Psalm 60:4

how to survive sieges or besiege

For thou hast been my hope; a tower of strength against the face of the enemy. (Psalm 60:4 DR)

One common theme that the ancient Greeks loved to explore in their myths and poetry and plays was that of hubris, especially in how it leads to the downfall of the one who acts in hubris. The story of Icarus flying too close to the sun and falling to his death is emblematic of this overreach of the human will for that which is too far beyond it. But perhaps even more iconic is Oedipus who—in the hubristic refusal to accept his fate—unwittingly brings about that self-same fate through his own actions.

In our pride it is easy for us to see others as weak and ourselves as strong; others might succumb to temptations and such things, but we are surely better than that. This pride—which is often masked by a hubristic self-righteousness—is juxtaposed to true humility by our Lord in His parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee, the latter who thought himself superior to the former, even though the tax collector was the one who left justified:

I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because every one that exalteth himself, shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted. (Luke 18:14 DR)

St. Paul conveys a similar theme, using the examples of the people of Israel in the desert as a warning to have a clear self-assessment and to avoid pride and vainglory. The subtext is: if it could happen to them, it can happen to you:

Neither let us tempt Christ: as some of them tempted, and perished by the serpents. Neither do you murmur: as some of them murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them in figure: and they are written for our correction, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:9-12 DR)

Our pride is probably one of the greatest obstacles to sanctification and growth in the spiritual life, for while we receive temptation from the devil, that temptation can be overcome by God’s grace and will never be more than we can bear (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13). Pride, on the other hand, blocks grace from working in our hearts and souls not because grace is not available to assist us, but because pride causes us to refuse to cooperate with it. We imagine we can stand on our own two feet, as it were, and become liable to falling into temptation; in fact, without grace it is inevitable that we will meet our own Oedipean fate.

The Psalmist—having just spoken of the many temptations faced in this life—now comes to the great hope that he has. It is certainly not in himself; he is very pleas from the ends of the earth demonstrate this insufficiency. Instead, the hope is his exaltation on the Rock, which is Christ, and his voice is that of the Church whose members overcome temptation and the devil.

The Psalmist describes this hope as a refuge—a tower of strength. In fortified cities towers served both a defensive and offensive purpose. Defensively they were elevated above the assault of the enemy and generally more fortified than surrounding walls or fortifications, which made it more difficult for the enemy to make an attack on that location. Offensively it allowed the defenders to have high ground against the opposing enemy and thus a tactical advantage as it is generally easier to attack from above than from below.

In the spiritual life this tower of strength—which is Christ—provides protection against the attacks of the enemy but also the ability to go on the offensive, as it were. This is not some hubristic self-confidence but primarily refers to being a member of Christ’s mystical Body, the Church, of whom He said “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18 DR).

This tower acts as defense when we avoid and resist temptation, but offensively as we grow in virtue and sanctification and as the Gospel goes out into all the world, converting it to our Lord; the triumph and exaltation of the Church in the world is concomitant with the spread of the Gospel. And as living stones (cf. 1 Peter 4:5) of that Church our sanctification is wholly wrapped up in that as we draw from the same source which is Christ Himself as branches from the vine (cf. John 15:1-8):

But there forsakes me not the Same that has exalted me upon the Rock, in order to lead me down even unto Himself, because even if I labour, while the devil through so many places and times and occasions lies in wait against me, He is to me a tower of strength, to whom when I shall have fled for refuge, not only I shall escape the weapons of the enemy, but even against him securely I shall myself hurl whatever darts I shall please.

For Christ Himself is the tower, Himself for us has been made a tower from the face of the enemy, who is also the Rock whereon has been built the Church. Are you taking heed that you be not smitten of the devil? Flee to the Tower; never to that tower will the devil's darts follow you: there you will stand protected and fixed. But in what manner shall you flee to the Tower? Let not a man, set perchance in temptation, in body seek that Tower, and when he shall not have found it, be wearied, or faint in temptation. Before you is the Tower: call to mind Christ, and go into the Tower. (St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, 60, 4.)

---

I found this nice capital of an old column and thought (for whatever reason) that it would work well for this animation. I realize a column is not a tower, but they are both tall, so whatever.

I cut out the capital and precomped it in After Effects, and then added in an ellipse to use as a matte for a moving texture by means of Turbulent Displace. Back in the amin composition I animated the position and rotation to give a slight floating feel.

For the background I found some colorful textures for contrast and used loopFlow on them to created the flowing movement. I did this in several instances to have multiple “streams” going for visual interest. Finally I applied Shadow Studio 3 to the text but more as a glow to give it a bit of separation from the background.

Enjoy.

View a higher quality version of this gif here: