O God, come to my aid +

Lord come quickly to assist me.

Let those who seek my life + be confused until they are respectful.

Let those who wish me evil + turn away from me with red faces.

Let those who cry to me “well done, well done” + turn away from me blushing.

Let all who those who search for you, rejoice and be happy + And let those who love your salvation praise you forever.

But as for me! I am poor and destitute + my God help me.

Lord, You are my helper and my deliverer, + Lord do not be slow in coming.

Francis has placed this psalm in his Office of the Passion for Compline of Easter Day, or Holy Saturday night; and is to be recited every night until the octave of Pentecost.

Theoretically, Psalm VIII relates to Christ’s last few hours in the Tomb, or in the world of the dead; however it would be wrong to fix this psalm to any specific hour, or perhaps not even to the Saturday itself.

The psalm begins with the invocation to God to come to give aid followed by ‘Lord come quickly to assist me.’ This is familiar to those who say the Office of the church. Then, once again we are amid thoughts of the uncertainty & confusion of the hours preceding arrest or death. This time the couplets consist in a statement which allows one to choose to do something and the result thereof.

Deeds affect both those  ‘ done unto’ as well as the doer and so :

“Let those who seek my life be confused.” – “until they are respectful” or confounded and reverent as the Latin translates. Why confused? Perhaps because those seeking the life of Christ were not quite clear in their own minds as to why they wanted him dead. ‘Until they are respectful.’ But once understanding would be full of respect for what Christ had done for them through his death.

Christ was not vindictive, even during his Passion Jesus desired nothing more than that those who persecuted him to death itself understood why and what they had done.

That in their understanding they would become visibly embarrassed, be seen to know, at the fact that they had wished evil on Jesus and cheered others on by shouting “Bravo, Bravo!” who goaded, scourged, crucified our Lord. Once understanding the awfulness of their actions, and perhaps also the consequences they might then search for the Salvation of God and rejoice and be happy.

Having found salvation they will then praise God forever.

Christ in Francis goes on to express himself as one who is poor and destitute, as one who cannot choose, as one constrained by ‘Let not’; as one who then illustrates the truth that God will always come to the aid of those who ask.

I must say that, having said this, the feeling I have when reading this psalm is not that of being within the heart and mind of Christ and present to his suffering, but as one looking on from afar.

Lord, You are my helper and my deliverer, + Lord do not be slow in coming. That this time I spend among the dead be ended.

Thus the deliverer is delivered!