Psalms
Chapter 118
Liturgical Song or Thanksgiving
Alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his loving kindness endures forever.
Let Israel say, “His loving kindness endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say, “His loving kindness endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say, “His loving kindness endures forever.”
In anguish, I cried to the Lord; he answered by setting me free.
With the Lord beside me, I need not fear. What can humans do to me?
The Lord is with me, ready to help; I can look in triumph upon my enemies.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in the help of humans.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in the might of princes.
All the nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord, I crushed them.
They surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord, I crushed them.
Like swarms of bees, they encircled me; but like burning thorns, they died down; in the name of the Lord, I crushed them.
I was pushed hard and about to fall, but the Lord came to my help.
The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Joyful shouts of victory are heard in the tents of the just: “The right hand of the Lord strikes mightily,
the right hand of the Lord is lifted high, the right hand of the Lord strikes mightily!”
I shall not die, but live, to proclaim what the Lord has done.
The Lord has stricken me severely, but he has saved me from death.
Open to me the gates of the Just, and let me enter to give thanks.
“This is the Lord’s gate, through which the upright enter.”
I thank you for having answered me, for having rescued me.
The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing and we marvel at it.
This is the day the Lord has made; so let us rejoice and be glad.
Save us, O Lord, deliver us, O Lord!
Blessed is he who comes in the Lord’s name! We praise you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God; may his light shine upon us. With branches, join in procession up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, and I give you thanks. You are my God, and I give you praise.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
Commentaries
118
This psalm was sung as the processions entered the Temple of Jerusalem. The people and their leader took turns with the Levite choir. In the end, the priests gave Aaron’s blessing (Num 6:22). What does Israel sing? Their thanks to God who saves and raises them from death; thanks to God who chooses the poor and the despised of this world to build his kingdom with them.
‘The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone’ (v. 22)—so our Lord, rejected by his people and raised by God; and so, the Church, made up of those whom God has raised from death to life, in union with the Risen Christ. The Church is the Temple of God, within which each of us sings our praise for God who has loved us.