Catholic Commentary on Psalm 145

"The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love." (Psalm 145:8)

The Great Doxology

Psalm 145, the last acrostic in the Psalter and the last psalm explicitly attributed to David, is a comprehensive hymn of praise that covers every dimension of God's greatness and goodness. The psalmist commits to a lifetime of praise: every day I will praise you; I will extol your name for ever and ever. Generation after generation will commend your works to one another. The passing on of praise across generations is itself an act of worship: when we tell what God has done to those who come after us, we extend the circle of glory.

The theological centrepiece quotes the divine self-revelation at Sinai: The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. This is the character of the God revealed in the covenant, and it is the character that the whole Psalter has been exploring from every angle. Gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love: these four qualities are the grammar of divine action from Genesis to Revelation. The Catechism presents them as the attributes that shape the whole moral theology of the Christian life: those who know the compassionate God are called to embody his compassion (CCC 2842).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, every day I will praise you. Not when I feel like it. Every day. Make praise a daily discipline the way exercise is a daily discipline: not because every session feels inspiring, but because the cumulative effect is life. The LORD is gracious and compassionate. That does not change. Your praise of it deepens your experience of it.

Prayer

Lord God, I will exalt you, my King, and praise your name for ever and ever. You are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and your dominion endures through all generations. My mouth speaks your praise, and every creature blesses your holy name for ever and ever. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

145
I Will Exalt You, My God and King
A Psalm of praise. Of David.* 145:0 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
 
1 I will exalt You, my God and King;
I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
and I will praise Your name forever and ever.
 
3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised;
His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation will commend Your works to the next,
and will proclaim Your mighty acts—
5 the glorious splendor of Your majesty.
And I will meditate on Your wondrous works.
6 They will proclaim the power of Your awesome deeds,
and I will declare Your greatness.
7 They will extol the fame of Your abundant goodness
and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.
 
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.
9 The LORD is good to all;
His compassion rests on all He has made.
10 All You have made will give You thanks, O LORD,
and Your saints will bless You.
11 They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom
and speak of Your might,
12 to make known to men Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and Your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all His words
and kind in all His actions.† 145:13 The final two lines are supplied by one MT manuscript, LXX, Syriac, and DSS.
 
14 The LORD upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to You,
and You give them their food in season.
16 You open Your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
 
17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways
and kind in all His deeds.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call out to Him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;
He hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love Him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth will declare the praise of the LORD;
let every creature bless His holy name
forever and ever.

*^ 145:0 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

†145:13 145:13 The final two lines are supplied by one MT manuscript, LXX, Syriac, and DSS.

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