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A reflection on Psalm 109(110), by the Holy Father

Scott1

Well-Known Member
1. Following an ancient tradition, Psalm 109(110), which was just
proclaimed, is the primary component of Sunday vespers. It appears
in each of the four weeks in which the Liturgy of the Hours is
articulated. Its brevity, accentuated by the exclusion in Christian
liturgical use of verse 6, of an imprecating nature, does not imply
the absence of exegetical and interpretative difficulties. The text
is presented as a royal Psalm, linked to the Davidic dynasty, and
probably refers to the enthronement rite of the sovereign. However,
the Jewish and Christian tradition has seen in the anointed king the
profile of the Anointed par excellence, the Messiah, the Christ.

From this perspective, the Psalm becomes a luminous song raised by
Christian liturgy to the Risen One on the feast day, memorial of the
Lord's passover.

2. There are two parts to Psalm 109(110), both characterized by the
presence of a divine oracle. The first oracle (see verses 1-3) is
addressed to the sovereign on the day of his solemn enthronement "at
the right hand" of God, that is, next to the ark of the covenant in
the temple of Jerusalem. The memory of the divine "begetting" of the
king was part of the official protocol of his coronation and assumed
a symbolic value of investiture and tutelage for Israel, the king
being the lieutenant of God in the defense of justice (see verse 3).

In the Christian re-reading that "begetting" becomes real by
presenting Jesus Christ as true Son of God. This is what occurred in
the Christian use of another famous royal-messianic Psalm, the
second of the Psalter, in which this divine oracle is read: "You are
my son, today I am your father" (Psalm 2:7).

3. The second oracle of Psalm 109(110) has, instead, a priestly
content (see verse 4). Formerly, the king also carried out functions
of worship, not according to the line of the Levitical priesthood,
but according to another relation: that of the priesthood of
Melchizedek, the sovereign-priest of Salem, pre-Israelite Jerusalem
(see Genesis 14:17-20).

In the Christian perspective, the Messiah becomes the model of a
perfect and supreme priesthood. The central part of the Letter to
the Hebrews exalts this priestly ministry "after the order of
Melchizedek" (5:10), seeing it incarnated fully in the person of
Christ.

4. The first oracle is quoted on several occasions in the New
Testament to celebrate the messianic character of Jesus (see Matthew
22:44; 26:64; Acts 2:34-35; 1 Corinthians 15:25-27; Hebrews 1:13).
Christ himself, before the supreme priest and before the Jewish
Sanhedrin, will refer explicitly to this Psalm, proclaiming that he
will be "seated at the right hand of the divine Power, as stated in
Psalm 109:1 (Mark 14:62; see 12:36-37).

We will return to this Psalm in our itinerary through the texts of
the Liturgy of the Hours. To conclude our brief presentation of this
messianic hymn, we wish to emphasize its Christological
interpretation.

5. We do so with a synthesis of St. Augustine. In his "Commentary on
Psalm 109," delivered during Lent of the year 412, he presented the
Psalm as an authentic prophecy of the divine promises on Christ. The
famous Father of the Church said: "It was necessary to know the only
Son of God, who would come among men to assume man and to become man
through the assumed nature: he would die, rise and ascend into
heaven, and be seated at the right hand of the Father and would
carry out among people all that he had promised. ... All this,
therefore, had to be prophesied and announced beforehand, pointed
out as destined to come, so that he would not cause fright by coming
unannounced, but rather be accepted with faith and expectation. This
Psalm is inserted in the ambit of these promises; it prophesizes, in
both certain and explicit terms, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
in which we cannot doubt for a moment that Christ was announced"
("Esposizioni sui Salmi" [Commentaries on the Psalms], III, Rome,
1976, pp. 951,953).

6. We now address our invocation to the Father of Jesus Christ, only
King and perfect and eternal priest, so that he will make us a
people of priests and prophets of peace and love, a people that
sings Christ the King and priest who was immolated to reconcile in
himself, in one only body, the whole of humanity, creating the new
man (see Ephesians 2:15-16).
 
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