Psalm 24 (23 in the Septuagint and Vulgate numbering) is a liturgical hymn of entry, often called an entrance or processional psalm. It is traditionally attributed to David. Many scholars see it as an ancient Temple liturgy, possibly used when the Ark was brought in procession or when pilgrims approached the sanctuary. Its first section proclaims the Lord’s ownership of the whole earth; its second asks who may ascend the holy mountain; its third, not used in this lectionary selection, is a dialogue at the gates as the King of glory enters. The psalm therefore unites creation theology with the conditions of true worship and the hope of seeing God’s face.

The selected verses (1-2, 3-4b, 5-6) with the response “Such are the people who seek your face, O Lord” form a clear movement from creation to holiness. The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord; he set it on the seas and made it firm on the rivers. Who then may climb the mountain of the Lord and stand in his holy place? Only the clean of hands and pure of heart, whose soul is not set on vain things. Such a person receives blessing and reward from the God who saves. Such is the generation that seeks him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob. The psalm thus describes both the world’s true owner and the character of those who may draw near to him.

In the Lectionary, these verses are appointed as the Responsorial Psalm for the Solemnity of All Saints (1 November). The First Reading (Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14) shows the great multitude from every nation, washed in the Blood of the Lamb and standing before the throne. The Second Reading (1 John 3:1-3) declares that we are children of God and that those who hope in him purify themselves. The Gospel (Matthew 5:1-12a) is the Beatitudes, the charter of the saintly life: the poor in spirit, the merciful, the pure in heart, those who hunger for righteousness.

Psalm 24 gathers these visions. The question “Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?” is answered in the Beatitudes and in the white-robed multitude. The clean of hands and pure of heart are those who seek God’s face and receive his blessing. For the assembly, the psalm turns All Saints from a distant roll-call into a living invitation. The saints are the people who have sought the Lord’s face; the Church on earth is called to the same purity and the same longing. The response “Such are the people who seek your face, O Lord” becomes both a description of the blessed and a prayer that we may be counted among them, until we stand with them in the holy place.