VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2002 (VIS) - Today in the Paul VI Hall, in the presence of more than 7,000 pilgrims from around the world, Pope John Paul centered his weekly general audience catechesis on Psalm 97, saying it "is a song of praise to the Lord of the universe and of human history."
Psalm 97, he went on, "calls upon the people, and indeed all of creation, to rejoice and proclaim God's greatness." He noted that "there are four singers of this immense chorus of praise. ... The earth and its inhabitants, the sea, the rivers and the mountains all express their joy at the wonderful things the Lord has done for His Chosen People. The Psalm ends on a note of intense expectations: for the Lord will come to rule with justice and judge with truth."
The Pope remarked that this Psalm "is defined as a 'new song', which in biblical language means a perfect song, one that is full, solemn and accompanied by a festive musical show." He affirmed that "This is a colossal chorus, therefore, that has only one aim: to exalt the Lord, king and just judge. ... And this is our great hope and our prayer: 'Thy kingdom come!', a reign of peace, justice and serenity that brings back creation's original harmony."
He said that "God is at the center of the scene in all His majesty, while He effects salvation in history and is awaited to 'judge' the world and peoples. The Hebrew word for 'judgment' also means 'to govern': therefore we await the efficacious action of the Sovereign of all the earth, Who will bring peace and justice."
"Read in the perspective of the Old Testament," said the Holy Father in conclusion, "the Psalm proclaims that God saves His people and that all nations, seeing this, are admiring. On the other hand, in the Christian perspective, God works salvation in Christ, the Son of Israel; all nations see this and are invited to take advantage of this salvation as the Gospel 'is the power of God for the salvation of whoever believes'."
AG;PSALM 97;...;...;VIS;20021106;Word: 350;
No comments:
Post a Comment