A Polyphony Of Praise

A Reflection on the Psalm for July 3rd, 2022
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Psalm 66

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Make a joyful noise to God, all · the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!” 

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

“All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among the children of Adam. 

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him, who rules by his might forever. 

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me. 

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!
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I’m often moved by the surprising inclusivity of the psalms. Historically, they were written for and by a small group of people living in a particular time and place. And yet they regularly call us to go beyond the boundaries that we tend to put on our faith. “Make a joyful noise all the earth”; “all the earth worships you”; His deeds are “among the children of Adam”, that is, all peoples. There is room for everyone in God’s plan, and all are called to join in the jubilation of the earth, crying out with amazement and gratitude. We can imagine the whole world united in a choir that is praising God. 

The psalm continues on from here though; the choir isn’t singing in unison. The psalm ends with a personal witness, with the voice of one person who has been filled with the love of God, recognizing what has been done for them. 

We can each find our own version of this part of the psalm. What would I say if I were to sing this in my own voice? 

“I will tell what he has done for me.” 

Blessed be God, because He has loved me when I felt unlovable. 

Blessed be God because He found me when I didn’t want Him to. 

Blessed be God because He has surrounded me with so much beauty and joy in community. 

Blessed be God because He is, and I am in Him. 


What will you add to the chorus of the earth in praise of God this week?




​Sr. Gemma MacLeod
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