When a person feels on the verge of collapsing under the weight of sin and guilt, rahamim—God’s tender mercy—reveals itself. Like a loving Father, He lifts His child from the abyss and offers a new beginning. God is not a harsh judge waiting for failure. He is Love – writes Fr. Dr. Piotr Kot from the Heschel Center at the Catholic University of Lublin in his commentary for Sunday, February 23.
Fr. Kot highlights, "Psalm 103 is one of the most beautiful blessings ever spoken by a human being in praise of God. Since ancient times, it has been considered the ‘pearl of the Psalter.’ During the Second Temple period, rabbis often paired it with Psalm 104, recognizing in both an awe-filled admiration for the greatness of the Creator.”
He further explains, “Psalm 103 is the voice of a person who has encountered God’s action. It is a prayer flowing from the very depths of the soul. The greatness of God becomes most evident where human fragility meets the Father’s tenderness. The psalmist’s wonder at God’s gentleness pulses through the entire poem like the beating of a heart.”
In Jewish tradition, Psalm 103 became the foundation for the blessing that precedes the famous Shema prayer (“Hear, O Israel”), in which Israel proclaims, “The Lord our God, the Lord is One.” “What makes God so unique?” asks Fr. Kot. “Above all, it is His tender love for His people.”
In Christian tradition, Psalm 103 is seen as prophetic. As the biblical scholar from the Heschel Center explains, “This means that it revealed the mystery of God as Father long before it was fully made known by His Son, Jesus Christ.” Psalm 103 serves as a perfect commentary on St. John’s words: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). “It is also a beautiful illustration of Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son in the Gospel of Luke, where the father welcomes his lost child home with great tenderness,” Fr. Kot notes.
Psalm 103 reminds us that God’s love knows no boundaries. No matter how far we have strayed, the Father is always ready to welcome us home with open arms.
The entire commentary is below:
Psalm 103 is one of the most beautiful blessings ever spoken in praise of God. Since ancient times, it has been regarded as the "pearl of the Psalter." During the Second Temple period, rabbis often paired it with Psalm 104, recognizing in both an awe-filled admiration for the greatness of the Creator. Although these two texts share the same opening and closing acclamation—“Bless the Lord, O my soul!”—their starting points differ. The author of Psalm 104 approaches the mystery of God from the outside, marveling at the beauty of creation and the laws of nature. In contrast, Psalm 103 flows from within, from a person who has experienced the Creator’s presence in their history, from the depths of the soul. God’s greatness becomes most visible where human frailty meets the Father’s tenderness. The psalmist’s wonder at God’s gentleness pulses through the entire poem like the beating of a heart.
When a person feels on the verge of collapsing under the weight of sin and guilt, rahamim—God’s tender mercy—reveals itself. Like a loving Father, He lifts His child from the abyss and offers a new beginning (vv. 4, 8, 13). God is not a vengeful and ruthless ruler. He is Love.
In Jewish tradition, Psalm 103 became the foundation for the blessing that precedes the Shema prayer (“Hear, O Israel”), in which Israel proclaims, “The Lord our God, the Lord is One.” What makes God so unique? Above all, His tender love for His people. For this reason, in the Sephardic rite, this blessing is called “Eternal Love,” while in the Ashkenazi rite, it is known as “Great Love.” It echoes the tone of the psalm: "With an everlasting love, You have loved the house of Israel, Your people (...). Blessed are You, Lord, who loves His people, Israel."
In Christian tradition, Psalm 103 is considered a prophetic poem—ante litteram (precursory). This means that it revealed the mystery of God as Father long before His Son, Jesus Christ, fully made it known. Despite the temporal distance between the Psalter and the New Testament, Psalm 103 is a perfect commentary on St. John’s words: “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
It is also a beautiful illustration of Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son in the Gospel of Luke, in which the father welcomes his lost child with great tenderness. Deeply moved by the sight of his humiliated and helpless son, he embraces him. Jesus does not explicitly name the father, but He highlights his rahamim: “he was deeply moved” (see the Greek verb splanknizomai in Luke 15:20). This single word is enough to understand that Jesus is speaking about the heart of the Heavenly Father, who “does not deal with us according to our sins (...) but has compassion on His children” (Psalm 103:10, 13).