8 November 2015
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Psalm
146 is a perfect “P.S” to the reading from Revelation that we considered last
week, of the vast multitude of
the faithful celebrating the fulfillment of God's kingdom with an unending chorus of praise. “After all the prayers
and praises of the Psalter, we are now at the end; all the instruments of
creation and all the voices of human beings enter into a great chorus, a symphony
destined never to end.”*
Today’s
response to the first reading is one of the “Hallel” psalms that conclude the
Psalter. The three Hallel collections, beginning with Psalm 113, were typically
offered during annual feasts or at synagogue gatherings. It is likely that on
the night of the Passover Jesus recited verses of these Hallel psalms and
within them we can see hints of his passion, death and resurrection to come.
Psalm
146 exhorts the pilgrim to continue to trust in God as he recalls the marvelous
works of the Lord. It is a song not only of promises fulfilled, but of the
inauguration of a new kingdom of peace and security. We hear of God’s care and
concern for his chosen people. We hear also, particularly in today’s selected
verses, the “Good News” proclaimed loud and clear: “The Lord secures justice
for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets captives free, gives sight to
the blind, raises up those bowed down.” These are the universal concerns of
God’s people echoed throughout all of salvation history. And in the kingdom to come, when all will be
brought to completion, we will see the perfect fulfillment of these promises.
In
the meantime, our hearts and spirits offer our own Great Hallel, our
“Hallelujah” of thanksgiving and praise to God for the marvelous works he has
done for us!
*From
The Psalms: New Catholic Version, ©2002,
pg. 301.
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| Singing the good news! Martha Houlroyd, CBS Class of 2016 |
The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, the Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.
