Psalm 145: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18

Our responsorial psalm for this week comes from Psalm 145, a hymn praising the goodness, mercy, and universal care of God.

It responds beautifully to Isaiah’s invitation to seek the Lord, praising the God who is “near to all who call upon him” and whose generosity extends to all his works.

Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever.

The prayer begins with the psalmist’s commitment to worship God wholeheartedly and continually. The verse uses two Hebrew words, bārak and hālal, to express this praise:

• Bārak (“bless”) conveys the idea of acknowledging God’s greatness and is associated with an attitude of submission and reverence.
• Hālal (“praise”) signifies exuberant, joyful praise and is the Hebrew root from which we derive “hallelujah.”

Note that it is God’s name that is praised. In biblical thought, a person’s name is closely associated with the person’s identity and character. Thus, praising God’s name means praising God for who he is and acknowledging his divine attributes.

Great is the LORD and highly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable.

God’s greatness is unfathomable, beyond human comprehension.

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

This description echoes God’s revelation of himself to Moses: “The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity” (Exodus 34:6).

God is described as gracious (hannûn), compassionate (rahûm), and abounding in lovingkindness (hesed).

By echoing this foundational revelation, the psalmist identifies the God he praises as the same faithful and compassionate God who entered into covenant with Israel and remained faithful to his people.

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

God’s goodness is universal. His compassion extends to all his works — it is not confined to Israel alone.

The LORD is just in all his ways and holy in all his works.

God is righteous and just (sedeq) in everything he does. His justice is not opposed to the goodness, mercy, and generosity the psalm has just proclaimed; all are expressions of the perfection of God’s character.

This is particularly significant in light of today’s Gospel, where the landowner’s extraordinary generosity is mistaken for injustice.

The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

Here the connection to our first reading becomes explicit. Isaiah urges the people to “call him while he is near”; the psalm responds by assuring them that the Lord is indeed “near to all who call upon him.”

God makes himself accessible to those who sincerely seek him, those who call upon him “in truth” (ěmet).

The almighty creator of the universe draws near to those who call upon him, giving us profound reason for praise.