Psalms
Chapter 116
Deliverance From the Danger or Death
Alleluia!
I am pleased that the Lord has heard my voice in supplication,
that he has not been deaf to me, the day I called on him.
When the cords of death entangled me, the snares of the grave laid hold of me, when affliction got the better of me,
I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, save my life!”
Gracious and righteous is the Lord; full of compassion is our God.
The Lord protects the simple: he saved me when I was humbled.
Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has taken care of you.
He has freed my soul from death, my eyes from weeping, my feet from stumbling;
I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
I have kept the faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”
I have said in my dismay, “To hope in humans is vain.”
How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
It is painful to the Lord to see the death of his faithful.
O Lord, I am your servant, truly your servant, your handmaid’s son. You have freed me from my bonds.
I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice; I will call on the name of the Lord.
I will carry out my vows to the Lord in the presence of his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Commentaries
116
This psalm is a simple prayer of thanks to God after escaping death caused by sickness, accident, or malice. It became part of the Hallel, or ‘Hymn of Praise’ (Ps 113-118), which is sung at the Paschal supper. Our Lord, therefore, faced death with these words on his lips: ‘After singing psalms of praise, they went out to the Mount of Olives’ (Mt 26:30). However, from him, the words take on new life. Unlike the psalmist, he does not ask to escape the threat of bodily death; instead, he defies and defeats it: ‘The power of death could not hold him’ (Acts 2:24). The prayer of his human soul is for the glory of his risen body. With the psalmist, we may recite this prayer after sickness, but with our Lord, we can gratefully use it on our deathbed, for ‘He who raised Jesus Christ from among the dead, will also give life to your mortal bodies’ (Rom 8:11).
We can pray with this psalm when we have overcome mortal dangers or resolved personal conflicts. It is good for everything to stay within the sphere of God’s love, in whom we believe.