Deus in Adiutorium Meum Intende

A Prayer of Humility for Lent

One of the greatest treasures which the Church has inherited as the true Israel is the Psalter of King David. What was the standard book of prayer and sacred music for the ancient Hebrews quickly took on the same role for the first Christians, both Jews and Gentiles. A profound cry of the heart for God’s divine aid, “Deus in Adiutorium Meum Intende” is a hymn taken from Psalm 69, and since the earliest centuries, it has been prayed by all Christians and especially by monks both in the sacred and mundane liturgies, at Mass and in daily life. St. Benedict of Nursia, influenced by the writings of St. John Cassian, made this hymn the introductory prayer for each canonical Hour in the Divine Office, and Pope Gregory the Great extended this practice to the whole Roman church.

This prayer is especially appropriate for these early days in the holy season of Lent. As we prepare for Holy Week with fasting, prayer and almsgiving, we should seek above all to grow in humility, recognizing our utter dependence on God. He is our Creator, our Redeemer and our Savior, holding us in being at every moment, giving us the power to do anything good, moving our will toward its supernatural end in union with Him and enabling it, now in part but perfectly in Heaven, to know and love Him with His own divine power.

We cannot accomplish our Lenten goals without this humble cry of total reliance on God. Although we are given free will to cooperate with Him or not, we can do nothing good without His grace, and our will only becomes enslaved to sin unless it asks Him for the gifts of penance and reclamation. May the beautiful words of King David dwell in our hearts this Lent and teach us a lesson in humility which will persist throughout the year.

Deus, in adiutorium meum intende; Domine, ad adiuvandum me festina.

O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me.