Psalm 118 Catholic: This Is the Day the Lord Has Made

Psalm 118 is the Easter psalm of the Church: “This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein.” It gives thanks to God whose “mercy endureth for ever,” celebrates his victory over every enemy, and contains the verse Jesus applied to himself: “The stone which the builders rejected; the same is become the head of the corner.” In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 117. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.

Psalm 118 in the Douay-Rheims Bible

Give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Let Israel now say that he is good: that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let them that fear the Lord now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
In my trouble I called upon the Lord: and the Lord heard me, and enlarged me.
The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me.
The Lord is my helper: and I will look over my enemies.
It is good to confide in the Lord, rather than to have confidence in man.
It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in princes.
All nations compassed me about; and in the name of the Lord I have been revenged on them.
Surrounding me they compassed me about: and in the name of the Lord I have been revenged on them.
They surrounded me like bees, and they burned like fire among thorns: and in the name of the Lord I was revenged on them.
Being pushed I was overturned that I might fall: but the Lord supported me.
The Lord is my strength and my praise: and he is become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and of salvation is in the tabernacles of the just.
The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength: the right hand of the Lord hath exulted me: the right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength.
I shall not die, but live: and shall declare the works of the Lord.
The Lord chastising hath chastised me: but he hath not delivered me over to death.
Open ye to me the gates of justice: I will go into them, and give praise to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord, the just shall enter into it.
I will give glory to thee because thou hast heard me: and art become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected; the same is become the head of the corner.
This is the Lord’s doing: and it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein.
O Lord, save me: O Lord, give good success.
Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God, and he hath shone upon us. Appoint a solemn day, with shady boughs, even to the horn of the altar.
Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, and I will exalt thee. I will praise thee, because thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
O praise ye the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 118 or Psalm 117?

The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 117 is Psalm 118 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Confitemini Domino, quoniam bonus. See how many psalms are there?

The stone the builders rejected

Jesus quoted this psalm to the leaders who were about to reject him:

Jesus saith to them: Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? By the Lord this has been done; and it is wonderful in our eyes.

St. Peter preached the same verse after the Resurrection (Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7): the crucified Jesus, rejected by men, has become the cornerstone of God’s new temple, the Church. The same psalm gave the crowds their cry on Palm Sunday, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord,” which the Church sings at every Mass in the Sanctus. See Holy, Holy, Holy.

What the psalm means

“His mercy endureth for ever”: the refrain that opens and closes the psalm, and the theme of Divine Mercy Sunday.
Deliverance: “In my trouble I called upon the Lord: and the Lord heard me.”
Trust in God, not in princes: “It is good to trust in the Lord, rather than to trust in princes.”
“I shall not die, but live”: the Church hears in these words the voice of the risen Christ.
The gates of justice: the just enter God’s house with thanksgiving.
“This is the day which the Lord hath made”: every Sunday, and above all Easter, is the day of the Resurrection.

How the Church uses Psalm 118

On Easter Sunday, as the responsorial psalm: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” See Easter.
At the Easter Vigil, with the solemn Alleluia after the Epistle.
On the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.”
In the old Roman rite, its verse Haec dies was the gradual of every day of the Easter Octave.
On Sundays in the Liturgy of the Hours, the weekly feast of the Resurrection.

A prayer with Psalm 118

Written for this page:

Lord, I give you thanks, for you are good; your mercy endures for ever.
You heard me in my trouble and became my salvation.
Jesus, rejected stone and chosen cornerstone, build my life on you.
This is the day you have made: let me rejoice and be glad in it. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

Where is “This is the day the Lord has made”?

Psalm 118:24 (117:24 in the Douay-Rheims: “This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein”).

Why is Psalm 118 the Easter psalm?

Because it celebrates God’s victory over death and the rejected stone that became the cornerstone, which the Church applies to the risen Christ.

Where does “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” come from?

Psalm 118:26. The crowds sang it on Palm Sunday, and the Church sings it at every Mass in the Sanctus.

More psalms and prayers

Texts and sources

Scripture: Psalm 117 (118); Matthew 21:42, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The prayer was written for this page.