Psalm 27 (26 in the Septuagint and Vulgate numbering) is a psalm of trust that moves from confident confession to petition and hope. It is traditionally attributed to David. Scholars often date its present form to the post-exilic period, while recognising that its language of light, salvation and the house of the Lord draws on earlier Temple piety. Some divide it into two parts—verses 1–6 as a song of confidence, verses 7–14 as a lament—but the lectionary selection holds both together: fearless trust, longing to dwell in God’s house, and the belief that one will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. The psalm is therefore both personal prayer and communal hope in the face of threat and death.

The selected verses (1, 4, 7, 8c, 9a, 13-14) with the response “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living” gather the psalm’s heart. The Lord is light, salvation and stronghold; there is no one to fear. One thing only is sought: to live in the house of the Lord, to gaze on his beauty and enquire at his temple. The psalmist calls for mercy and seeks the Lord’s face, asking that it not be hidden. The climax is the profession of faith: I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. The final word is courage: wait for the Lord; be strong and stout-hearted. Confidence, desire and waiting are held in one act of trust.

In the Lectionary, these verses are an option for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls), including in Year A. Typical companion readings speak of the souls of the just in God’s hand (Wisdom 3), baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6), and Jesus as the bread of life who will raise up those who believe (John 6). Other permitted texts similarly hold grief and hope together.

Psalm 27 gives that hope a personal voice. The “land of the living” is heard on this day as more than this present world: it is the life of those who dwell with God. The one thing asked—to live in the Lord’s house and gaze on his beauty—becomes the prayer of the Church for the dead and for the living who mourn. For the assembly, the psalm turns All Souls from a day of loss into a profession of Easter faith. The response “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living” is both consolation and summons: to wait with stout hearts, and to trust that those who have died in Christ will see his face.