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Office Of Readings | Week 23, Thursday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Commentary Of Saint Bruno On the Psalms | If I Forget You, O Jerusalem
‘If I should forget you Jerusalem.’
Saint Bruno reflects on the longing expressed in Psalm 84[83]: ‘How lovely are your tabernacles, O Lord of hosts.’ He interprets this not only as a reference to the Temple of Jerusalem but as pointing beyond it to the heavenly Jerusalem, the eternal dwelling place of God. For Bruno, the psalmist’s desire is ultimately for the courts of heaven, where blessedness consists in unending praise of God.
The text highlights the distinction between earthly life—described as a ‘vale of tears’—and the life of heaven, symbolised as a ‘mountain of joy’. This contrast echoes traditional biblical imagery: the valley as a place of struggle and mortality (cf. Psalm 23:4), and the mountain as a symbol of God’s presence and glory (cf. Isaiah 2:2–3).
Bruno emphasises that entry into the courts of the Lord cannot be achieved by human effort alone. While the psalmist ‘sets his heart on ascending’, the ascent requires divine grace. The journey is made possible only through Christ, who alone ascends by his own power (cf. John 3:13). Believers are lifted up through stages of virtue and good works, but these are effective only because Christ the Lawgiver bestows grace. This mirrors the wider Christian tradition in which grace and human effort are seen not in opposition but in cooperation, with God’s initiative always primary.
The journey described is progressive: believers ‘go from strength to strength’ until they arrive at Zion. The vision promised at the end of this ascent is the beatific vision, when the faithful will behold God ‘as the God of gods’, that is, the Trinity, no longer through faith but directly. Bruno notes that in this final vision, God will be ‘all in all’ (1 Corinthians 15:28), the culmination of Christian hope.
The passage thus presents a theology of pilgrimage: life on earth as a journey marked by tears, aided by grace, and ordered towards the eternal vision of God.
A Reading From The Commentary Of Saint Bruno On the Psalms | If I Forget You, O Jerusalem
How beautiful are your tabernacles! My soul longs to reach the courts of the Lord, the fullness of the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the Lord. He then explains why he desires to enter the courts of the Lord. It is because they are blessed who dwell in your house, the heavenly Jerusalem, Lord, God of the heavenly powers, my King and my God. It is as if he were to say: Who does not long to enter your courts since you are God, the Creator and King and Lord of hosts, and all who dwell in your house are blessed? For him courts and house are the same. When he says blessed, he means that they enjoy as much happiness as can be conceived. Clearly they are blessed because out of their devoted love they will praise you for ever, that is, for all eternity. For they would not offer praise for all eternity unless they were blessed for all eternity.
Now even though we may have faith, hope and love, none of us can attain this state of blessedness by ourselves. Rather, blessed is the man – he alone attains blessedness – whose help is from you in rising to the heights of happiness on which he has set his heart. In other words, he alone can be said to come to true blessedness who, having resolved in his heart to rise to this state of happiness by the many stages of the virtues and good works, receives the help of your grace. No one can rise up by himself as the Lord testifies: No one ascends into heaven, of his own power, except the Son of Man who is in heaven. Thus he contemplates this journey, living as he does in a vale of tears, for this life is lowly and full of tears and sorrow. The life of heaven, by contrast, is called a mountain of joy. But since the psalmist said: Blessed is the man whose help comes from you, someone might ask: Does God really help us in this? And the answer is that God does help the blessed. For our lawgiver Christ, who gave us the law, gives now and will continue to give his blessings, the abundant gifts of grace, by which he will bless his own, that is, raise them to beatitude. By these blessings, then, they will rise from strength to strength. One day in the heavenly Zion they will see Christ as the God of gods, as the one who, being God, will deify his own. Or, again, those who are to be the new Zion will see in spirit the God of gods – the Trinity. In other words, then their minds will see God, who cannot be seen in this life. For then God will be all in all.
Christian Prayer With Jesus
Lord,
you are our help and our strength.
Guide us through this vale of tears,
and grant us the grace to ascend the path of virtue.
Lift our hearts to the heavenly Jerusalem,
where we shall praise you without end,
and behold you as you are,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Heavenly Jerusalem – The biblical image (cf. Revelation 21) of the eternal dwelling place of God with his people, symbolising the fulfilment of salvation.
Blessedness – The state of eternal happiness in God’s presence, often described as beatitude.
Vale of tears – A traditional expression for earthly life, marked by suffering and mortality.
Stages of virtue – The progressive growth in moral and spiritual life through practice of virtues.
Grace – God’s free and unmerited gift, enabling human beings to live in friendship with him.
Lawgiver Christ – A title for Christ as the one who fulfils and surpasses the Law, providing both command and grace.
Beatific vision – The direct vision of God in heaven, the ultimate goal of human life.
‘God will be all in all’ – A phrase from 1 Corinthians 15:28, describing the final state when creation is fully united with God.
