Psalm 146:7-10
Our responsorial this week comes from Psalm 146, a hymn that praises God who shows special care for the poor, the oppressed, and the vulnerable.
It beautifully echoes the message of our readings this week, that true fidelity to God is shown in how we treat those in need.
Blessed is he who keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry.
God is ever faithful, showing mercy to those in every kind of need.
The LORD sets captives free.
God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt and later from exile in Babylon.
His saving deeds in history testify to his enduring faithfulness.
The LORD gives sight to the blind; the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
Many situations in life can force one to be bowed down: physical disability, mental or emotional affliction, economic or social disadvantage.
Whatever it might be, God raises up the needy, enables them to stand with dignity, and reestablishes them in security.
The LORD loves the just; the LORD protects strangers.
Strangers, i.e., foreigners without status or protection, are easily exploited. Yet these are precisely the ones God defends.
Israel experienced this firsthand, for it was as aliens in Egypt that they were chosen and redeemed.
The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
Widows and orphans held a uniquely vulnerable place in ancient Jewish society, which explains why they are mentioned so often in the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, and later in the New Testament.
In a patriarchal system, widows and orphans were effectively legal nonentities without representation. Women generally depended on a male relative (father, husband, or adult son) for property rights, livelihood, and legal standing. A widow without an adult son to provide for her could be left destitute.
The psalmist assures us that God himself becomes their protector and provider.
The LORD shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations.
The psalm closes with a doxology that praises God as sovereign and eternal ruler, active in Israel’s history and present in their midst.
Alleluia.
Alleluia, or Hallelujah in Hebrew, is a liturgical expression meaning “praise the Lord”: hallelu = “praise” (an imperative plural verb, “you all praise”) and yah = a shortened form of Yahweh, the divine name of God revealed to Israel.
This summons to praise fittingly concludes the psalm. Having proclaimed God’s justice, mercy, and faithfulness, the people can only respond with joyful worship: Alleluia!
Sunday Readings 