VATICAN - The Pope’s teaching at the general audience: “we must pull down walls of division, hostility and hatred so that the family of God’s children may find itself in harmony at the same table, to praise and bless the Creator for the gifts he gives to all”

Wednesday, 17 November 2004

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Vatican City (Fides Service) - Psalm 66 “All people will glorify the Lord” (vespers Wednesday week 2, reading: Ps 66,2-4.7-8) was the subject of Pope John Paul II’s weekly teaching during his Wednesday Audience this morning, 17 November: “the sentence makes of think of a hymn of thanksgiving to the Creator for the gifts of the earth, sign of God’s goodness. But... the fruits of nature as used as an opportunity to call repeatedly on God to bless his people” the Pope explained in his address. “We have in the composition a universal and missionary vision, in the wake of God’s promise to Abraham: «In you all the nations of the earth will be called blessed».”
God’s blessing requested for Israel is revealed concretely in the fertility of the fields and the fecundity, that is the gift of life. “Thanks to the blessing invoked by Israel, all humanity will know «the way» and «the salvation» of the Lord, that is his plan of redemption. To all cultures and all societies it is revealed that God judges and governs peoples and nations all over the earth, leading each to horizons of justice and peace.”
“The hope of the Psalm is a prelude to the event described by the Letter to the Ephesians when it mentions perhaps the wall of separation in the temple in Jerusalem which separated Jews and pagans: «In Christ Jesus you who were once distant are now close thanks to the Blood of Christ. He in fact is our peace. He has made two peoples one, removing the wall of separation in between, that is animosity … Therefore you are no longer foreigners or strangers, you are co-citizens with the saints and members of God’s family". This is a message for us: we must pull down walls of division, hostility and hatred so that the family of God’s children may find itself in harmony at the same table, to praise and bless the Creator for the gifts he gives to all.”
Lastly the Pope said that Christian tradition re-read Psalm 66 in a Christological and Marian key: “For the Church Fathers «the earth which has borne its fruit» is the Virgin Mary who gives birth to Christ the Lord”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 17/11/2004 - Righe 26; Parole 386)