St. Monica and Vespers

   Yesterday the computer froze and stayed that way for most of the day. Grrr!  I intended to say a little something about St. Monica, whose feast day is May 4, before commenting on Vespers.  So - I will mention her today.

From the Book of Wisdom, Proverbs 31:10. The Epistle read for the Mass of a Holy Woman.
Who shall find a valiant woman?

   St. Monica is a wonderful example of loving motherhood. It is well-known that she prayed and wept, prayed and wept some more for 30 years that her son, Augustine, would change his dissolute ways and become a Christian. She never wavered and he did indeed convert and is one of the most famous Doctors of the Church. I devoted a blog to Augustine several months back.

   Monica was born in Africa, married a pagan whom she converted. As a widow, she devoted herself to Augustine, who had fallen into the heresy of Manicheism and lived a life less than exemplary. Augustine himself says of his mother, "Could you, O Lord, despise the contrite and humble heart of a chaste and mortified widow? Could you reject the tears of one who asked not for money, nor for any temporal thing, but only the salvation of her son's soul?"  Monica died at Ostia in 387.  Her remains and those of her illustrious son are interred in the basilica in Rome that is dedicated to him.

   Monica remains the model for those of us mothers who pray and weep for the souls of their children. She never gave up, she made atonement for the sins of her offspring, and prayed incessantly.

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Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.

   Vespers are the evening prayer. We give thanks for graces God has bestowed upon us during the day. On Sunday, Vespers reviews the history of God's kingdom in the Church and in individual souls. Christ is our victorious King (Psalm 109). We see God's care over His chosen ones (Psalm 110). We hear the fundamental laws of the kingdom, love and fear of God, and love of neighbor (Psalm 111), humility (Psalm 112). In Psalm 112 we also see the Church first childless, then as a mother happy in her children. Finally she is a pilgrim, in the image of the Jewish people, setting out from Egyptian slavery into the promised land (Psalms 110, 113).  Two objects are central to the praying of Vespers, thanksgiving to God and new courage to continue our pilgrimage.     (These notes are taken from the abbreviated Divine Office that I use).

      Psalm 109 predicts Christ as King and Priest. It begins: "Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis:"  The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand: Until I make thy enemies thy footstool.  In this psalm David paints the picture of the mission, the conflict and triumph of Our Savior.  Christ has applied these words of prophecy to Himself. If we continue reading this psalm we see that it speaks of Christ as the eternal priest, unchanging. "Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedec."  He breaks the persecution of the Church and will "smite in sunder the heads in the land of many" on judgment day.

      Psalm 110 is sung in thanksgiving for God's care over His chosen people. His delivering them out of Egypt is a "type" of our redemption. The Church prays it as a thanksgiving prayer for itself and souls passing through the world, away from "the bondage of the devil and into the promised land of heaven."

      "I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart: in the council of the just, and in the congregation."
We praise His justice and will be "mindful forever of His covenant: He will show forth to His people the power of His works........"

      Psalm 111 complements Psalm 110. We have seen the goodness of God and hope to be virtuous. We need to look to the highest sanctity, Jesus, and His saints, that we may join them.  "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he shall delight exceedingly in His commandments."

      Psalm 112 asks us to be humble. Humility is "the foundation of God's kingdom."  The Church is elevated as the Mother of God's countless children.  God looks down on "the low things in heaven and in earth....
Raising up the needy from the earth, and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill." that He may place him with princes, with the princes (saints) of His people. Who maketh a barren woman (the Church) to dwell in a house, the joyful mother of children."

    In Psalm 113 we reject idolatry. We see God passing by in the Ark of the Covenant. "this is God's solemn procession through time in the forward progress of His Church." Christ proceeds along and we want to march with Him. After noting the deliverance of the Israelites and their journey to the Promised Land, we condemn the idols of the Gentiles, which are "silver and gold, the works of the hands of men."  They have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, but are useless. "The house of Israel hath hoped in the Lord: He is their helper and their protector." We thank God, again, for His protection and ask help for our journey.

      A hymn follows, and the one for the Eastertide  begins: "At the Lamb's royal banquet, clothed in white robes and with the journey through Red Sea behind us, let us sing to Christ our King."  It ends: "Free from sin's foul death those who have been born again unto life and so, Jesus, may Thou be our soul's unending paschal joy."  The Trinity Doxology is sung and a short intercession: "Stay with us, Lord, alleluia. For it is getting towards evening. Alleluia."

   The Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat, brings Vespers to a close. With the Blessed Virgin we joyously proclaim, "My soul doth magnify the Lord: And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior......."

I hope people will search out the Psalms and read them in their entirety.  They have so much to say.