VATICAN - The Pope’s teaching at the general audience: “The Lord is not immobile or absent he is a living person who leads his people, is moved to pity for them, sustains them with his power and his love”

Vatican City (Fides Service) - During the general audience this morning in St Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI concluded his teaching on Psalm 134 (13-21 - “God alone is great and eternal” - vespers Friday week 3 ) which he started last week. In the first part of the psalm speaks of the exodus, in the second part the psalmist presents two different religious visions: on the one hand “the figure of the living and personal God at the centre of authentic faith. His presence is effective and salvific - the Pope said -; the Lord is not immobile or absent he is a living person who «guides» his people is moved to pity for them, sustains them with his power and his love. On the other hand we have idolatry, expression of religiosity deviated and deceptive. In fact the idol is nothing but «the work of man », product of human desires; and therefore powerless to overcome creatural limits”.
Those who adore this dead reality - the Pope said - are destined to become similar to it, “powerless, fragile, inert. These verses clearly portray the eternal human temptation to seek salvation in «the work of human hand», placing hope in riches, power, success, in material things”. The psalm concludes with a liturgical blessing: “From the assembled community a choral blessing expressed in different voices and the humility of the faith ascends to God creator of the universe and saviour of his people. The liturgy is the privileged place to listen to God’s word which renders present the Lord’s redeeming acts and it is also the place for lifting up community prayer to celebrate God’s love. God and mankind meet in an embrace of salvation which happens precisely in the liturgical celebration.”
At the end of the audience address a special word of greeting to the sick, newly wedded couples and young people particularly young members of Adoration groups in Rome from all over the world for a conference on the Eucharist: “May the shining example of St Francis of Assisi whose feast we celebrated yesterday lead you dear young people to make the Eucharist the centre of your personal and community life and may you learn to live of its spiritual power; may St Francis help you sick people find comfort and peace in the crucified Christ and face suffering with courage; may he lead you dear newly married couples to an ever deeper love for God and for one another in the daily experience of the joy which comes from reciprocal giving of self open to life”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 5/10/2005, righe 30, parole 454)