Chancellor’s Diary

Psalm 122

1. I was glad when they said unto me : We will go into the house of the Lord.
2. Our feet shall stand in thy gates : O Jerusalem.
3. Jerusalem is built as a city : that is at unity in itself.
4. For thither the tribes…

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
 From whence does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
 Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved, He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
 will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
 the Lord…

Saint Vladimir [Volodymyr]

Psalm 120 A Song of Ascents

In my distress I cry to the Lord, that He may answer me:
“Deliver me, O Lord,
 from lying lips,
 from a deceitful tongue.”

What shall be given to you?
 And what more shall be done to you,
you deceitful tongue?
A warrior’s sharp arrows,
 with glowing coals of the broom tree!

Woe…

Psalm 119

This is the longest Psalm and also the longest chapter in the Bible (the entire psalm is given below). It is a magnificent and moving collection of prayers and meditations that embodies the first and greatest commandment, “‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and…

Psalm 118

God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us!
Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord!

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever!

All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I withstood them!
I shall not die, but live and recount the deeds of the Lord!

The stone which the builders…

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples!
For great is His steadfast love toward us;
 and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
 Praise the Lord!

This is the shortest of all the psalms, with only two verses. I can’t read it without hearing the powerful Taizé chant sung in Latin (link below), Laudate Dominum…

Psalm 116

I love the Lord, because He has heard
 my voice and my supplications.
Because He inclined His ear to me,
 therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.
The snares of death encompassed me;
 the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish; then I called upon the name of the Lord.

I kept my faith, even when I…

Psalm 115

O Israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
(Psalm 115:9-11)

Psalm 115 is most likely an antiphonal hymn that was sung back and forth by the clergy and congregation.…

Psalm 114

When Israel went forth from Egypt,

the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Judah became his sanctuary,
 Israel his dominion.
The sea looked and fled,
 Jordan turned back.

What ails you, O sea, that you flee?

O Jordan, that you turn back?
—Psalm 114:1-3, 5 (Theophany, 1st Antiphon)

…the God of Jacob,
who turns…

Psalm 113

1 Alleluia! [Praise the Lord!]

Praise, O servants of the Lord,
 praise the name of the Lord!
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
 from this time forth and for evermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised!
4 The Lord is high above all nations,
 and his glory above the heavens!
5 Who…

Third Day of Pentecost

Psalm 112

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in His commandments!
His descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Glory and wealth are in His house,
and His righteousness endures forever. 
Light rises in the darkness for the upright;
the Lord is…

Leave-taking of the Ascension

Psalm 111

I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will make all Thy wonders known
In the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord!
They are studied by all who have pleasure in them!
His work is glory and beauty,
and His righteousness endures forever.
—Psalm…

Postfeast of the Ascension

Psalm 110

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”…

Out of the womb before the morning star have I have begotten thee. 
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,
Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek.
—Psalm 110: 1, 3-4 (LXX)

Postfeast of the Ascension

Psalm 109

This difficult Psalm is read on Holy Friday at the Third Hour, in the context of Judas betraying Jesus, Peter and the disciples abandoning Him, crowds and religious leaders mocking and accusing Him, soldiers torturing and crucifying Him. He is abandoned and alone, surrounded by enemies.

Be not silent, O God of…

Postfeast of the Ascension

Psalm 108

My heart is ready, O God,
 my heart is ready!
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
 Let Thy glory be over all the earth!
—Psalm 108:1,5 (LXX)

Psalm 108 combines parts of two earlier psalms into one. Verses 1-5 are Psalm 57:7-11, and verses 6-13 are Psalm 60:5-12. They were put together and slightly…

Arvo Pärt

I don’t normally write for the Chancellor’s Diary on Mondays, but Arvo Pärt’s presence at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary this past Saturday, and the concert of his music at Carnegie Hall that night left a deep impression. I can’t simply fold it into a listing of other events. And if…

Postfeast of Ascension

Psalm 107

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and He delivered them from their distress.
(Psalm 107: 6,13,19,28)

Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love,
for His wonderful works to the sons of men.
(Psalm 107: 8,15,21,31)

Psalm 107 is probably a hymn that was sung by pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem to…

Leave-taking of Pascha

Psalm 106: a confession of Israel’s sins

Both we and our fathers have sinned;
 we have committed iniquity,
we have done wickedly.
(Psalm 106:6)

We have sinned, transgressed, done wrong before You.
We have not watched or done as You have commanded us,
but do not give us up utterly, O God of our fathers.
Have mercy on me,…

Psalm 105: Despoiling the Egyptians

Then he led forth Israel with silver and gold,
and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
(Psalm 105:37-38)

Psalm 105 (like Psalm 78) is a hymn recalling God’s deeds and saving miracles among the people of Israel. The center of…

Psalm 104

O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! 
In wisdom hast Thou made them all…
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
 O Lord my God, Thou art very great!
(Psalm 104: 24,1)

Saint Gregory of Nyssa said, “Concepts create idols; only wonder grasps…