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A Meditation on Psalm 134. A short song of praise, this psalm may have been sung at a nighttime liturgy.
A Song of Ascents.
Come, bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands to the holy place,
and bless the Lord!
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!
Words to Remember
Come, bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord.
The Guardian Angels Sing God’s Praise
Who are the “servants of the Lord who stand by night in the house of the Lord”? In his sermon on this psalm, St. Hilary of Poitiers sees these servants as the guardian angels, who always look on God’s face.
The angels of little children gaze upon the face of God every day. And these spirits have been sent forth to help the human race. If the guardian angels had not been given to us, we would be too weak to resist the many and powerful attacks of the evil spirits. For that purpose, we need help from a superior nature.
We know this from the words the Lord speaks to strengthen Moses, who was trembling in fear: “My angel will go before you.” That’s why God has produced these spirits from his treasury and given them to help humanity in its weakness—so that this divine aid might help us against the powers of this dark world, so that we may inherit salvation.
—St. Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms
Be Unified
For St. Augustine, this psalm, with the psalm that precedes it, was a call to unity in the Church.
“May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!” He exhorts many to bless, but his blessing goes forth only to one, because he makes one out of many: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). It is a plural number, brethren, and yet singular, to dwell together as one. Let none of you say, “It’s not addressed to me.” Do you know whom he’s talking about when he says, “The Lord bless you from Zion”? He blessed one. Be unified, and the blessing comes to you.
—St. Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms
Questions to Think About
1. How often do I bless the Lord by night as well as by day—in private as well as in public? In what ways, in addition to prayer, can I “bless” the Lord?
2. How often do I ask for help from my guardian angel?
Click here to purchase “Praying the Psalms with the Early Christians.”