Psalm 66 (67)
All the peoples will give praise to the Lord
Let it be known to you that this salvation from God has been sent to all peoples (Acts 28, 28)
O God, be gracious and bless us
and let your face shed its light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your saving help.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and exult
for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
you guide the nations on earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
The earth has yielded its fruit
for God, our God, has blessed us.
May God still give us his blessing
till the ends of the earth revere him.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
Catechesis by Pope St John Paul II on Psalm 66
General Audience, Wednesday 9 October 2002 - also in French, German, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish
Week III, Tuesday Lauds: All the peoples will glorify the Lord
v 2-4.7-8
"1. Now we have just heard the voice of the ancient Psalmist, who sang a joyful song of thanksgiving to the Lord. It is a brief but compelling text, which opens out on an immense horizon, to embrace in spirit all the peoples of the earth.
This universal openness probably reflects the prophetic spirit of the age that followed the Babylonian exile, when it was hoped that God would also lead foreigners to his holy mountain to fill them with joy. Their sacrifices and burnt offerings would be pleasing to him, for the temple of the Lord would become "a house of prayer for all peoples" (Is 56,7).
In our Psalm, 66 too, the universal chorus of the nations is invited to join in the praise that Israel raises in the temple of Zion. Indeed, this antiphon is repeated twice: "Let the peoples praise you O God; let all the peoples praise you" (vv. 4-6).
2. Even those who do not belong to the community chosen by God receive a vocation from him: indeed, they are called to know the "way" revealed to Israel. The "way" is the divine plan of salvation, the kingdom of light and peace in whose realization the pagans are also involved since they are invited to listen to the voice of the Lord (cf. v. 3). The result of this obedient listening is the fear of the Lord "to the ends of the earth" (v. 8), an expression that does not evoke fear but rather adoring reverence for the transcendent and glorious mystery of God.
3. At the beginning and end of the psalm there is an insistent desire for the divine blessing: "May God be gracious to us and bless us, may God's face shed its light upon us ... God, our God, has blessed us. May God still give us his blessing" (vv. 2.7-8).
In these words it is easy to hear the echo of the famous priestly blessing which, in God's name, Moses taught Aaron and the descendants of the priestly tribe: "The Lord bless you and keep you: The Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you: the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace" (Nm 6,24-26).
Well, according to the Psalmist, this blessing of Israel was to be like a seed of grace and salvation planted in the soil of the whole world and of history, ready to sprout and become a flourishing tree.
We turn in thought to the promise the Lord made to Abraham on the day of his election: "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing ... and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves" (Gn 12,2-3).
4. In the biblical tradition, one of the effects of the divine blessing that was experienced is the gift of life, of fruitfulness and fertility.
In our Psalm there is an explict reference to this concrete reality, that is precious for existence: "The earth has yielded its fruit" (v. 7). This observation has led scholars to link the Psalm with the rite of thanksgiving for an abundant harvest, the sign of divine favour and a witness for other peoples of the Lord's closeness to Israel.
The same sentence attracted the attention of the Fathers of the Church, who moved from the agricultural horizon to the symbolic perspective. Thus Origen applied the verse to the Virgin Mary and the Eucharist, that is, to Christ who came from the flower of the Virgin and becomes fruit that can be eaten. In this perspective, "the earth is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who comes from our earth, from our seed, from this mud, from this clay, from Adam". This earth has borne its fruit: what it lost in paradise, it has recovered in the Son. "The earth has borne its fruit: first it produced a flower ... then, this flower became a fruit, so that we could eat it, so that we could eat his flesh. Do you want to know what this fruit is? It is the Virgin from the Virgin, the Lord from the handmaid, God from man, the Son from the Mother, the fruit from the earth" (74 Omelie sul libro dei Salmi, Milan 1993, p. 141).
5. Let us conclude with St Augustine's words in his commentary on our Psalm. He identifies the fruit that sprouted on earth with the newness that is produced in the human being thanks to the coming of Christ, a newness of conversion, a fruit of praise to God.
Indeed, he describes "the earth as full of thorns". But "there came the hand of One rooting them up, there came a calling by His majesty and mercy, the earth began to confess; now the earth gives her fruit". Certainly, would she give her fruit "unless first she were rained on", "unless first the mercy of God had come from above?" Now we see a mature fruit in the Church thanks to the preaching of the Apostles: Then "by his sending rain through the clouds, by the sending of the Apostles and by their preaching the truth, "the earth has given her fruit' more abundantly, and that harvest has now filled the whole world" (Esposizioni sui Salmi, II, Rome, 1970, p. 551 [Exposition on the Psalms by St Augustine, Oxford 1849, vol. 3, pp. 308-309])."
