The response chosen for the Responsorial Psalm today is: "How sweet to my taste are your promises."

The very long Psalm 139 is an ingenious praise of God's law, using every possible term connected with law. Yet for the Response the Liturgy has chosen a verse that speaks of promises. Other verses in this Psalm also use the word "promise" rather than a word meaning something legal. There is a certain Biblical rationality in this. "Your decrees are my delight," the Psalmist proclaims. We can scarcely think of the law as a source of delight. What is referred to as Law or commandment, is fundamentally God's word, which is much more than commandment: God's word is revelation, guidance, invitation, and the promise that if we let that word and the truth of divine revelation guide our life, then we will attain to eternal life and blessedness. There is much in God's word to delight, please, encourage and console us.