Subject: VISnews 111116
Organization: VIS - Ufficio Stampa della Santa Sede
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
TWENTY FIRST YEAR - N. 198
ENGLISH
WEDNESDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2011
SUMMARY:
- Praying the Psalms Enriches Our Relationship with God
- Audiences
___________________________________________________________
PRAYING THE PSALMS ENRICHES OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
VATICAN CITY, 16 NOV 2011 (VIS) - During today's general audience in St
Peter's Square, attended by over 11,000 pilgrims, the Holy Father imparted
the final catechesis of his cycle dedicated to the Psalms. He focused on
Psalm 110, which "Jesus Himself cited, and which the authors of the New
Testament referred to widely and interpreted in reference to the Messiah.
... It is a Psalm beloved by the ancient Church and by believers of all
times", which celebrates "the victorious and glorified Messiah seated at the
right hand of God".
The Psalm begins with a solemn declaration: "The Lord says to my lord:
'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool". Benedict
XVI explained that "Christ is the Lord enthroned, the Son of man seated at
the right hand of God. ... He is the true king who by resurrection entered
into glory, ... higher than the angels, seated in the heavens over all other
powers, ... and with all His adversaries at His feet until the last enemy,
death, is definitively defeated by Him".
God and the king celebrated in the Psalm are inseparably linked. "The two
govern together, to the point that the Psalmist confirms that God Himself
grants the regal sceptre, giving the king the task of defeating his
adversaries. ... The exercise of power is a task the king receives directly
from the Lord, a responsibility which involves dependence and obedience,
thus becoming a sign to the people of God's powerful and provident presence.
Dominion over enemies, glory and victory are gifts the king has received,
that make him a mediator of divine triumph over evil".
The priestly dimension, linked to that of regality, appears in verse four.
"The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind 'You are a priest forever,
according to the order of Melchizedek'". This priest, the king of Salem, had
blessed Abraham and offered bread and wine following the victorious military
campaign conducted by the patriarch to save Lot from the hands of his
enemies. The king of the Psalm "will be a priest forever, mediator of the
divine presence among His people, a catalyst for the blessing of God". Jesus
Christ "is the true and definitive priest, Who will complete and perfect the
features of Melchizedek's priesthood". In the bread and wine of the
Eucharist, Christ "offers Himself and, defeating death, brings life to all
believers".
The final verses portray "the triumphant sovereign who, with the support
of the Lord, having received power and glory from Him, opposes his enemies,
defeating adversaries and judging nations".
The Church traditionally considers this Psalm as one of the most
significant messianic texts. "The king as sung by the Psalmist is Christ,
the Messiah Who establishes the Kingdom of God and overcomes the powers of
the world. He is the Word generated by God before any creature, the Son
incarnate, Who died and rose to heaven, the eternal Priest Who, in the
mystery of the bread and wine, grants forgiveness for sins and
reconciliation with God; the King Who raised his head in triumph over death
by His resurrection".
The Psalm invites us to "look to Christ to understand the meaning of true
regality which is to be lived as service and the giving of self, following a
path of obedience and love 'to the end'. Praying this Psalm, we therefore
ask the Lord to enable us to proceed along this same journey, following
Christ, the Messiah, willing to ascend with Him on the hill of the cross to
accompany Him in glory, and to look to Him seated at the right hand of the
Father, the victorious king and merciful priest Who gives forgiveness and
salvation to all mankind".
Finally, the Pope explained that, in the course of his catechesis
dedicated to the Psalms, he had sought to focus on those "that reflect the
different situations in life and the various attitudes we may have towards
God. I would like to renew my call to everyone to pray the Psalms, to become
accustomed to using the Liturgy of the Hours, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline.
Our relationship with God can only be enriched by our journeying towards Him
day after day".
Academic honours for the Pope
Following the catechesis and during his address to the faithful in various
languages, Benedict XVI, speaking Polish, thanked the College of Rectors of
the Universities of Wroclaw, Opole, Czestochowa and Zielona Gora for an
academic award they had bestowed upon him. "In this title, I see
appreciation for the Church's commitment in the fields of education and
culture", the Holy Father concluded.
AG/ VIS
20111116 (780)
AUDIENCES
VATICAN CITY, 16 NOV 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience
Bishop Ludwig Muller of Regensburg, Germany.
AP/ VIS
20111116 (30)
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