Psalm 145 Catholic: The Eyes of All Look to You, O Lord

Psalm 145, “I will extol thee, O God my king: and I will bless thy name for ever,” is a great hymn to God’s goodness, greatness and care for every creature. Its verse “The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord: and thou givest them meat in due season” has been prayed as a grace before meals for centuries. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 144. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.

Psalm 145 in the Douay-Rheims Bible

I will extol thee, O God my king: and I will bless thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever.
Every day I will bless thee: and I will praise thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: and of his greatness there is no end.
Generation and generation shall praise thy works: and they shall declare thy power.
They shall speak of the magnificence of the glory of thy holiness: and shall tell thy wondrous works.
And they shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and shall declare thy greatness.
They shall publish the memory of the abundance of thy sweetness: and shall rejoice in thy justice.
The Lord is gracious and merciful: patient and plenteous in mercy.
The Lord is sweet to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Let all thy works, O lord, praise thee: and let thy saints bless thee.
They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom: and shall tell of thy power:
To make thy might known to the sons of men: and the glory of the magnificence of thy kingdom.
Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages: and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words: and holy in all his works.
The Lord lifteth up all that fall: and setteth up all that are cast down.
The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord: and thou givest them meat in due season.
Thou openest thy hand, and fillest with blessing every living creature.
The Lord is just in all his ways: and holy in all his works.
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him: to all that call upon him in truth.
He will do the will of them that fear him: and he will hear their prayer, and save them.
The Lord keepeth all them that love him; but all the wicked he will destroy.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless thy holy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever.

Psalm 145 or Psalm 144?

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 144 is Psalm 145 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Exaltabo te, Deus meus rex. See how many psalms are there?

What the psalm means

Praise every day: “Every day will I bless thee: and I will praise thy name for ever.”
Greatness beyond measure: generation after generation tells of God’s mighty works.
“Gracious and merciful”: “The Lord is gracious and merciful: patient and plenteous in mercy,” and “his tender mercies are over all his works.”
God feeds the world: “thou openest thy hand, and fillest with blessing every living creature.”
God is near: “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him: to all that call upon him in truth.”
An alphabet of praise: in Hebrew each verse begins with the next letter of the alphabet.

How the Church uses Psalm 145

At Mass on many Sundays, for example the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B), “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs,” and the Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year C).
As a grace before meals: “The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord.” See Catholic grace before meals.
On Corpus Christi, in the traditional Mass, the gradual began Oculi omnium, “The eyes of all.” See Corpus Christi.

A prayer with Psalm 145

Written for this page:

I will praise you, my God and King, and bless your name for ever.
You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in love.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
Stay near me when I call upon you in truth. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

Where is “The eyes of all look to you, O Lord”?

Psalm 145:15 (144:15 in the Douay-Rheims: “The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord: and thou givest them meat in due season”).

Where is “The Lord is near to all who call upon him”?

Psalm 145:18 (144:18 in the Douay-Rheims).

Is Psalm 145 a grace before meals?

Its verses 15–16 have long been used as a blessing before meals, in monasteries and in Christian homes.

More psalms and prayers

Texts and sources

Scripture: Psalm 144 (145), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The prayer was written for this page.