Saluti:
"I extend a special greeting to the diaconate class of the Pontifical North American College: dear friends, keep your lives ever centred on Jesus Christ so that your ministry in the Church will always reflect his own self-sacrifice for the redemption of the world. Upon all the English-speaking visitors present today, especially those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Malta, the Philippines, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia and the United States of America, I invoke joy and peace in the Risen Saviour.
Je salue cordialement les pèlerins de langue française et je les invite à mettre la louange de Dieu au centre de leur prière. Je salue en particulier les membres de l’Équipe nationale de l’Action catholique des Enfants, les pèlerins de Roanne et les Servants de Messe venus du Jura suisse.
Von Herzen heiße ich die Pilger und Besucher aus den deutschsprachigen Ländern willkommen. Besonders begrüße ich heute die Schwestern vom göttlichen Erlöser sowie die Rom–Wallfahrer aus Anlaß der Priesterweihe des „Collegium Germanicum et Ungaricum". Euch alle bitte ich: Strebt nach Heiligkeit und werdet ein Segen für die Menschen, damit sie durch euch Gottes Heilsplan erfahren!
Ao saudar cordialmente os peregrinos e ouvintes de língua portuguesa, faço menção especial do grupo brasileiro de São Paulo e dos numerosos elementos da Optivisão de Portugal: Que Nossa Senhora sempre vos acompanhe e ampare na caminhada da vida e no crescimento cristão, conservando a vós e a quantos vos são queridos na perene amizade de Deus.
Saludo con afecto a las Religiosas Siervas de María, Ministras de los enfermos, que están celebrando su Capítulo General, en fidelidad a su carisma de servicio en favor de los que sufren en el cuerpo. También a los peregrinos de lengua española, venidos desde España, Perú, Venezuela, Chile y México. A ellos y a los demás grupos presentes les deseo que esta visita a Roma sea una ocasión propicia para fortalecer la fe.
Nu een woord van welkom aan alle Nederlandse en Belgische pelgrims! Moge deze oktobermaand, toegewijd aan Maria, u helpen om de waarde van het dagelijkse rozenkransgebed opnieuw te ontdekken. Van harte verleen ik u de Apostolische Zegen. Geloofd zij Jezus Christus!
Srdačno pozdravljam sve nazočne hrvatske hodočasnike, koji su došli moliti na grobove svetih apostola Petra i Pavla. Njima i njihovim obiteljima udjeljujem apostolski blagoslov. Hvaljen Isus i Marija!
Srdečně zdravím a vítám skupinu poutníků z České Republiky. Moji drazí, děkuji vám za vaši návštěvu a přeji vám, aby toto setkání s nástupcem svatého Petra upevnilo vaši víru a vaše velkodušné úsilí vydávat svědectví pro Krista. S těmito myšlenkami ze srdce žhenám vám i vašim drahým ve vlasti. Chvála Kristu!
S láskou vítam slovenských pútnikov. Drahí bratia a sestry, modlitba ruženca je modlitba spoločenstva. Vytvárajte a upevňujte aj vy spoločenstvo modlitby s Ježišom, jeho Matkou i medzi sebou navzájom. Ružencová Matka nech vám v tom pomáha. S týmto želaním žehnám vás i vašich drahých. Pochválený bud’ Ježiš Kristus!
Szeretettel köszöntöm a magyar zarándokokat, akik Budapestrôl és Szombathelyrôl érkeztek. Isten hozott Bennetek! Tegnap volt Magyarok Nagyasszonya ünnepe. Az Ô közbenjárását kérve szeretettel adom Rátok apostoli áldásomat. Dicsértessék a Jézus Krisztus!
Nuoširdžiai sveikinu piligrimus lietuvius! Šiandien girdėtoji Psalmė mus kviečia šlovinti Viešpatį, kad pasaulis pažintų išganymą. Būkite Kristaus skelbėjais savo džiaugsmu ir tvirtumu tikėjime. Viešpats telaimina jus visus! Garbė Jėzui Kristui!
[In Polish] Oggi la Chiesa in Polonia ricorda il beato Wincenty Kadlubek, un personaggio profondamente radicato nella nostra storia. Era Vescovo di Cracovia ed ha rinunciato al suo ministero scegliendo la vocazione alla vita monacale. È entrato nel convento dei cistercensi di Jedrzejów e lì ha dedicato a Dio il resto della sua vita. Questo personaggio illumina la nostra storia perché egli è l'autore di una delle prime cronache; ha deciso di scrivere la storia della nostra nazione. Avendo tutto questo nella memoria ringraziamo Dio - con la preghiera del rosario - per averci guidati attraverso la storia mandando uomini provvidenziali. Sia lodato Gesù Cristo!
