Psalm 118: 2-4, 13-15, 22-24

The responsorial psalm for this week is from Psalm 118, a song of thanksgiving that rejoices in the victory of the Lord.

Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His mercy endures forever.” Let those who fear the LORD say, “His mercy endures forever.”

The psalm opens with a triple call to praise, addressed to the whole covenant community:

• “The house of Israel” represents the people as a whole,
• “The house of Aaron” signifies the priests, and
• “Those who fear the LORD” are all who reverence God, extending even beyond Israel.

I was hard pressed and was falling, but the LORD helped me. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. 

The voice shifts from communal to personal, recalling a moment of crisis and rescue. Yet this testimony is not isolated; it becomes representative. The individual experience reveals what is true for all: the Lord himself is strength, courage, and salvation.

The language here echoes the Song of Moses in Exodus 15:2, the jubilant song of praise that the Israelites sang after God delivered them from the Egyptians by parting the Red Sea, linking this deliverance to the foundational act of salvation in Israel’s history.

The joyful shout of victory resounds in the tents of the just.

The “tents of the just” evoke the gathered people of God, whose lives are now marked by praise. Salvation is never merely private; it resounds within the community of the righteous.

The mention of tents may be another allusion to the Exodus experience.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 

This striking image of reversal — so common in biblical literature — speaks of someone once dismissed or cast aside being raised to prominence. The stone that was rejected becomes the very foundation of the entire building.

In the fullness of revelation, this finds its definitive meaning in Christ. Rejected in the Passion and raised in the Resurrection, he becomes the cornerstone of a new and living Temple: the Church (cf. Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11). What was cast aside becomes the very basis of salvation.

By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.

The psalm culminates in wonder and praise. Salvation is recognized as entirely God’s work — unexpected, undeserved, and marvelous.

Salvation, vindication, and joy: all flow from the Lord’s mercy. And we, the redeemed, are invited to rejoice in the wonder of it.