes in our souls? Already they threaten that we shall become a feast for birds, understanding that we have reached the last extremity, and that our situation is utterly hopeless. What are you waiting for, Moses? It would have been better for us to die in Egypt than to come here and see our children, our wives, and ourselves become a feast and a tearing apart for birds and land beasts." For it was especially trusting in these things that Pharaoh was filled with anguish, and, as if holding the authority in his hands, he grew arrogant and even spoke boastfully against God Himself. Then what does Moses say to them? "Do not be afraid, do not be cowardly. Pray and give thanks to our Lord God, and you will see the help given to you by God. The Lord will fight for us, and you will be silent." And when such a prayer was offered up to God, immediately the liquid sea was turned into dry land, and it served them without hindrance. And it was possible to see, beloved, a wondrous spectacle: the sea, which once foamed with waves, then being divided, and a double wall, liquid, dark-blue, black, unbreakable, fencing Israel on both sides.

And the water hung suspended to such a height until Israel passed, as when a man walking gently and at a pace traverses the breadth of the sea. And they themselves ran as through a grassy plain, rejoicing, while their enemies the Egyptians were sunk like lead, submerged. So good is it to pray and to render to the Lord our God. For were they not also in the wilderness in need of water and bread? How could they not lack bread and water in the wilderness, where there is no plowland, no vine, no tree, no herb, no sowing, no harvest? But holy prayer opened heaven to rain manna for them, and prepared the air to rain flesh, and the rock to cause springs to gush from its sheer face. For they were served by these three elements: heaven, air, and rock. Heaven bubbled forth for them water white as snow, and the air brought them quail, fattened, without toil. And the time of day will fail me as I recount the victories of the fathers, prophets, and kings, achieved through prayer beyond hope, the good and life-giving outcomes in sicknesses, dangers, and other more grievous circumstances, brought about through prayer. So great is it to pray and to render to the Lord our God. If any of you is involved in some matter despaired of among men, or is pressed by some necessity or danger, let him remember this scripture: let him pray and render to the Lord our God, and he will find the life-giving and blessed end of this good teaching.

If anyone wishes, beloved, to interpret the verse of Scripture in another way, and to say that to make a vow is to promise, the word will be beneficial in this manner as well. For we have found in many places in Scripture that "to vow" is used in the sense of "to promise," as Wisdom says: "It is better that you not make a vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it," that is, it is better not to promise God than to promise and then lie. Therefore it commands, "And do not break your word at the time of your prayer." Did you vow to dedicate your daughter or your son to God when they recover from a severe illness? Do not break your word at the time of your prayer. But as the blessed Anna, who was previously barren, having vowed to dedicate to God whatever she would bear, and having done this, she became an heir of eternal blessing; and her son Samuel was counted among the first and chosen prophets, and was so honored by God that he was numbered after Moses and Aaron: for Moses and Aaron are among his priests, and Samuel among those who invoke his name. The first good is to make a vow, that is, to promise; to fulfill it quickly with a cheerful and good disposition.

For God loves a good and cheerful giver. Thus Abel pleased God, because he brought his gifts to God from a cheerful and good disposition; but Cain displeased God, because he did not bring his gifts to God from a cheerful heart, but as if from grief and necessity, grieved at his brother's good repute. And having stirred up the spark of envy in his heart, he was inflamed to murder, whereas he ought to have imitated his brother's God-loving mind and obtained honor equal to his brother from the Lord. But now, looking neither to kinship and blood, nor reckoning that God was watching his lawless deed, he lured the young man to the field with deceitful words and destroyed the radiant work of God by murder. He was the first to commit fratricide, the first to stain the earth with blood, the first to open the gates of death. For no man had yet tasted death, until Cain gave birth to murder through envy. For what harm did Abel's life do you, Cain? Or what benefit did his death bring you? Did it not rather harm you? For behold, you ended your life in mental instability and trembling. O envy, brother of hypocrisy, creator of deceit, sower of murder, serpentine seed, death-breathing flower. What is more abominable than envy? Nothing. And what