Rivolgo un cordiale benvenuto ai pellegrini di lingua italiana. In particolare saluto i fedeli di Faeto, accompagnati dal loro Vescovo Monsignor Francesco Zerrillo, e gli aderenti all’Associazione Nazionale Vigili del fuoco in congedo, provenienti da Pontecorvo.
I now address a warm greeting to the young people, the sick and the newly-married couples. October, the month of the Holy Rosary, invites us to appreciate more and more this prayer that is dear to the tradition of the Christian people. I invite you, dear young people, to recite it every day. I encourage you, dear sick people, to abandon yourselves confidently into the hands of Mary, calling upon her continually with the Rosary. I urge you, dear newly-married couples, never to neglect this prayerful meditation of the mysteries of Christ, under the Virgin's gaze.
Tomorrow we will celebrate the "World Day of Sight". I express my spiritual closeness to all who are afflicted with eye diseases, and I encourage those who work for the prevention and cure of blindness to persevere in their dedication to this important activity."
APPEAL OF THE HOLY FATHER
"From the African continent, already sorely tried by disasters and wars, we continue to receive disturbing news about Ivory Coast, where the fundamental good of peace risks being compromised.
I invite you to join in my prayer that the Lord will inspire in everyone the determination for reconciliation, and that he will support the efforts of the International Community and especially those of the African Union that aim at promoting dialogue. Let us pray, singing the Our Father in Latin.
Catechesis by Pope St John Paul II on Psalm 66
General Audience, Wednesday 17 November 2004 - also in French, German, Italian, Portuguese & Spanish
Vespers (Evening prayer), Wednesday Week 2 - "All the peoples will glorify the Lord"
v 2-4.7-8
1. "The earth has yielded its fruit", exclaims Psalm 67, one of the texts inserted into the Liturgy of Vespers that we have just proclaimed. The sentence calls to mind a hymn of thanksgiving to the Creator for the gifts of the earth, a sign of divine blessing. This natural element, however, is closely interwoven with the historical aspect: nature's fruits are taken as an opportunity to ask God again and again to bless his people; thus, all the nations of the earth address Israel, seeking through her to reach God the Saviour.
So it is that the composition has a universal and missionary outlook, in continuity with the divine promise made to Abraham: "by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves" (Gn 12: 3).
2. The divine blessing implored for Israel is expressed in the productivity of the fields and in fertility, that is, in the gift of life. Hence, the Psalm opens with a verse that refers to the famous priestly blessing mentioned in the Book of Numbers: "The Lord bless you and keep you: The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you: The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace" (Nm 6: 24-26).
The theme of blessing re-echoes in the finale of the Psalm in which the fruit the earth has yielded is mentioned. And it is here that we find the universal theme that gives the spiritual substance of the whole hymn surprisingly broad horizons. This openness reflects the sensitivity of an Israel that is henceforth prepared to confront all the peoples of the earth. Perhaps the Psalm was composed following the period of the Babylonian Exile when the people had already begun to experience life in the Diaspora, in foreign nations and new regions.
3. Thanks to the blessing implored by Israel, all humanity was to know the Lord's "ways" and his "saving help", that is, his plan of salvation. It is revealed to all cultures and to all societies that God judges and governs the peoples of every part of the earth, leading each one towards horizons of justice and peace.
This is the great ideal to which we aspire, the most involving announcement that emerges from Psalm 67 and from so many of the Prophets' writings.
This was also to be the Christian proclamation that St Paul described, recalling that the salvation of all the peoples is the heart of the "mystery", in other words, the divine plan of salvation: "the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel" (Eph 3: 6).
4. Henceforth, Israel can ask God to involve all the nations in his praise; they will form a universal choir: "Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!", is repeated in the Psalm.
The hope this Psalm expresses heralds the event described by the Letter to the Ephesians, which might be an allusion to the dividing wall in the Temple that separated the Jews from the pagans: "In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility... So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Eph 2: 13-14, 19).
This message is for us: we must pull down the walls of division, hostility and hate so that the family of God's children may once again live in harmony at the one table, to bless and praise the Creator for the gifts he lavishes upon all without distinction.
