Psalms 129:2

"Now may Israel say." She now seemeth to be speaking of herself: for she seemed not to have commenced herself, but to have answered. But to whom hath she replied? To them that think and say, How great evils do we endure, how great are the scandals that every day thicken, as the wicked enter into the Church, and we have to endure them? But let the Church reply through some, that is, through the voice of the stronger, let her reply to the complaints of the weak, and let the stable confirm the unstable, and the full-grown the infant, and let the Church say, "Many a time have they vexed me from my youth up" [Psalm 129:2]. Let the Church say this: let her not fear it. For what is the meaning of this addition, "From my youth up," after the words, "Many a time have they fought against me"? At present the old age of the Church is assailed: but let her not fear. Hath she then failed to arrive at old age, because they have not ceased to fight against her from her youth up? have they been able to blot her out? Let Israel comfort herself, let the Church console herself with past examples. Why have they fought against me? "For they could not prevail against me."

"They have often attacked me from my youth, but as a matter of fact they did not prevail against me." And in the earlier, fifth psalm of ascent there is a similar beginning. This figure of speech is called "anaphora," that is, a repetition of the same word at the beginning of a number of verses. Now we must understand the advanced age of the church when the apostle says, "Little children, it is the very last hour." For whatever transpires at the end of the world proclaims its old age most aptly. Therefore, the church says that she has been well attacked from her youth so that you may understand that what has always been attacked has never come to an end. For she grows by the persecutions of the wicked and she grows larger by her own contrition. For even if she seems to lose holy men in this life, nonetheless she is shown to acquire them for a future homeland; and thus she cannot be brought to an end when it is agreed that she grows by her losses. Also the following words declare this to be the case; he says, "But as a matter of fact they did not prevail against me." He says that the ones whom he had mentioned earlier as having fought against him were not able to overcome him. An attack is not completed, if further conflict breaks out. Nor should it be called a victory when it is certain that a renewed battle may take place.