Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - During the weekly Wednesday audience in St Peter’s Square on November 30, Pope Benedict XVI explained the meaning of Psalm 136 which speaks of the Jewish people’s tragic experience of the destruction of Jerusalem and deportation to Babylon.
“This is a national song of grief marked by a thirsting and longing for what is lost - the Pope said -. This heartfelt call on the Lord to free his people from slavery in Babylon, expresses well the sentiments of hope and expectancy with which we have started our Advent journey”.
In first part of the psalm, a description of the land of exile, “is almost a symbolic foreshadowing of the death camps in which, last century, the Jewish people underwent the infamous operation of extermination that has remained as an indelible mark of shame in the history of humanity.” The second part instead is “filled with love and yearning for Zion, the city which is lost but lives in the hearts of the exiled”. Acute grieving for the native land renders impossible any expression of joy. “God who is the final arbiter of history will understand and hear in his justice the cries of the victims despite the harsh tones they sometimes assume," he went on.”.
The Holy Father quoted Saint Augustine’s comment on the Psalm and said “even among persecutors, non believers, there are some … who have a sort of faith and hope as far as it is possible in the circumstances in which they live. With faith in an unknown reality they are journeying towards the true Jerusalem, towards Christ”. And he concluded asking those present to pray that God may awaken “this longing, this openness to God, and that even those who do no know Christ may be touched by his love, so that all together we make this pilgrimage to the eternal City and that the light of this City may appear in our day and in our world”.
At the end of the audience after greetings in different languages the Pope said: “Tomorrow is December 1, World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day is an initiative of the United Nations that aims to draw attention to the scourge of AIDS, and to invite the international community to a renewed commitment to prevent the disease and to assist those who suffer from it. The statistics are truly alarming! Closely following Christ's example, the Church has always considered the cure of the sick as an integral part of her mission. Therefore I encourage the many initiatives promoted, especially by ecclesial communities, to eradicate this sickness, and I feel close to AIDS sufferers and their families, invoking upon them the help and comfort of the Lord." (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 1/12/2005, righe 34, parole 500)
