Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34

Our responsorial this week comes from Psalm 119, which is the longest psalm in Scripture and a sustained meditation on the beauty, wisdom, and life‑giving power of God’s law. Every line expresses a desire to walk faithfully in God’s ways, trusting that his commandments are not burdens but the path to true freedom and joy.

This theme resonates directly with the first reading from Sirach, where Israel is reminded that God’s commandments place before us life and death, and that choosing his ways leads to flourishing.

In its entirety, the psalm is acrostic: its twenty-two stanzas of eight verses each are in the order of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses within a stanza begins with the same letter, and nearly every verse contains a synonym for “instruction” (tôrâ).  The creative genius of the psalmist is evident in the innovative ways the Law is extolled, with each verse expressing a slightly different idea.

Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart.

From the opening beatitude, the psalm directs our attention to the Law and to the joy that comes from wholehearted obedience. The psalmist presents the “way” (derek) of the blameless as a life shaped by God’s commandments, not as mere duty but as the path to true blessedness.

You have commanded that your precepts be diligently kept. Oh, that I might be firm in the ways of keeping your statutes! Be good to your servant, that I may live and keep your words. Open my eyes, that I may consider the wonders of your law.

The psalmist acknowledges the obligation to keep God’s precepts, yet he does not experience the Law as burdensome. Instead, he prays for the grace to remain steadfast and for the insight needed to perceive the “wonders” of God’s instruction.

Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes, that I may exactly observe them. Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart.

What the psalmist seeks is not external compliance but interior understanding. He asks for discernment so that obedience may spring from the heart.

It is clear that the psalmist aspires to a life of holiness, one rooted in devotion rather than fear — a life conformed to God’s command because it reflects love for the One who gives it.