Responsorial Psalm on the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, Psalm 146 скачать в хорошем качестве

Responsorial Psalm on the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, Psalm 146

Shalom Brethren. Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ. In this Liturgical Year A, we are blessed to sing again Psalm 146, after singing it in the Third Sunday of Advent. The response to the Psalm now is drawn from the Gospel according to Matthew 5:3, being an introductory verse to the Lord’s teaching on the beatitudes. For our appreciation, Psalms 146 through 150 constitute the last collection of the Hallel or Hallelujah Psalms. (The other two collections are the Egyptian Hallel psalms (113-118) and the Great Hallel (120-136)). Hallel means Praise, and Jah being a form of abbreviation for Yahweh. Therefore, Hallelujah simply means Praise the Lord. These Hallel psalms begin and end with the words Praise the Lord. Even though we do not for sure know who the authors of these particular Psalms are, they form such a beautiful way to conclude the book of Psalms. The first reading of the day from Prophet Zephaniah invites us to remain humble, seek justice, and exercise humility. It points that God’s favour and reward is on those who are humble, and by extension to those whose heart’s disposition is in accordance with the teaching of the beatitudes. The Responsorial Psalm in a way, points to the Ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is generally to those who are poor, weak, and disadvantaged in the society. The Lord is compassionate to them, not by word of mouth, but by deed. This is the heart of God. The responsorial psalm in general speaks of healing, restoration, and love of God. With the affairs in our lives today depicting a broken world where disappointment, suffering, and injustice are common, we are assured that God’s kingdom is different. In the theme of this Sunday, the Lord is the constant friend, provider and saviour of the poor. The Psalm concludes with a declaration that the Lord God of Sion will reign forever. Indeed, that is Good News. Praise be to the Lord. In order to carry on with Jesus’s ministry as Christians to bring God’s Kingdom to the earth, we are invited to live humbly and exercise spiritual poverty, and as such, the Spirit of God will fill our hearts with virtues, and He will dwell among us. For sure, each one of us desires God’s blessing, and seeks happiness. May we abide by the Lord’s teaching today, and learn the heavenly attitude – that: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Hallelujah. AMEN.