By St. John Chrysostom
In the churches there are vigils, and David is first and middle and last.
In the singing of early morning hymns, David is first and middle and last.
In funeral processions of those who have reposed, David is first and middle and last.
What a thing of wonder!
Many who have not even made their first attempt at reading know all of David by heart and recite him in order.
Yet it is not only in the cities and the churches that he is so prominent on every occasion and with people of all ages; even in the fields and deserts and stretching into uninhabited wasteland, he rouses sacred choirs to God with greater zeal.
In the monasteries there is a holy chorus of angelic hosts, and David is first and middle and last.
In the convents there are communities of virgins who imitate Mary, and David is first and middle and last.
In the deserts men crucified to this world hold converse with God, and David is first and middle and last.
And at night all men are overcome by physical sleep and drawn into the depths. David alone is active, and arousing the servants of God to angelic vigils, turning earth into heaven and making angels of men.
From On Repentance, PG LXIV, 12-13.
