My Soul Give Praise to My God
Today’s verses are taken from a series of “Praise” psalms. They underscore the fact that all salvation, all rescue, all healing, all meaning in life come from God alone. In these verses from Psalm 146, the psalmist is especially concerned with the hungry, those in prison, the blind, those who are oppressed, those whom illnesses may have brought low, the resident aliens, the widows and orphans. Are we in tune with the needs of the poorest of the poor or do we align ourselves with the powerful? As it refers to our reading from Isaiah and orients us to today’s Gospel, Psalm 146 challenges us to ask if we truly want our eyes and ears to be opened to God’s truth. Can we respond to each of these verses with an “Alleluia” (a word which means “praise the Most High) that comes from the depths of our soul and a commitment to further God’s plan in our time and place?
The God of Jacob keeps faith forever,
Secures justice for the oppressed,
Gives food to the hungry, Sets captives free.
God gives sight to the blind; straightens the bent,
Comforting widows and orphans,
protecting the stranger.
God loves the just, but blocks the path of the wicked.
The Almighty shall reign forever,
from generation to generation.
Alleluia.
[verses adapted from The Psalter © 1995, Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications.]