Psalm 145:8-13

The responsorial psalm for this week is a majestic hymn of praise celebrating the greatness and goodness of God. Interestingly, the full psalm is in acrostic form, meaning that every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements; in this case, echoing the themes of God’s love, faithfulness, and the establishment of his everlasting kingdom.

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness.

This verse echoes the incredible self-revelation of God in Exodus 34:6.

The Hebrew terms used — hannûn (gracious), rahûm (compassionate), and hesed (steadfast love) — are technical covenant language. They underscore God’s enduring mercy and loyalty to his people, even amid their failings.

The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.

Note that this divine goodness is not reserved for Israel alone but is extended to all God’s works, including all people and all of natural creation.

This affirms a universal scope of divine compassion, both personal and cosmic. In Catholic teaching, this prefigures the Church’s understanding of salvation history as universally inclusive, fulfilled in Christ, “who desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4).

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you.

A comprehensive call for all creation to offer praise to God.

The “faithful ones” (hāsîdîm) refers to those who are faithful, pious, or devoutly loyal to God. They are summoned to bless the Lord, to praise or honor God in reverence and awe.

Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might.

God is characterized as a monarch who rules over a kingdom. The word used here for glory (kābôd) means “heavy” or “weighty,” implying that God’s kingdom is substantial, distinguished because of its magnitude, comprehensive in its splendor.

The God of Israel has done marvelous deeds on behalf of the people. He delivered them from bondage, provided for them in their need, established them as a people, and promised them a secure and prosperous future.

The praise given to God by the faithful will ensure that all men will come to know of his mighty deeds.

Let them make known your might to the children of Adam, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

The faithful are called to evangelize, to make God’s mighty deeds known to all humanity (“the children of Adam”).

This anticipates the Church’s missionary mandate, proclaiming the Kingdom of God to every nation (Matthew 28:19-20).

Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations.

In the ancient world, it was common to depict gods as kings, so to characterize the God of Israel in this way was not unusual.

What sets the God of Israel apart are the exclusive and unparalleled claims about his reign: it is resplendent, as one would expect, but it is also universal and eternal. Unlike earthly empires built on force, his dominion transcends time and nations, founded instead on providence, justice, and mercy.