This comes from a book written by Reinier Snoy (1477-1537), a Dutch physician, historian and theologian. This is a prayerful paraphrase of Psalm 40 (39 in Douay-Rheims). The following was translated using ChatGPT.
Ps 40:2 With great desire I waited, yes, daily I waited for the Lord Christ to be incarnate, who alone is able to save; and He Himself, out of His goodness, fulfilled for me the desire of my love. And the Lord heard my prayers by sending Christ, and He drew me out and delivered me from the pit of misery, of wretchedness and ignorance, and from the foul mire—the dregs of carnal concupiscence and the desires for earthly things.
Ps 40:3-4 And He set and firmly established, through faith, my feet and my affections upon the rock, Christ, who is the true Rock, so that I might trust in Him; and through the law of the Gospel He directed my steps and my actions toward eternal beatitude. And thus from on high He put into my mouth that I might sing a new song—concerning the Incarnation, the Passion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension—a hymn, that is, of praise and thanksgiving to our God, Jesus Christ.
Ps 40:4 cont. Ps 40:5 Many will see by faith—who before were blind and understood nothing of God—and they will fear, recognizing themselves to be sinners; and, having become Christians, they will hope to obtain in the Lord Jesus the remission of sins. Blessed is that man whose hope of salvation is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under heaven in which we must be saved; and blessed is he who has not looked to, nor placed his trust in, the vanities of this world and false insanities, such as anger, strife, dissensions, and the other works of the flesh.
Ps 40:6 Many things You have done, O Lord my God, in creating the world; but greater still are Your wondrous works, in that through Your Passion You have saved the world. And in Your designs, by which from eternity You disposed the mystery of the Incarnation, there is none like You, for this wonder surpasses all Your other wonders. I announced these marvels beforehand through the Prophets, and in the last times I myself spoke, conversing among men as man; hence believers were multiplied beyond the number of the sand of the sea.
Ps 40:7-8 Sacrifice and offering of the old Law You did not will for the removal of the sins of the world; but ears You have perfected for Me unto obedience, even unto the death of the flesh. Holocausts, which were wholly burned to the honor of God, and offerings for original sin You did not demand, because they were not pleasing to You. Then I said—I, Christ—“Behold, willingly and gladly I come to offer My body upon the altar of the Cross as a most acceptable sacrifice.”
Ps 40:910 In the head of the book of predestination it is written of Me, Christ, that I should do and fulfill Your will, which was that I should undergo death for the redemption of the human race. And this same thing I willed, O my God, and for this I descended from heaven; and Your Gospel law I always kept in the midst of My heart through continual meditation. I proclaimed, through Myself and through the Apostles, Your justice and Your Gospel law, which teaches repentance in the Catholic Church, which is great in power, firmness, and extent. Behold, I will not restrain My lips, nor will I refrain from the promulgation of the law through Myself and through those who are Mine; and You, O Lord Father, know this and are witness.
Ps 40:11 Your justice and Your commandments I did not hide in My heart when I was able to profit others; but openly I proclaimed them in doctrine and in works, and Your truth in the fulfillment of Your promises, and Your salvation—namely, Myself—for the salvation of men I spoke of, I preached, and I announced.
I did not hide or conceal Your mercy, by which You forgive sins, nor Your truth, by which You threaten the impious, from the great council and the large assembly; for to all I announced Your kindness and Your Gospel teaching. But You, O Lord God the Father, do not make Your infinite mercies far from me Ps 40:12), but near to me and to my faithful members; Your mercy, by which sins are forgiven, and Your truth, by which You are always just, have upheld and preserved me, lest I should perish.
Ps 40:13-14 For evils and most grievous troubles have surrounded me on every side, of which there is no number. Through our negligence and through temptations—both of which are innumerable—my iniquities have overtaken and ensnared me, so much so that I could not look ahead to see how I might escape them. My iniquities have been multiplied beyond the hairs of my head, because they are infinite; and therefore my heart and my soul failed me, left destitute of confidence and strength.
May it please You, O Lord God, in Your good will, to deliver me, and by Your grace to free me from so many evils. O Lord, my only helper, look upon me mercifully and hasten to assist me.
Ps 40:15-16 Let my enemies be confounded, that they may come to their senses and, blushing, be ashamed together—those who seek my soul and the souls of those who are mine, lying in wait to take it away by killing. Let those who desire to inflict evil upon me and upon my people be turned back from their perverse wills, lest they persist in evil works; let them be confounded and fear God. Let those who say to me and to mine, “Well done, well done,” applauding with flattery and deceit, suddenly bear, as it were, an immense weight, so that they may not advance further in evil, but, through their own confusion, quickly return to repentance.
Ps 40:17 But let all who seek You through faith and love rejoice in body and be glad in mind over You, O God the Father; and let them always say and proclaim: “The Lord be magnified,” and “Blessed be His name”—they who love Me, Christ, Your salvation, whom You sent for the salvation of men.
Ps 40:18 But I am poor and needy, because I have taken the form of a servant and have been judged poor, base, and rejected; yet the Lord God is mindful of me and takes care of me. You are my helper, since I am frail, and my protector in distress; You are my God—do not delay, but give timely help to one who is in danger.
Comments
Post a Comment