St Thomas Aquinas gives the following indications of how he viewed this Psalm.
This is a Psalm about Christ who turned the once barren Church (i.e., Israel, see Isa 54:1; Gal 4:21-31) into the fruitfulness of holiness. In this Psalm it is the voice of the Church which is heard giving praise. It is the voice of the Church to God. Likewise, it is the voice of the Church which she utters to her faithful children, who are born again in the holy font, whatever be their flesh or age.
St Bede the Venerable gives his view, stating that the Psalm explains the words of its title: “For as it is Alleluia, Praise ye the Lord, so the Psalm itself begins. The Prophet David in the first part exhorts the devout always to offer praise to God, and to proclaim Him in all the world: Praise the Lord, ye servants. Secondly, he does himself what he exhorts others to do: Who is like unto the Lord our God?
According to the Syriac Psalter “It is spoken as an earnest warning touching the ministry of the Lord to be performed by the priests at the morning season. It urges us, a new people, born again of water and the Spirit, that we should be ready to minister, with hearts sprinkled and washed by the Holy Ghost, and with pure minds.
In Gregorian and Monastic usage, the Psalm was employed for Vespers on Sundays and Festivals, including Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Common of Apostles. The Ambrosian, Parisian, and Lyons Offices or Psalters used it for Vespers on Sundays, and the Quignon for Tuesday Vespers.
The most common Antiphon used with this Psalm in the various ancient Offices was: “Let the Name of the Lord be blessed forever more.” In light of how the Philippians Canticle ends, this is a thoroughly appropriate antiphon for use on Ascension Thursday. The Antiphon used in the current Office is based upon John 16:28, “I came forth from the Father and am come into the world: again I leave the world and I go to the Father.”
With this Psalm begins the Hallel, or “Great Alleluia of the Jews,” namely, the group of Psalms 113-118 inclusive, which was sung at the Passover, Pentecost, the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Dedication, and on all the New Moons. At the Passover it was divided into two parts, the first consisting of Psalms 113-114, sung before the second Cup at the Paschal Supper was passed around, and thus consequently before the meal itself, which began immediately after that ceremony. The second part consisted of Psalms 115-118, sung after the filling of the fourth Cup, and supposed to be “the hymn” which Christ and the Apostles are stated to have sung after the Last Supper, before they went out to Gethsemane (Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26). It is interesting in another aspect, from forming the intermediate link in Hebrew poetry between the Son of Hannah and the Magnificat, with each of which it has something in common.
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