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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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 5, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Maracay, Venezuela, presented by Bishop Jose Vicente Henriquez Andueza, S.D.B., upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Reinaldo Del Prette Lissot.

- Appointed Fr. Antonio Carlos Felix, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Pouso Alegre, Brazil and pastor of Sao Cristovao Parish, as bishop of Luz (area 32,083, population 493,023, Catholics 398,000, priests 57, religious 115), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in 1957 in Caldas, Brazil and was ordained a priest in 1986.

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