Those Psalms whose themes are praise and thanksgiving, such as the one we read today as our responsorial Psalm, speak of joy and gladness. The world in which we live is unfortunately, for far too many people, not a world of joy and gladness. The many who lead tragic and dismal lives, may feel no reason or incentive for thanksgiving.

If the Bible invites us to joyful praise and thanksgiving, that does not mean that it is inviting us to ignore reality, or to be unconcerned about the dismal lives of many of our brothers and sisters. Our Psalm today ends with the affirmation that "God is good" and expresses the confidence that his kindness and faithfulness are eternal. As Christians, we see God's kindness and faithfulness in the great mystery which we will shortly begin celebrating in a special way with the coming of Advent: the mystery of the coming of the Son of God amongst us to be our salvation, because he is Immanuel, "God with us", the Kingdom of God present in person in our midst. The whole life and teaching of Jesus has taught us that the worship of God in praise and thanksgiving demands a concern for justice for all.