VATICAN CITY, MAR 13, 2002 (VIS) - In this Wednesday's general audience, celebrated in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father spoke about Psalm 76, "God r

VATICAN CITY, MAR 13, 2002 (VIS) - In this Wednesday's general audience, celebrated in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father spoke about Psalm 76, "God renews the wonders of His love."

John Paul II affirmed that Psalm 76 begins with the dramatic tone of someone who is afraid as he faces the difficulties of a new day and thinks that God has forgotten him. "The Psalmist asks why the Lord rejects him, why He has changed His countenance and His way of acting, forgetting love, the promise of salvation and tender mercy."

In the second part of the plea "there are reasons for hope," said the Pope, "the bitter present is illuminated by the past experience of salvation. ... Professing faith in works of salvation of the past leads to faith in that which the Lord constantly is. This, consequently, leads to faith in the present. ... In this way, the present, which seemed hopeless and without light, is illuminated by faith in God and opened up to hope."

"Recalling at the end that God guided his people 'as a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron,' the Psalmist implicitly conveys us to one certainty: that God will return to guide us toward salvation. His powerful and invisible hand will be with us through the visible hand of the shepherds and guides designated by Him."

At the end of the audience, the Holy Father greeted, among others, the faithful who were carrying the "Benedictine Torch" of peace, that left the United States of America this year, after having been lit by Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of New York. He concluded by saying, "as a symbol of peace, this torch today rests among the tombs of the apostles, and will continue its path toward Norcia, Italy. I hope that such a moving initiative provokes a generous commitment to solidarity and peace."

AG;PSALM 76;...;...;VIS;20020313;Word: 320;