On Thursday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to reflect on a scripture passage from the first book of Chronicles (22:5-19) entitled "David prepares the building of the temple". Our treasure, which follows, is from an exposition of psalm 118 by Saint Ambrose, bishop
Saint Ambrose was born of a Roman family at Trier about the year 340. He studied at Rome and served in the imperial government at Sirmium. In 374, while, living in Milan, he was elected bishop of the city by popular acclaim and ordained on December 7. He devotedly carried out his duties and especially distinguished himself by his service to the poor, and as an effective pastor and teacher of the faithful. He strenuously guarded the laws of the church and defended orthodox teaching by writings and actions against the Arians. He died on Holy Saturday, April 4, 397. Saint Ambrose is a Doctor of the Church.
Saint Ambrose's exposition of Psalm 118 focuses on the spiritual life and the virtues of humility and wisdom. He interprets the psalm as a guide for moral and spiritual growth, highlighting the importance of constant prayer, a tranquil soul, and a receptive heart to Christ's presence.
Ambrose emphasizes that believers should always be in a state of prayer, not just at specific times. He connects this to the idea of keeping one's soul open to Christ, like a door, allowing him to enter and dwell within. Ambrose sees the soul as God's temple, with its own doors and gates. He urges believers to open these to Christ, allowing him to enter and fill them with his grace and light. Ambrose uses the image of the sun to represent Christ, the source of light and truth. He contrasts the setting of the physical sun with Christ's perpetual light, which shines on those who desire it.
The psalm, according to Ambrose, is a guide to humility and spiritual maturity. He sees it as a path to progress from a childish, unlearned mind to advanced wisdom and prudence. Ambrose sees the psalm as having both moral and mystical dimensions. He emphasizes the importance of both moral living and understanding the deeper, symbolic meanings of the text.
Ambrose highlights the idea that Christ dwells within the believer, especially when the soul is open and receptive. This is achieved through faith, which is the door through which Christ enters. Ambrose refers to the Church as having "two eyes," representing the mystical and the moral aspects of faith. He connects the psalm to the Church's teachings and its role in guiding believers.
Ambrose views the Psalms, and particularly Psalm 118, as a place where believers can exercise and develop their spiritual muscles, growing in virtue and understanding.
In essence, Ambrose's interpretation of Psalm 118 is a comprehensive guide to Christian living, emphasizing the importance of an open heart, a life of prayer, and the pursuit of both moral and mystical understanding.
The Books of Chronicles record in some detail the lengthy span (some five hundred fifty years) from the death of King Saul to the return from the exile. Unlike today's history writing, wherein factual accuracy and impartiality of judgment are the norm, biblical history, with rare exceptions, was less concerned with reporting in precise detail all the facts of a situation than with drawing out the meaning of those facts. Biblical history was thus primarily interpretative, and its purpose was to disclose the action of the living God in human affairs. For this reason, we speak of it as "sacred history."
These characteristics are apparent when we examine the primary objective of the Chronicler (the conventional designation for the anonymous author) in compiling his work. Given the situation which confronted the Jewish people at this time (the end of the fifth century B.C.), the Chronicler realized that Israel's political greatness was a thing of the past. Yet, for the Chronicler, Israel's past held the key to the people's future. In particular, the Chronicler aimed to establish and defend the legitimate claims of the Davidic monarchy in Israel's history, and to underscore the status of Jerusalem and its divinely established Temple worship as the center of religious life for the Jewish people. If Judaism was to survive and prosper, it would have to heed the lessons of the past and devoutly serve its God in the place where he had chosen to dwell, the Temple in Jerusalem. From the Chronicler's point of view, the reigns of David and Solomon were the ideal to which all subsequent rule in Judah must aspire. The Chronicler was much more interested in David's religious and cultic influence than in his political power, however. He saw David's (and Solomon's) primary importance as deriving rather from their roles in the establishment of Jerusalem and its Temple as the center of the true worship of the Lord. Furthermore, he presents David as the one who prescribed the Temple's elaborate ritual and who appointed the Levites to supervise the liturgical services there.
