Catholic Commentary on Psalm 146

"Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God." (Psalm 146:5)

The First Hallelujah Psalm

Psalm 146 opens the final Hallelujah collection that closes the Psalter. Five consecutive psalms, 146-150, each beginning and ending with Hallelujah, form the great doxological conclusion of the entire book. Psalm 146 opens with a personal commitment: I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. This is a lifetime commitment, not a seasonal one. Then it immediately contrasts trust in God with trust in human princes: do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When they die their plans die with them.

The description of what God does is a perfect summary of the whole prophetic tradition: he upholds the cause of the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets prisoners free, gives sight to the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down, loves the righteous, watches over the foreigner, sustains the fatherless and the widow. Jesus quotes this list in Luke 7 when asked whether he is the Messiah: go tell John what you see. Psalm 146 is the Old Testament description of the Messiah's ministry, fulfilled in the words and acts of Jesus of Nazareth. The Catechism cites this programme as the foundation of the Church's social mission (CCC 2443).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, the list of divine acts in Psalm 146 is also the list of the Church's mission. What the LORD does, the Church does in his name. The hungry fed, the prisoner visited, the foreigner welcomed, the widow sustained. Pick one from the list and do it this week, knowing that in doing it you are participating in the activity that the psalmist attributes to the LORD himself.

Prayer

Praise the LORD, my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life, sing praise to my God as long as I live. Blessed are those whose hope is in the LORD their God, the Maker of heaven and earth, who remains faithful forever. Praise the LORD! Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

146
Praise the LORD, O My Soul
1 Hallelujah! * 146:1 Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD; also in verse 10
 
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
 
2 I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
 
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in mortal man, who cannot save.
4 When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground;
on that very day his plans perish.
 
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He remains faithful forever.
7 He executes justice for the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free,
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind,
the LORD lifts those who are weighed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD protects foreigners;
He sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.
 
10 The LORD reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
 
Hallelujah!

*146:1 146:1 Or Hallelu YAH, meaning Praise the LORD; also in verse 10

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