The Mariological Psalms of Advent

An important place in Advent is held by its characteristic psalms: 23, 24, 71, 79, 84, 88, 121 and, in general, the messianic psalms, together with other poetic texts of the Old Testament (such as the canticle of Hannah and some canticles taken from the Book of Isaiah) and the Gospel texts of the Magnificat and the Benedictus.

Psalm 23 celebrates the joyful liturgy of entry into the sanctuary, which refers, at least in part, to the transfer of the ark to Jerusalem (cf. 2 Sam 6), and acclaims the victory and the glorious coming of the Messiah, typical of the parousia. At the same time, it presents the dispositions required of anyone who desires God, seeks Him, and wishes to follow Him.

To approach the Lord and have part with Him, the righteous man must possess purity of heart and integrity of life. He will receive the divine blessing as a reward because he already belongs to the generation of those who seek God. The liturgy sees in this psalm a prophecy of the Incarnation and, in this season, applies it to the Virgin Mary, through whom God, to whom the universe belongs, makes His entrance into the world. Following the example of the Virgin, every Christian must prepare to welcome, like a temple, the King of glory who comes to earth in the humble form of a man.

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David. The earth is the Lord’s and all that it contains, the orb of the earth and all who dwell in it,
for he himself founded it upon the waters of the sea and established it upon the waters of the rivers.
Who shall be worthy to ascend the mountain of the Lord? Or to stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, whose spirit does not seek vanities nor swear falsely to deceive his neighbor.
He shall receive the blessing of the Lord, and the reward of God his Savior.
Such is the generation of those who seek him, of those who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Lift up your lintels, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient portals, that the King of glory may enter!
“Who is this King of glory”? It is the Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your lintels, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient portals, that the King of glory may enter!
“Who is this King of glory”? It is the Lord of hosts! He is the King of glory.

Psalm 24 is the Trumpet of Advent, placed at the beginning of the First Sunday of Advent as the Entrance Chant. The verse Ad te levavi animam meam (to You my soul is lifted up) opens the Missal and becomes the leading motif of the celebrant’s interior disposition in Advent. This cry for help in danger, the supplication of a solitary man who implores forgiveness for his sins, which are held to be the cause of his misfortune, and who asks for light and help, is emblematic of the human situation as it appears, described and generalized, in this season. Going out to meet Christ, who now comes in mysterio, that is, in the liturgical celebration, and who will come as judge at the end of time, the Church longs for and desires her God: the way and the guide are uprightness, goodness, and justice.

Psalm 24

Of David. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
My God, in you I trust: let me not be disappointed! Let not my enemies mock me!
None of those who hope in you shall be put to shame, but the treacherous shall be covered with disgrace.
Lord, show me your ways, and teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation, and in you I hope always.
Remember, O Lord, your mercies and your kindnesses, which are eternal.
Remember not the sins of my youth and my offenses. In the name of your mercy, remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.
The Lord is good and upright; therefore he leads those who have strayed back to the right way.
He guides the humble in justice and teaches them his way.
All the paths of the Lord are grace and faithfulness for those who keep his covenant and his precepts.
For the sake of your name, O Lord, pardon my sin, however great it may be.
What becomes of the man who fears the Lord? God teaches him the way he should choose.
He shall live in happiness, and his descendants shall possess the land.
The Lord becomes intimate with those who fear him, and reveals to them his covenant.
My eyes are ever fixed on the Lord, for he will free my feet from the snare.

Psalm 71, clearly messianic, with the richness and evocative power of its images, proclaims the universal reign of justice and prosperity, of peace and abundance, of liberation and restoration, of the King-Messiah awaited by Israel. Jesus is the ideal figure of the descendant of David, the true ‘anointed’ of God, portrayed with magnificent prerogatives:

• He will do wonderful things
• and will manifest the glory of God

The singing of this psalm during Advent also expresses the expectation of Christ, King of peace, helper and defender of the little ones and the poor, of the weak and the oppressed, against all violence and abuse.

Psalm 71, 2nd Sunday of Advent, Year A

Of Solomon. O God, entrust your judgments to the king. Place justice in the hands of the king’s son,
that he may govern your people with justice, and reign over your lowly servants with equity.
The mountains shall bring forth fruits of peace for your people, and the hills, fruits of justice.
He shall protect the lowly among the people, save the children of the poor, and crush the oppressor.
He shall live as long as the sun endures, as long as the moon gives light, through all generations.
He shall come down like rain upon the grass, like the showers that soak the earth.
In his days justice shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon shines no more.
He shall rule from sea to sea, from the great river to the ends of the earth.
His enemies shall bow down before him, and his foes shall lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the islands shall bring him presents; the kings of Arabia and of Sheba shall offer him their gifts.
All kings shall worship him; all nations shall serve him.
For he shall deliver the unfortunate one who calls upon him, and the wretched one who has no helper.
He shall have pity on the poor and the destitute, and save the lives of the needy.
He shall deliver him from injustice and oppression, and precious shall his life be in his sight.
So he shall live, and the gold of Arabia shall be offered to him. For him they shall pray always and bless him forever.
There shall be an abundance of wheat in the land; its ears shall wave on the tops of the hills like the foliage of Lebanon. And the people of the cities shall flourish like the grass of the fields.
His name shall be blessed forever and shall endure as long as the light of the sun. In him all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed; all nations shall proclaim him blessed.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders.
Blessed be his glorious name forever,
and may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen! Amen!
Here end the prayers of David, the son of Jesse.

Psalm 72 arises at a time of calamity and exile, in precarious conditions, when the horizon is uncertain. This Psalm is a heartfelt invocation and an ardent prayer springing from a generous faith, that God may come and gather the scattered people whom He loves. The images of the vine, like that of the flock gathered around the Shepherd, evoke the eternal love of Yahweh for Israel.

The insistence of the refrain “refresh us and make your face shine” makes Psalm 79 a passionate prayer that highlights one of the main themes of this season, that of light. This psalm, with which the people of Israel implored the intervention of God the liberator, still resounds today in the time of the Church. Indeed, the Ecclesial Community recognizes itself as the flock and the vine of the Lord, the object of His loving care as Father. Passing through difficult and painful situations at every moment of its history, it implores the visit of the One in whom it places all its trust and hope.

Psalm 79, 4th Sunday of Advent, Year C

To the choirmaster. According to: “The law is like the lilies”. A Psalm of Asaph.
Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who are enthroned above the cherubim, show forth your splendor before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us.
Restore us, O Lord. Show us your serene face, and we shall be saved.
O God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people at prayer?
You have fed them with the bread of tears, and made them drink copious weeping.
You have made us a prey fought over by our neighbors: our enemies mock us.
Restore us, O God of hosts. Show us your serene face, and we shall be saved.
A vine you uprooted from Egypt; you drove out nations to plant it anew.
You prepared the ground for it; it took root there and spread across the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade; its branches overshadowed the cedars of God.
It stretched out its boughs to the sea, and its shoots to the river.
Why have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass by may pluck its fruit,
and the boar from the forest may ravage it, and it may serve as pasture for the beasts of the field?
Turn back, O God of hosts. Look down from high heaven, see, and come to visit the vine.
Protect this stock that you planted, this shoot that your hand has tended.
May those who burned it and cut it down perish before your threatening presence.
Stretch out your hand over the man you have chosen, over the man you have made strong.
And we shall never again turn away from you. Preserve our life, and then we shall praise you.
Restore us, Lord, O God of hosts. Show us your serene face, and we shall be saved.

Psalm 84 has as its theme the manifestation of divine mercy toward Israel. The images and feelings it expresses with vivid lyricism are typical of Advent spirituality. The composition of the “sons of Korah”, that is, of a dynasty or family of singers repatriated by Cyrus in 538 B.C., expresses the crisis of the Jewish soul as it prepares for the rebuilding of the nation, symbolized by the rebuilding of the temple after the exile.

Psalm 84, 2nd Sunday of Advent, Year B

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
You have been favorable, O Lord, to your land; you have restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You have forgiven the iniquity of your people; you have covered their sins.
You have calmed all your anger; you have restrained the fury of your wrath.
Restore us, O God our Savior; put an end to the indignation you had against us.
Will your anger against us be eternal? Will you extend your wrath over all generations?
Will you not restore us to life, that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us, O Lord, your mercy, and grant us your salvation.
I will hear what the Lord God says; for he speaks words of peace to his people, to his faithful, and to those whose hearts turn to him.
Yes, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, so that his glory will return to our land.
Goodness and faithfulness shall once more be united; justice and peace shall again join hands.
Truth shall spring up from the earth, and justice shall look down from high heaven.
At last the Lord will grant us his blessings, and our land shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall walk before him, and happiness shall follow in his steps.

The richness of its thoughts, the thanksgiving, the invocation in prayer, the oracle of favor, and the trust make this Psalm 84 a hopeful prayer for a joyful age of justice and peace. With it, the Church, the new Israel, gives thanks to the Lord Jesus for the work of salvation that He began with His first coming in the flesh, and asks Him to bring this work to completion. The various comings of Christ throughout history flood humanity with the blessings of God. Ultimately, peace and justice, love and truth, the fruit of salvation, will unite heaven and earth in perfect harmony.

Psalm 88 (4th Sunday, Year B) is a memorial celebration of God’s fidelity to the covenant: even if the sons of David transgress the law, the word of God will never fail. This hymn, composed at a time when the monarchy no longer existed but royal messianism had become clearly established, is linked to the oath sworn by Yahweh to David through Nathan (cf. 2 Sam 7): politics will not consolidate the dynasty, but God will make the Davidic line eternal.

In Christ, Son of David according to the flesh, the Lord will conclude an eternal covenant with all humanity, founded on law and justice. The patristic-liturgical perspective applies this psalm to Christ: only in Him do the promises of a universal dominion attain the fullness of truth. In Him the realities announced are transfigured into a higher order and take on a new and full meaning.

Psalm 121 (1st Sunday, Year A) is a pilgrimage song that makes its way with joyful notes to Jerusalem, the city of peace, homeland of the soul and place of encounter with God. The psalm, rich in inspiration and emotion, overflowing with feeling, becomes the song of the pilgrim Church going forth to meet God. Through this blessing that rises up, peace comes down upon all who live in expectation with their whole desire. The messianic era is seen here as a universal convocation and a return to Zion, transfigured into the eschatological city.

Prayer

Advent Hymn

Exalted Creator of the great stars,
Jesus, eternal light of your faithful,
Divine Redeemer of humankind,
Hear our ardent supplications.

You came, O Jesus, to save us
From the death in which the devil held us:
The remedy for the weakened world
Was your love, which strengthens and gives light.

To save us all from sin,
you came to us as a Lamb:
From an immaculate womb you were born
To immolate Yourself upon the wood.

May your holy and almighty name
be adored by all creation:
You are, Lord Jesus, the exalted King,
all power that exists has been given to You.

Fighting the good fight on earth,
we wish to extend your kingdom:
you will come, divine King, at the end of time,
to proclaim your eternal glory.

To explore more deeply the Mariological reading of the Scriptures in Advent, consult the Encyclical Redemptoris Mater of John Paul II, on Mary in the pilgrimage of faith in the light of the Scriptures.

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