5. Christian tradition has reinterpreted Psalm 67 in a Christological and Mariological key. For the Fathers of the Church, "the earth has yielded its fruit" is a reference to the Virgin Mary who brought forth Christ the Lord.
Thus, for example, in his Exposition on the First Book of Kings St Gregory the Great comments on this verse, interspersing his remarks with many other scriptural citations: "Mary is rightly called a "richly fruitful mountain' because from her was born an excellent fruit, that is, a new man. And the Prophet, seeing her beautiful, decked out in the glory of her fruitfulness, exclaims: "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots' (Is 11: 1). David, exulting at the fruit of this mountain, says to God, "Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. The earth has yielded its fruit...'. Yes, the earth has yielded its fruit, for the One whom the Virgin brought forth was not conceived by a human act but by the Holy Spirit who spread his shadow over her. Therefore, the Lord says to David, Prophet and King: "the fruit of your body will I set upon your throne' (Ps 132: 11). Consequently, Isaiah says: "the fruit of the land shall be honour and splendour' (Is 4: 2). Indeed, the One whom the Virgin conceived was not only a "human saint' but also "Mighty God'" (Is 9: 5)."
Saluti:
"J’accueille avec joie les pèlerins de langue française. Que votre pèlerinage à Rome soit pour vous l’occasion de rendre grâce à Dieu, avec tous les peuples, pour les nombreux bienfaits dont il ne cesse de vous combler !
I extend a special welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims here today, including groups from Finland, the Philippines, and the United States of America. Upon all of you I invoke the peace and joy of our Lord, and I wish you a happy stay in Rome.
Gerne heiße ich die Pilger und Besucher aus den deutschsprachigen Ländern willkommen. Gott läßt sein Angesicht über uns leuchten, „damit auf Erden sein Weg erkannt wird" (Ps 67, 3). Seid dankbar für die Gaben, mit denen der Herr euch beschenkt. Preist gemeinsam seinen Namen! Nur Mut!
Saludo a los peregrinos de lengua española. En particular a la Orquesta de Músicos especiales, así como a los otros grupos de España y Latinoamérica. Deseo a todos el gozo de saberse en manos Dios. Muchas gracias por vuestra visita.
Iš širdies sveikinu lietuvių maldininkų grupę "Dagelis" iš Šiaulių! Brangieji, linkiu, kad maldingas apsilankymas Romoje sustiprintų jūsų tikėjimą. Dėkodamas už maldas suteikiu jums ir jūsų šeimoms Apaštalinį Palaiminimą. Garbė Jėzui Kristui!
Rozważany dzisiaj psalm jest dziękczynną pieśnią na cześć Boga za stworzone przez Niego dary ziemi. Zachęca do wyrażenia wdzięczności wszystkich wierzących: „Niech Ciebie, Boże, wysławiają ludy, niech wszystkie narody oddają Ci chwałę!" (Ps 67[66],4). Te słowa są aktualnym przesłaniem także dla nas. Trzeba zburzyć istniejące mury wrogości i nienawiści, aby wszyscy ludzie mogli się spotkać przy wspólnym stole, jako jedna rodzina dzieci Bożych, by wychwalać Stwórcę za obfitość darów, którymi ubogaca nasze życie.
Serdecznie witam pielgrzymów z Polski i z innych krajów! Witam Prezydenta Olsztyna z delegacją i dziękuję im za gest życzliwości włączenia mnie w grono swoich obywateli. Pozdrawiam Organizatorów Spotkań na Polach Lednickich. Życzę, aby Wasze spotkania pomogły szczególnie młodym odkrywać prawdziwe oblicza Chrystusa obecnego w Ewangelii, w sakramentach i liturgii oraz w sercu drugiego człowieka. Niech wszyscy, na drogach wiary nowego tysiąclecia odnajdą obecnego wśród nas i zarazem ukrytego w tajemnicy Eucharystii, Chrystusa. Niech On Wam wszystkim, Waszym rodzinom i bliskim przewodzi i hojnie błogosławi! Szczęść Boże!
Rivolgo un cordiale benvenuto ai pellegrini di lingua italiana. In particolare, ai partecipanti al congresso promosso dalla Federazione Italiana Scuole Materne, che incoraggio a proseguire nella loro importante opera educativa a sostegno delle famiglie. Saluto ora con particolare affetto i familiari dei militari italiani, che un anno fa hanno perso la vita a Nassiriya nell’adempimento della loro missione di pace.
Finally I greet the young people, sick people and newly-weds. Dearest Friends, follow the example of St Elizabeth of Hungary, whom we are commemorating today, and seek in Jesus the light for every one of your daily decisions.."