Catching up with the Pope

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Here are the general audience addresses from the past three weeks.. I've been busy, ya know...

December 28, on the second part of Psalm 138(139).

Excerpt:

After pondering on the gaze and presence of the Creator that sweeps across the whole cosmic horizon, in the second part of the Psalm on which we are meditating today Goel' turns his loving gaze upon the human being, whose full and complete beginning is reflected upon.

He is still an "unformed substance" in his mother's womb: The Hebrew term used has been understood by several biblical experts as referring to an "embryo," described in that term as a small, oval, curled-up reality, but on which God has already turned his benevolent and loving eyes (verse 16)

Pretty neat words to come on Charlie's birthday, huh?

January 4, on Colossians 1:3,12-20.

Excerpt:

Christ visibly re-proposes among us the "invisible God." In him we see the face of God through the common nature that unites them. By virtue of his most exalted dignity, Christ precedes "all things," not only because of his eternity, but also and especially in his creative and provident work: "In him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible ... and in him all things hold together" (cf. verses 16-17). Indeed, they were also created "for him" (verse 16).

And so St. Paul points out to us a very important truth: History has a destination, a direction. History moves toward humanity united in Christ and thus moves in the direction of the perfect man, toward the perfect humanism.

In other words, St. Paul tells us: Yes, there is progress in history. There is, we could say, an evolution of history. Progress is all that which brings us closer to Christ and thus closer to a united humanity, to true humanism. And so, hidden within these indications there is also an imperative for us: to work for progress, something that we all want. We can do this by working to bring others to Christ; we can do this by personally conforming ourselves to Christ, thereby taking up the path of true progress.

January 11, on Psalm 143(144):1-8.

Excerpt:

The hymn begins with a blessing, that is, with an exclamation of praise addressed to the Lord, celebrated with a little litany of salvific titles: He is the sure and stable rock, he is loving grace, he is the protected fortress, the refuge of defense, liberation, the shield that forestalls every evil assault (cf. Psalm 143[144]:1-2). Also appearing is the martial image of God who trains his faithful in the struggle so that he will be able to face the hostilities of the environment, the dark powers of the world.

Despite his royal dignity, before the Almighty Lord, the psalmist feels weak and fragile. Then he expresses a profession of humility that is formulated, as he already said, with the words of Psalms 8 and 38. He feels like "a breath," like "a passing shadow," inconsistent, submerged in the flux of time that passes, marked by the limitation proper to the creature (cf. Psalm 143[114]:4).

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This page contains a single entry by Papa-Lu published on January 16, 2006 8:54 AM.

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