Let Your Mercy
Be on Us, O God
Psalm 33 pairs God’s mercy with our trust. In this wonderful hymn the just are called to praise God who made the world by a mere word. “In the beginning was the Word…” (Jn 1:1). This psalm of praise celebrates the creative power of the word. Mercy calls us to mutual concern for others. All who pledge themselves to care for the needs of others are bonded together in trust. As we pray this psalm, we express the hope fulfilled in the readings: the unseen future to which Abram was called is fully manifested in the shining face of Jesus on the mountaintop. We sing of the trust we can hold in the God who promises such a future for us.
Your words, O God, are faithful
and all your works to be trusted.
You love justice and righteousness,
and fill the earth with your steadfast love.
God keeps a loving eye on all who believe,
on those who count on God
to bring relief from famine,
to rescue them from death.
Our souls are waiting for you;
you are our help and our shield.
Let your love be upon us, O God,
as we place our hope in you.
[verses adapted from People’s Companion to the Breviary © 1997 by the Carmelites of Indianapolis]