Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - This morning Pope John Paul II returned to Rome from his Summer residence in Castel Gandolfo and the first event on his schedule was the general audience for visitors gathered in St Peter’s Square. The theme of his teaching was Psalm 44,2-10, “The wedding of the King”, vespers of Monday week 2 (reading: Ps 44,2-3.7-8). This is a nuptial canticle in honour of the Jewish king, whose identity has never been clarified by scholars. “On the scene we see a Jewish king, and this is important because it allows Jewish tradition to transform the text into a song to the Messiah King and Christian tradition to read the Psalm in a Christological key and in a Mariological perspective because of the presence of the Queen” the Pope said in his teaching.
The first part of the Psalm offers a splendid picture of the king about to celebrate his wedding: he wear military ensigns, sumptuous perfumed clothes, palaces covered in ivory with great halls filled with the sound of music are depicted in the background. At the centre are the throne and the sceptre two signs of power and regal investiture. At this point the Pope underlined two elements: “firstly bridegroom’s beauty, a sign of interior splendour of divine blessing ...in a world too often marked by ugliness and ugly things this image is a call to re-discover the «via pulchritudinis» in faith, in theology and in social life to ascend to the beauty of God. But beauty is not an end in itself. The second note we make concerns the encounter of beauty and justice... Beauty must be combined with goodness and holiness of life so that the shining face of God wonderful and just, will shine resplendently in the world.” Greeting people at the end of the audience the Pope welcomed the ‘students of San Pietro and San Paolo colleges in Rome’. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 29/9/2004 - Righe 21; Parole 320)
