Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 13-14, 17-18
Chapter 103
1
Bless the Lord, O My Soul
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my being, praise his holy name!2
Praise the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all his kindness;
3
he forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness;
4
he redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion;
8
The Lord is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger;
9
he will not always scold nor will he be angry forever.
13
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him.
14
For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
17
But the Lord’s kindness is forever with those who fear him; so is his justice, for their children’s children,
18
for those who keep his Covenant and remember his commands; for those who put them into practice.
Commentaries
103
The Christian lives joyfully in the paradox that our God is higher than the heavens and yet close to us in love and mercy. Our gratitude for his mercy naturally transforms into a hymn of praise for his greatness. When we reflect on how great he is, it’s not to consider how far away He is, but how much he loves us enough to come down to us.
God is a Father full of mercy. Is it necessary to quote a text from the New Testament? A good one is that of the prodigal son (Lk 15:11-32) or the prayer of Jesus on the cross (Lk 23:34 or Rom 8:31-34). They show us the depth of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. Let us praise the Lord, together with everything created, in moments of joy and hours of sadness—whether we have strength or live in fragility.