PSALM 116: THE ESSENCE OF PRAYER IS DIALOGUE WITH GOD

VATICAN CITY, FEB 5, 2003 (VIS) - At today's general audience in the Paul VI Hall, Pope John Paul focussed his catechesis on Psalm 116, noting that this is the briefest of all the Psalms yet "it captures the essence of prayer as a personal encounter with God, a dialogue in which the divine mystery is revealed as faithfulness and love."

Psalm 116 was read to the faithful before the Pope's catechesis: "Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love towards us; and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!"

"Through prayer," the Pope told the 3,500 pilgrims present, "'all nations and all peoples' are invited to praise God and to experience the joy of faith." He said that "the author of the Psalm adds a particular aspect of prayer: the experience of prayer must be spread throughout the world, transforming itself into a witness to those who do not share our faith. In fact, in its opening, the horizon is broadened to include 'all peoples' and 'all nations', so that, in the face of the beauty and joy of faith, they may be overcome by the desire to know, meet and praise God."

"In a technological world undermined by an eclipse of the sacred," remarked John Paul II, "in a society that is pleased with a certain self-sufficiency, the witness of a person who prays is like a beam of light in the darkness." He added that prayer arouses our curiosity, causes us to reflect on the meaning of prayer and "stimulates a growing desire to experience it. Thus, prayer is never a solitary occasion, but tends to spread itself to the point of embracing the entire world."

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