Psalm 146:6-10
Our responsorial this week comes from Psalm 146, which praises the Lord as the faithful and eternal King who defends the poor, lifts up the lowly, and brings justice to those in need.
In the spirit of Gaudete Sunday, these verses echo the joyful signs of God’s saving work proclaimed in the other readings, affirming that the God who comes is the One who restores, heals, and reigns with steadfast love forever.
The God of Jacob keeps faith forever,
The title “God of Jacob” emphasizes God’s covenantal faithfulness, personal involvement, and enduring reliability — especially toward those who are vulnerable or in need of help.
Jacob was one of the patriarchs (son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham) through whom God established his covenant with Israel. Referring to God as the “God of Jacob” evokes this lineage and underscores God’s faithfulness to his promises across generations
secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry.
God’s care reaches those in every kind of need; his justice restores dignity to those who suffer.
The LORD sets captives free.
This recalls the Exodus, the defining act of Israel’s liberation, and expresses God’s enduring pattern of rescuing his people.
The LORD gives sight to the blind; the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
God lifts up all who are burdened — whether by physical limitation, emotional distress, or social hardship. He restores strength, dignity, and hope.
The LORD loves the just; the LORD protects strangers.
“Strangers” (resident aliens) were among the most vulnerable in ancient society, lacking full legal protections. These vulnerable strangers are precisely the kinds of people the God of Israel chooses.
Israel itself is the prime example of this: it was when they were aliens in Egypt that God took them and made them God’s own people.
The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
Widows and orphans lacked legal and economic standing in ancient Israel. Without a husband or father, they had no direct access to land inheritance, legal representation, or protection from exploitation.
The psalmist consistently portrays God as the defender of such marginalized lives. Rather than aligning with the powerful, God sides with the powerless, overturning conventional hierarchies and affirming that divine justice is not merely spiritual but also material and relational — restoring dignity, provision, and belonging to those most at risk.
The LORD shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, through all generations.
The psalm culminates in praise of God’s eternal kingship.
This is not a God who is far off; he reigns forever from the very hill (Zion) that is at the center of the lives of the people.
Alleluia!
Alleluia, or Hallelujah in Hebrew, is a liturgical expression meaning “praise ye Yah” (“praise the Lord”).
Having proclaimed God’s indescribable graciousness, the psalmist summons the people to give praise. Alleluia!
Sunday Readings 