God's Reign Will Last Forever

Homily for Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm 146, which we use today as our responsorial, is the first of five doxologies that conclude the Book of Psalms. These Psalms all begin or end with the Hebrew word, “Hallel,” or “Hallelujah.” These five doxologies all begin with a call to praise God. The call to praise is followed by an enthusiastic pledge to praise God throughout one’s life.

Following this call to praise God, each of the Psalms offers us a reason to engage in the praise to which we are called. God is the creator and the source of justice. God gives sight to the blind, feeds the hungry, sets the prisoners free, raises those who are bowed down, loves the righteous, protects refugees, comes to the aid of the widowed and orphaned, and thwarts the way of the wicked. All of these actions are signs of God’s power and of God’s fidelity. Only one group of people should worry; namely, those who have broken their promise to obey the covenant mediated through Moses between God and the children of Israel. The Psalm ends with a glorious shout: “The Lord shall reign forever!”

The understanding of the dual commandments of love for God and love for our neighbor spring from our relationship with the Creator. If God is the source of all that is good and we are made in the image of God, it follows logically that we should be generous toward others who are in need of our aid. The call to praise God throughout our lives asks us to consider who is more trustworthy – God or those who believe themselves mighty and powerful. No one can equal the love that God has shown for us, and we all realize that we could never completely live up to the notion of loving God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. All we are capable of doing is making every effort as we begin every day to live up to our image as God’s children.