I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
Read Chapter 122
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
1. As impure love inflames the mind, and summons the soul destined to perish to lust for earthly things, and to follow what is perishable, and precipitates it into lowest places, and sinks it into the abyss; so holy love raiseth us to heavenly things, and inflames us to what is eternal, and excites the soul to those things which do not pass away nor die, and from the abyss of hell raiseth it to heaven. Yet all love hath a power of its own, nor can love in the soul of the lover be idle; it must needs draw it on. But dost thou wish to know of what sort love is? See whither it leadeth ...
2. This Psalm is a "Song of degrees;" as we have often said to you, for these degrees are not of descent, but of ascent. He therefore longeth to ascend. And whither doth he wish to ascend, save into heaven? What meaneth, into heaven? Doth he wish to ascend that he may be with the sun, moon, and stars? Far be it! But there is in heaven the eternal Jerusalem, where are our fellow-citizens, the Angels: we are wanderers on earth from these our fellow-citizens. We sigh in our pilgrimage; we shall rejoice in the city. But we find companions in this pilgrimage, who have already seen this city herself; who summon us to run towards her. At these he also rejoiceth, who saith, "I rejoiced in them who said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord" (ver. 1 ) ...
Canticle. Hebrew, Chaldean, and Syriac add, "of David "(Calmet) who saw in spirit the glory of the temple under Solomon, or the return of the captives, and the felicity of souls in heaven. (Berthier)
See Psalm xli.
What is said of the earthly Jerusalem, is beautifully applied to heaven by St. Augustine The captive Levites might write this psalm. (Calmet)
Lord. Many prophets assured the Jews of their speedy deliverance, as preachers still set before the people the joys of heaven; all which filled the psalmist with rapture. (Worthington)
The motive for this joy is disinterested and edifying. The captives had begged for redress in the former psalms. (Calmet)
Before they had been chastised, they profane the temple. (St. Chrysostom)
