Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

Chapter 2: Psalms 18–38

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Psalm 33 with Basil the Great – The ImmeasurableWisdom of God’s Love and Justice Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him (v. 1), not when the interests of your home are flourishing, not when you are in good health of

body, not when your fields are filled with all sorts of fruits, but when you have the Lord—such immeasurable beauty, goodness, wisdom. Let the joy that is in him be enough for you. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love (v. 5).

Basil the Great on Psalm 33 “Let the joy that is in him be enough for you.”

It is as if love is God’s co-worker, standing before the royal throne of his judgment, and thus he leads each one to justice. “If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?” (Ps 130:3) Neither is love without justice, nor justice without love. He loves mercy, therefore, before judgment, and after mercy he comes to justice. However, these qualities are joined to each other, love and justice, because without justice, love alone produces arrogance, and judgment alone causes despair. The Judge wishes to have mercy on you and to share his own compassion, but on condition that he finds you humble after sin, repentant, lamenting your evil deeds, announcing publicly without shame sins committed secretly, begging the brethren to labor with you in making things right. In short, if he sees that you are worthy of pity, he provides his mercy for you willingly. But, if he sees your heart unrepentant, your mind proud, your disbelief of the future life, and your fearlessness of the judgment, then he desires judgment for you, just as a reasonable and kind doctor tries at first with hot compresses to reduce a tumor, but, when he sees that the mass is rigid and refuses to soften, casting