VATICAN CITY, OCT 1, 2003 (VIS) - In today's general audience, celebrated in St. Peter's Square, the Pope spoke about the canticle of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. He noted that this canticle, which is commonly known as the "Benedictus," is a "blessing that proclaims the saving action and liberation offered by the Lord to His people."
John Paul II told the 12,000 people that filled the square: "This hymn is a 'prophetic' reading of history, the discovery of the intimate and profound meaning of human life, led by the hidden but industrious hand of the Lord that entwines with the weaker and more uncertain hand of man."
After speaking about the covenants of Abraham and David and the new alliance with Christ, he continued: "The central part of the canticle is the phrase: 'The rising sun will come from high to visit us.' ... With Christ, therefore, the light which illuminates every creature appears and enhances life as the evangelist John will say, joining these two realities: 'In Him was life and the life was the light of men'."
The Holy Father indicated that "humanity which is at times 'in the darkness and shadow of death' is enlightened by the splendor of revelation. ... We move about, having that light as our reference point; and our uncertain steps, which during the day often deviate on dark and slippery ways, are sustained by the light of the truth that Christ spreads in the world and in history."
As he greeted the pilgrims in different languages, the Pope recalled that today begins the month of the Rosary, and he invited everyone to "re-discover the beauty and richness of this Marian prayer in private as well as in the parish community, and especially, in the family."
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