Catholic Commentary on Psalm 80

"Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved." (Psalm 80:3)

The Vine and the Vinedresser

Psalm 80 is a communal lament that addresses God as the Shepherd of Israel and the one enthroned above the cherubim. Its refrain, repeated three times with slight variation, is among the most poignant verses in the Psalter: Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. The image of the divine face, turned away in anger or turned in blessing, runs through all of Scripture. To see the face of God is life; to have it hidden is near-death.

The extended metaphor of the vine is particularly rich: God brought a vine out of Egypt, cleared the ground, and planted it. It filled the land and spread its branches to the sea. But now its walls are broken down, strangers pick its grapes, and the wild boar ravages it. The Church has always read the vine as pointing to Israel, to the Church, and ultimately to Christ himself: John 15 begins with Jesus declaring I am the true vine. What Psalm 80 prays for, the restoration of the vine, is accomplished in the one who is the vine, whose Passion is the pruning that brings abundant fruit.

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, the three-fold refrain of Psalm 80 is the prayer that belongs in every season of the Church's difficulty: Restore us, O God, make your face shine on us. Not our plans, not our programmes, not our strategies. Your face, shining. When the face of God shines on a community, no external enemy can ultimately prevail.

Prayer

Restore us, O God of hosts. Make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. Return to us, look down from heaven, and care for the vine your right hand has planted. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

80
Hear Us, O Shepherd of Israel
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph.
 
1 Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,
who leads Joseph like a flock;
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine forth 2 before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Rally Your mighty power
and come to save us.
3 Restore us, O God,
and cause Your face to shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
 
4 O LORD God of Hosts,
how long will Your anger smolder
against the prayers of Your people?
5 You fed them with the bread of tears
and made them drink the full measure of their tears.
6 You make us contend with our neighbors;
our enemies mock us.
7 Restore us, O God of Hosts,
and cause Your face to shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
 
8 You uprooted a vine from Egypt;
You drove out the nations and transplanted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it,
and it took root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered by its shade,
and the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to the Sea,* 80:11 That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea
and its shoots toward the River.† 80:11 That is, the Euphrates
 
12 Why have You broken down its walls,
so that all who pass by pick its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it,
and the creatures of the field feed upon it.
14 Return, O God of Hosts, we pray!
Look down from heaven and see!
Attend to this vine—
15 the root Your right hand has planted,
the son You have raised up for Yourself.
 
16 Your vine has been cut down and burned;
they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17 Let Your hand be upon the man at Your right hand,
on the son of man You have raised up for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn away from You;
revive us, and we will call on Your name.
19 Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts;
cause Your face to shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

*80:11 80:11 That is, the Mediterranean Sea, also called the Great Sea

†80:11 80:11 That is, the Euphrates

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