Lifting up The Eyes

Videamus quid iste ascensor in domo Dei stans, et in quartum fiduciae gradum perveniens dixit Ad te levavi oculos meos, qui habitas in caelo. Levemus oculos nostros a terrenis ad coelestia, a nobis ad Dominum; displiceamus nobis, ut placeamus Deo, qui habitat in coelo, hoc est, in unitate sanctorum. Sicut spiritaliter oculos levare, ita spiritaliter coelum intelligere debemus. Ubi habitat Deus, ibi oculi cordis nostri in charitate levandi sunt. Ecce sicut oculi servorum in manibus dominorum suorum, et sicut oculi ancillae in manibus dominae suae, ita oculi nostri ad Dominum Deum nostrum, donec misereatur nostri. Cum ergo audis Christum, leva oculos tuos ad Dominum Deum tuum, cum audis Dominum, leva oculos tuos ad sapientiam et Dei virtutem. Leva oculos tuos ad dominum tuum, quia servus et ancilla es: servus, quia populus es; ancilla, quia Ecclesia es. Sed ipsa ancilla sponsa facta est. Unus loquitur et omnes in uno loquuntur, quia omnes unum sunt in Christo: unus populus, una Ecclesia, unus grex ad unum pastorem pertinens. Donec misereatur nostri, id est, donec ab hujus vitae tribulationibus, et ab hujus vitae molestiis liberet nos, et in aeterna patria constituat, quos hic per tentationes varias erudire non desinit. Et quid iste clamet audiamus. Miserere nostri, Domine, miserere nostri, quia multum repleti sumus despectione. Miserere nostri, ut fidem rectam teneamus; miserere nostri, ut opera fidei convenientia perficiamus. Quia multum repleti sumus descpectione, id est, hujus saeculi tentationibus. Et repleta est anima nostra opprobium abunadantibus et despectio superbis. Et qui sunt qui opprobrium nobis faciunt, consequentur exponit: opprobium abuntantibus; et despectio superbis, qui in divitiis suis despiciunt pauperes Chrisit, de quibus dicitur: Beati pauperes, quoniam ipsoroum est regnum caelorum Alcuinus, Expositio in Psalmos Graduales, Psalmus CXXII Source: Migne PL 100.624a-d

Let us see what this one who ascends to stand in the house of the Lord, who comes to stand on the fourth step of faith, says. To you I lifted up my eyes, who dwell in heaven. 1 Let us lift up our eyes from worldly things to heavenly things, from ourselves to the Lord. Let us be displeasing to ourselves that we may be pleasing to God, 'who dwells in heaven,' that is, in the unity of the saints. As we should understand this lifting up of the eyes spiritually, so we should understand heaven. Where God dwells, there the eyes of our hearts should be lifted up in love. Behold, like the eyes of servants on the hands of their masters, and like the eyes of a handmaid on the hands of her mistress, so our eyes to you, O Lord, until you are merciful to us. Therefore when you hear 'Christ,' lift your eyes up to your Lord, and when you hear 'Lord,' lift your eyes up to the wisdom and virtue of God. 2 Lift up your eyes to your master, because you are a servant and a handmaid, a servant in that you are a people, and a handmaid because you are the Church. But that handmaid has been made the bride. One and all is said in the one spoken, because all are one in Christ, one people, one Church, and one flock of one shepherd. 3 'Until you are merciful to us.' That is, until we are freed from the tribulations of this life, and from its troubles and established in the heavenly fatherland, there shall be no cessation of learning through various trials. And then let us hear what he cries out, 'Be merciful to us, O Lord, be merciful, because we are greatly filled with contempt.' Be merciful to us, that we might hold to the right faith. Be merciful to us that we may rightly perfect the works of faith. 'Because we are greatly filled with contempt.' That is, with worldly trials. 'And our souls are full with the reproach of those who prosper, and the contempt of the proud.' And who they are who find us reproachful he then explains, 'the reproach of those who prosper and the contempt of the proud,' who are those who with their wealth scorn the poor of Christ, concerning which it is said, 'Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' 4 Alcuin of York, Commentary on the Gradual Psalms, from Psalm 122 1 Ps 122.1 2 1 Cor 1.24 3 Jn 10.16 4 Mt 5.3