The poem is a meditation on the nature of prayer. It is a sonnet with no narrative or direct progression, composed of sixteen images, each evoking different dimensions of prayer. There is no main verb in the poem; it flows as a series of phrases that describe prayer without explicitly saying what it does. A list of metaphors feels simultaneously boundless and encompassing, as Herbert seeks to communicate prayer’s role, impact, and place within the human and divine realms [ … ]
King James Audio Bible | KJV | King James Version King Herod There were several individuals named Herod who played significant roles in ancient history, particularly in the history of the Roman Empire and the region of Palestine. Here is a brief overview of the most notable Herods: Herod the Great: Also known as Herod I, he was a Roman client king of Judea, ruling from 37 BC to 4 BC. He is perhaps most famous for his role in the biblical story of the birth of Jesus, in which it is said that he ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. Herod Antipas: Also known as Herod II, he was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over Galilee and Perea, two regions in Palestine, from 4 BC to 39 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned John the Baptist and later had him beheaded. Herod Agrippa I: Also known as Herod III, he was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned the apostle Paul. Herod Agrippa II: Also known as Herod IV, he was the great-grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over parts of Palestine and Syria from 50 to 100 AD. He is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who heard Paul’s defence before the Roman governor Festus. These rulers, who were known as the Herodian dynasty, were not Jewish but rather descended from a Greek family that had converted to Judaism. Despite this, they were appointed as rulers by the Roman Empire and were generally unpopular among the Jewish population due to their collaboration with the Roman occupation and their often brutal methods of rule. Herod The Great Herod the Great, also known as Herod I, was a Roman client king of Judea who ruled from 37 BC to 4 BC. He was born in 73 BC in Idumea, a region in southern Palestine, and was the son of Antipater the Idumean, an Edomite who had been appointed as a governor of Judea by the Roman general Pompey. Herod rose to power after the Roman general Julius Caesar appointed him as king of Judea in 40 BC. He consolidated his power over the next few years by defeating his rivals and establishing himself as the undisputed ruler of the region. As king, Herod embarked on a massive building program that included the expansion and renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem, the construction of the port city of Caesarea Maritima, and the fortification of several cities in Judea. He also commissioned the construction of a number of palaces and other buildings, including the famous Herodium, a palace-fortress located south of Jerusalem. Despite his many accomplishments, Herod was a controversial figure who was known for his harsh rule and his willingness to use violence to maintain his power. He was married several times and had a large number of children, several of whom he had executed when they posed a threat to his rule. One of the most famous stories associated with Herod is the biblical account of the birth of Jesus, in which it is said that he ordered the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the newborn Jesus. According to the New Testament, Jesus was saved by his parents, who fled to Egypt, and later returned to Palestine after Herod’s death. Herod died in 4 BC at the age of 70, leaving a legacy as one of the most significant rulers in the history of ancient Palestine. Herod Antipas Herod Antipas, also known as Herod II, was the son of Herod the Great and ruled over Galilee and Perea, two regions in Palestine, from 4 BC to 39 AD. He was born in 20 BC and was named after his father’s patron, the Roman emperor Augustus. Like his father, Herod Antipas was known for his ambitious building projects, including the construction of the city of Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and the expansion of the Temple in Jerusalem. He was also known for his political cunning and his ability to navigate the complex political landscape of the Roman Empire. Herod Antipas is mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who imprisoned John the Baptist, a prominent religious figure who criticized Herod’s marriage to his sister-in-law, Herodias. According to the New Testament, John was eventually beheaded at the request of Herodias’ daughter, Salome, who danced for Herod and his guests at a banquet. Herod Antipas is also mentioned in the New Testament as the ruler who oversaw the trial and execution of Jesus. Although he initially wanted to release Jesus, he ultimately handed him over to the Roman authorities at the urging of the Jewish religious leaders. Herod Antipas’ rule came to an end in 39 AD when the Roman emperor Caligula exiled him to Gaul, modern-day France. He died in exile a few years later. Herod Agrippa I Herod Agrippa I, also known as Herod III, was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea from 41 to 44 AD. He was born in 10 BC and was the son of Aristobulus and Bernice, two of Herod the Great’s children. Herod Agrippa I was well-educated and fluent in both Greek and Hebrew, and he was highly regarded by the Roman authorities for his loyalty and his ability to maintain order in Judea. He was appointed as king of Judea in 41 AD by the Roman emperor Claudius, who was impressed by his abilities and saw him as a reliable ally in the region. As king, Herod Agrippa I continued the building projects of his grandfather and expanded the Temple in Jerusalem. He also implemented a number of reforms aimed at improving the lives of the […]
Saint Gregory Nazianzen, known in the Christian tradition as the Theologian, is one of the greatest voices of the early Church on the mystery of the Incarnation. Few writers speak with such reverence, precision, and lyrical force about the identity of Christ. This reading is a condensed expression of his lifelong insistence on one central truth: only the full, undiminished God could save us, and therefore the One who became human for us is truly God, truly man, united in one person [ … ]
