Enthusiasm of the one whose life is built on faithfulness. He has seen the fall of many fortunes and much glory.
① 1* 2It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praise to your name, O Most High,
3to proclaim your grace in the morning,
to declare your faithfulness at night,
4accompanied by music from the lyre
and the melody of lute and harp.
5For you make me glad with your deeds, O Lord,
and I sing for joy at the work of your hands.
6How great are your works,
O Lord, how deep your thoughts!
7The senseless will not know,
nor will the stupid understand them.
8For though the wicked prosper
and evildoers flourish like grass,
they are doomed to vanish for good.
9But you, O Lord, are exalted forever.
10Time will come when your enemies will perish,
evildoers will be scattered.
11You have made me stronger than the wild ox;
you have poured fresh oil on me.
12I look down on my enemies;
I take for granted their doom.
13The virtuous will flourish like palm trees,
they will thrive like the cedars of Lebanon.
14Planted in the house of the Lord,
they will prosper in the courts of our God.
15In old age they will still bear fruit
they will stay fresh and green,
16to proclaim that the Lord is upright,
“He is my Rock,” they say, “he never fails.”
- The martyr St. Polycarp said to his judges: “How could I curse Christ? For eighty years he has always been good to me.” The saints are those who leave the most lasting impact on human history.
