Psalm 62:8
help and humility and hens
Because thou hast been my helper. And I will rejoice under the covert of thy wings: (Psalm 62:8 DR)
The verse numbering of this passage introduces a somewhat artificial separation between the previous passage and this one, as the clause “because Thou has been my Helper” is contextually related to the end of the previous thought. That is, the reason that the Psalmist will meditate upon the Lord is because He has been his helper.
This is drawn out in St. Augustine’s commentary in which in the previous passage he remarked that the “bed” is a way of speaking of “rest,” and that unless we are mindful of God when in leisure, we cannot hope to do so while in the midst of our works:
Can he that thinks not of God when he is at leisure, in his actions think of God? But he that is mindful of Him when he is at rest, on the Same does meditate when he is doing, lest in action he should come short. (St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, 62, 12.)
However, the truth of the situation is that in our own power we are incapable of accomplishing the good works for which we are predestined (cf. Ephesians 2:10). Thus it is necessary to meditate on the Lord “in the morning” as the Psalmist describes, which is a manner of speaking of the soul which turns its will to cooperate with grace:
Therefore he has added what? “Because You have become my helper.” For unless God aid our good works, they cannot be accomplished by us. And worthy things we ought to work: that is, as though in the light, since by Christ showing the way we work. Whosoever works evil things, in the night he works, not in the dawn; according to the Apostle, saying, “They that are drunken, in the night are drunken; and they that sleep, in the night do sleep; let us that are of the day, be sober.” [1 Thessalonians 5:7-8] He exhorts us that after the day we should walk honestly: “As in the day, honestly let us walk.” [Romans 13:13] And again, “You,” he says, “are sons of light, and sons of day; we are not of night nor of darkness.” [1 Thessalonians 5:5] (St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, 62, 12.)
This is an incredibly rich passage that deserves further exploration. Our good works attain only an imperfect natural goodness if they are not enlivened by grace, which is just God’s “aid” unto us and is necessary:
And thus in the state of perfect nature man needs a gratuitous strength superadded to natural strength for one reason, viz. in order to do and wish supernatural good; but for two reasons, in the state of corrupt nature, viz. in order to be healed, and furthermore in order to carry out works of supernatural virtue, which are meritorious. Beyond this, in both states man needs the Divine help, that he may be moved to act well. (ST. II. I., Q.109, A.2)
To tie it back to St. Augustine’s analogy, in our natural state our good works are like trying to work in the dark, which is unable to bring about the perfection of the work which would be achieved in the day. Further, our concupiscence often leads us to desire the darkness of the night of sin; the other analogy would be to prefer drunkenness to sobriety. Without grace we are unable to “work in the day” and do works of supernatural virtue which St. Thomas mentions above. Our Lord Jesus Christ is—as St. Augustine notes—both the exemplar of this and the conduit of grace by which we attain unto supernatural virtue. That is why the image of the Church as the Body of Christ is not merely a metaphor but a mystical reality. Through the Church and her sacraments this grace is available so as to be able to “work in the day,” and it is only by being united to Christ in this manner that this can become a reality in our lives:
Who are sons of night, and sons of darkness? They that work all evil things. To such a degree they are sons of night, that they fear lest the things which they work should be seen. No one therefore in the dawn works, except him that in Christ works. But he that while at leisure is mindful of Christ, on the Same does meditate in all his actions, and He is a helper to him in a good work, lest through his weakness he fail. (St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, 62, 12.)
Those who walk in darkness end up desiring the darkness and thus will find virtue tedious and unattainable as they reject God and the grace He offers to them. They choose to “rest”—as it were—in the darkness and set their minds on those things which they wish to conceal which are contrary to virtue. But the just man chooses to “rest” in the Lord and under the covert of His wings:
He that dwelleth in the aid of the most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of Jacob… He will overshadow thee with his shoulders: and under his wings thou shalt trust. (Psalm 90:1, 4 DR)
The image here is of a hen covering her chicks with her wings (cf. Matthew 23:37) and protecting them from the elements and from predators. Those who are “sons of light” recognize their vulnerability and need of God’s assistance and protection:
I am cheerful in good works, because over me is the covering of Your wings. If you protect me not, forasmuch as I am a chicken, the kite will seize me. (St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, 62, 12.)
As the Psalmist transitions from the previous thought to this attitude of thankfulness and rejoicing, he frames it entirely in humility. He remembers the Lord on his bed and in the morning because the Lord has been his Helper, and he rejoices because the Lord has protected him as if under His wings. In each of these thoughts the Psalmist recognizes his frailty and absolute need of God’s help at all times, which allows him to rejoice in good works and to desire and attain his supernatural end:
Little ones we are: therefore may God protect us under the shadow of His wings. What when we shall have grown greater? A good thing it is for us that even then He should protect us, so that under Him the greater, always we be chickens. For always He is greater, however much we may have grown. Let no one say, let Him protect me while I am a little one: as if sometime he would attain to such magnitude, as should be self-sufficient. Without the protection of God, nought you are. Always by Him let us desire to be protected: then always in Him we shall have power to be great, if always under Him little we be. (St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms, 62, 12.)
In this animation I decided to use the Extrude plugin to create this fun infinitely looping tunnel in the shape of a cross to signify the “assistance” of grace necessary to attain our supernatural end. I merely set up the colors and then animated the parameters to have it grow from the center and extrude past the camera, so nothing terribly fancy.
Enjoy.
Because thou hast been my helper. And I will rejoice under the covert of thy wings:
(Psalm 62:8 DR)
View a higher quality version of this gif here: