The Divine Office: Explanation of the Psalms and Canticles (Illustrated)

Saint Benedict called the Divine Office, the Work of God. And yet for many it is a dry work, the mere recitation of prayers, when it should lead us to sublime union with Almighty God. ST. ALPHONSUS was seventy-eight years old when in 1774 he published his TRANSLATION OF THE PSALMS AND CANTICLES OF THE DIVINE OFFICE. This difficult work, composed at so advanced an age, amidst sufferings almost continual, and numerous occupations, excited at Naples the admiration of learned men. According to Canon Massa, professor of theology and ecclesiastical examiner, the author in his work explains so skilfully the sense and the obscure passages of the psalms, that without taking anything from the purity of the inspired word he aids both the heart and the mind of those that read it. The Holy See has frequently praised and recommended all the works of St. Alphonsus; but the decree of March 23, 1871, which conferred on St. Alphonsus the title of Doctor of the Church, makes special mention of this work, speaking of it as one of his most useful and salutary works. The decree says: "He [St. Alphonsus] has made clear dark passages of the Holy Scriptures, both in his ascetic writings, which are freighted with a celestial odor, and in a most salutary commentary, in which, for the nourishment of piety and the instruction of the soul, he has given expositions of the Psalms, as well as of the Canticles, for the benefit especially of those obliged to its recitation." Our holy author wished above all to give, not an explanation, but, as the title expresses it, a translation of the psalms, so that even those that do not understand Latin may avail themselves of it; and he thus proceeds in his work: He takes each verse of the psalms separately, and gives of it a more or less extended paraphrase, which is accompanied or interspersed by diverse explanations. We have judged it proper, and even necessary, to modify this method in the present volume namely, we have given in parallel columns the Latin text and the English translation. Below the psalms we have placed the explanations that are given by the holy author, and at the bottom of the page foot-notes are here and there added whenever they were found to be necessary. It must be remarked that all the foot-notes have been added by the French translator, the Rev. Father Dujardin, C.SS.R., upon whose work the present translation is based. By the kind permission of the Rev. T. Livius, C.SS.R., we have freely used his translation in the preparation of this volume.