Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - A comment on Psalm 31 (“Gratitude for the forgiveness of sins” - Vespers Thursday week 1) was the subject of Pope John Paul II’s teaching at the General audience today 19 may in St Peter’s Square. “The composition of the Psalm is rather complex - the Pope explained Papa - . Personal testimony is followed by two verses which speak of danger, prayer, salvation and then of a divine promise for counsel and a warning and lastly an antithetical wise saying and a call to rejoice in the Lord.”
Reflecting on some elements of the composition the Pope highlighted first of all “the painful situation of the conscience of the” Psalmist, who has committed serious faults and lacking the courage to confess his sins to God, suffers “terrible inward torment described with startling images”. Unable to resist the sinner at last decides to confess his faults. “Thus before every believer repentant and forgiven there opens a horizon of security, trust and peace despite the trials of life. The time of anguish may come but the advancing sea of fear will not prevail because the Lord will lead his faithful one to a safe haven”... “It is in fact not enough to be purified; we must then walk the right path” and let ourselves be guided by along the path indicated by the Lord. “True wisdom in fact leads to conversion putting behind vice and its obscure power of attraction. But above all it leads us to enjoy that peace which flows from being set free and forgiven.”
Lastly the Pope quoted Saint Paul who in the Letter to the Romans refers explicitly to the beginning of the Psalm taken into consideration to celebrate the saving grace of Christ: “We could apply it to the sacrament of Reconciliation. In it, in the light of the Psalm, we experience the awareness of sin, often obscured in our day, as well as the joy of forgiveness. So the two words «crime-punishment» are replaced by two words «crime-forgiveness», because the Lord is a God who «forgives faults, transgressions and sins».”
At the end of the audience the Pope reminded those present that tomorrow is the Feast of Our Lord’s Ascension into Heaven and he urged everyone present especially the young people to “live with your eyes set on heaven putting first the "things of heaven".”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 19/5/2004 - Righe 27; Parole 383)
