A DIFFERENT WORLD THROUGH WORK OF CHRIST AND HIS PEOPLE

VATICAN CITY, JAN 25, 2006 (VIS) - In the general audience, held this morning in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of 8,000 people, Benedict XVI recalled that today is the concluding day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. He then turned to his catechesis, which was dedicated to the second part of Psalm 143: "The king's prayer."

  The psalm, said the Pope, "sings of the final goal of history, when the voice of evil will finally be silent." It also makes mentions "of evildoers, seen as oppressors of the people of God and of their faith. But this negative aspect is followed by the positive, to which far greater space is dedicated, that of the new and joyful world that is about to come into being. This is the true 'shalom,' the messianic 'peace,' a luminous horizon expressed in a series of images drawn from daily life: for us too, these can become an expression of hope for a more just society."

  Among these images is that of "the family based on the vitality of the generations," and that of "economic life, the countryside and crops," and finally "the city, in other words the entire civil community finally enjoying the precious gift of peace and of public order."

  "This picture of a different but possible world is entrusted to the work of the Messiah and of His people. All together we can put this project of peace and harmony into effect, bringing an end to the destructive action of hatred, violence and war. However, it is necessary to make a choice, taking the side of God, of love and of justice." The reference here, the Holy Father concluded, is "to the new covenant announced by the prophets and consummated in Christ, to the new man, to the hallelujah of a life renewed and redeemed, to the novelty of Christ and His Gospel."
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