and gave birth to death? But nothing else, except envy, as Scripture bears witness to me, saying that God did not create death, nor does he delight in the destruction of the living; but by the envy of the devil, death entered the world. It seems to me, beloved, that envy is an invention of the serpent; and it is impossible for anyone to have envy unless the serpent, having crept up to someone secretly, and having vomited its venom from its own heart, casts envy into the heart of the receiver. For thus the envious person ends up in the same rank and power as the serpent. Have you seen the envious person? You have seen the serpent. He speaks to you as a friend of his own affairs, and learns from you of your affairs as your enemy. The serpent approaches Eve as a friend, bewitching her with sweet words, but ensnaring her with bitter thoughts; bearing honey on its lips, hiding a sword in its heart; turning its head elsewhere, and twisting its tail elsewhere toward you. Cain approaches Abel as a friend; he speaks peaceful words, but intends warlike ones; deceit was carried on his lips, and envy was hidden in his heart. The envious person approaches you; he speaks to you of his own affairs, engaging you with deceptive words and lukewarm laughter, brightening your face, opening your mind, so that he may empty the hidden storehouse of your mind. He learns your secrets by speaking, and brings your hidden matters before all. And if you flatter him, he no longer endures it, no longer laughs, no longer relaxes his face with a smile, but stands sternly accusing, and not moving, until he sees your disgrace, and then he will laugh.

If at a banquet something is said against you, that one opens his ears. Well done. If something is said in your favor, that one, having thrown in other words, sprinkles the mind of the hearers, so that what is said about you, even in your absence, may not bring you glory. What is more wicked than an envious man? Nothing. Among what wild beasts will such a one be counted? If you compare him to a lion or a leopard, you will find the evil in the envious man. For every animal loves its own kind; but the envious man hates his brother and murders him. Ravens fed Elijah on the mountain, and brothers, selling Joseph out of envy, devoured him. The serpent, out of envy, deceived Eve, and Cain, out of envy, killed Abel. The whale entertained Jonah in the sea, but Saul, out of envy, pursued David. Lions respected Daniel, but the Jews, out of envy, crucified Christ. Asps are tamed when flattered, but the envious, when benefited, are inflamed all the more. But lest we seem, beloved, to be overly contentious and to stray from what was just read, let us return to the subject at hand. Pray, you who are envied, that you may suffer nothing irreparable from those who envy you, nor fall into the same disease. For he who seems to stand, let him see that he does not fall. Pray, you who envy, that, having vomited out the serpent’s venom, you may receive the heavenly bread with a clear testimony of conscience. Pray and give thanks to our Lord God.

Prayer has great power, beloved, rendering possible what is impossible among humans. Moses prayed, and he dried up the sea, leading the Hebrews through as if on a grassy plain. Joshua the son of Nun prayed, and he halted the streams of the Jordan, and what was written was fulfilled: "What is it to you, sea, that you fled, and you, Jordan, that you turned back?" Elijah the charioteer prayed, and he bridled the rain-bearing clouds, and again opened them through prayer. The same Elijah prayed, and to the poor widow he gave flour and oil measured by faith each day. His disciple Elisha prayed, and the Shunammite woman, previously barren, gave birth beyond hope. Daniel prayed, and he overthrew Bel, killed the dragon, and taught the lions to look up to heaven. The three youths prayed in the furnace, and the boiling flame of the furnace was extinguished. Hezekiah prayed, and, healing his own illness, he dissolved death and received a fifteen-year span of life. Jonah prayed, and he tamed the whale, teaching it to host him for three days, to show that for the saints, hospitality is found even in the depths of the sea. The most pious Tobit prayed, being blind, and he received light from the hand of an angel. Sarah the daughter of Raguel prayed in Ecbatana, and she banished the man-slaying demon. Silas and Paul prayed, being in prison, and the earth trembled, the doors of the prison were opened, the iron chains of the bonds fell off, and all who were guilty of bonds were shown to be free.

Peter prayed, and he raised Tabitha from the dead. The same Peter prayed in Rome, and he brought down the flying Simon from the air, and no longer permitted him to mock the Romans. Prayer raises the dead, puts demons to flight, heals diseases, dissolves deaths. O prayer, giver of life, repository of health, hope-bearing flower. Pray then, beloved, and render to our Lord God; for to him belongs all glory, unto the ages of ages. Amen.