Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 136: The Lord’s Mercy Endures Forever—The most often repeated antiphon throughout the psalter is “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” This antiphon captures the heart of the Gospel and punctuates every verse of psalm 136. Our Savior is the God of gods and the Lord of lords because He is merciful. Mercy is not only at the heart of God’s nature, but it is also the source of that which sustains and saves the world. The mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ in His suffering and death upon the cross is the source and cause of every blessing we enjoy. In other words, if Jesus had not suffered and died in mercy to save us from our sins, no one would receive the gifts of daily bread or enjoy any of God’s blessings. Psalm 136 traces this mercy from every act of God’s creation and sustaining of the universe to every act of His salvation for Israel. The psalm concludes by underscoring how the mercy of God for Israel’s salvation is also the mercy of God that is at work in the Gospel of Christ: “[He] remembered us in our lowly state…and rescued us from our enemies…Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever.”  CP211205