The Holy Father continued a series of catecheses dedicated to the Psalms. On that day, the Holy Father focused his attention on Psalm 136, which he described as "a great hymn of praise which celebrates the Lord in the many and repeated manifestations of His goodness down human history."
The Pope explained how, in
Jewish tradition, this Psalm is sung at the end of the Passover supper, and
therefore it was probably also pronounced by Jesus at the last Passover He
celebrated with His disciples. The text enumerates God's many interventions
in favor of His people "and each proclamation of a salvific action by
the Lord is answered by an antiphon reiterating the main cause for praise:
God's eternal love, a love which, according to the Hebrew term used, implies
faithfulness, mercy, goodness, grace and tenderness."
God is first presented as
"He Who 'does great wonders', first among them that of the creation:
heaven, earth and stars. ... With the creation the Lord shows Himself in all
His goodness and beauty. He commits Himself to life, revealing a desire for
good whence all other salvific actions arise."
The Psalm goes on to
consider God's manifestations in history, evoking the great moment when the
Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. The forty years of
wandering in the desert were "a decisive period for Israel which, allowing itself to
be guided by the Lord, learned to live on faith, obedient and docile to the
laws of God. Those were difficult years, marked by the harshness of life in
the desert, but also a happy time of confidence and filial trust in the Lord."
"The history of Israel
has known exhilarating moments of joy, of fullness of life, of awareness of
the presence of God and His salvation," said the Pope. "But it has
also been marked by episodes of sin, painful periods of darkness and profound
affliction. Many were the adversaries from whom the Lord liberated His
people." The Psalm speaks of these events, in particular the Babylonian
exile and the destruction of Jerusalem,
"when it seemed that Israel
had lost everything, even its own identity, even its trust in the Lord.
However, God remembers, and frees. The salvation of Israel and of
all mankind is bound to the Lord's faithfulness, to His memory. While man
forgets easily, God remains faithful: His memory is a precious casket
containing that 'love which endures forever' about which our Psalm
speaks."
The Psalm concludes by
reminding us that God feeds His creatures, "caring for life and giving
bread. ... In the fullness of time the Son of God became man to give life,
for the salvation of each one of us; and He continues to gives Himself as
bread in the mystery of the Eucharist, so as to draw us into His covenant,
which makes us children. So great is God's merciful goodness, the sublimity
of His 'love which endures forever.'"
In conclusion the Pope read a quote from the First Letter of St. John, advising the faithful to bear it in mind in their prayers: "See what love the Father has given us, that that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are."
AG/ In conclusion the Pope read a quote from the First Letter of St. John, advising the faithful to bear it in mind in their prayers: "See what love the Father has given us, that that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are."
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