Psalm 116 (114-115)
You have freed me from death. “I shall walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.” We sing our thanksgiving with all those God has saved from death, with our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Alleluia!
I am pleased that the Lord has heard
my voice in supplication,
2 that he has not been deaf to me,
the day I called on him.
3 When the cords of death entangled me,
the snares of the grave laid hold of me,
when affliction got the better of me,
4 I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, save my life!”
5 Gracious and righteous is the Lord;
full of compassion is our God.
6 the Lord protects the simple:
he saved me when I was humbled.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest,
for the Lord has taken care of you.
8 He has freed my soul from death,
my eyes from weeping,
my feet from stumbling;
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
10 I have kept faith even when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
11 I have said in my dismay,
“To hope in humans is vain.”
12 How can I repay the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 It is painful to the Lord
to see the death of his faithful.
16 O Lord, I am your servant,
truly your servant, your handmaid’s son.
You have freed me from my bonds.
17 I will offer you a thanksgiving sacrifice;
I will call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will carry out my vows to the Lord
in the presence of his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
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Comments Psalms, Chapter 116
Jesus prayed this psalm at the beginning of his passion, and certain words take on a different meaning when we relate them to Jesus: He has saved me from death; I will raise the cup of salvation; the death of his faithful ones is precious to the Lord. The mass – the presence among us of Christ’s sacrifice – is “eucharist” or thanksgiving.