God's Mercy Endures Forever

VATICAN CITY, 19 OCT 2011 (VIS) - Some 20,000 pilgrims attended Pope Benedict XVI's general audience, which was held this morning in St. Peter's Square. Continuing a series of catecheses dedicated to the Psalms, the Holy Father focused his attention on Psalm 136, "a great hymn of praise which celebrates the Lord in the many and repeated manifestations of His goodness down human history".

The Pope explained how, in Jewish tradition, this Psalm is sung at the end of the Passover supper, and therefore it was probably also pronounced by Jesus at the last Passover He celebrated with His disciples. The text enumerates God's many interventions in favour of His people "and each proclamation of a salvific action by the Lord is answered by an antiphon reiterating the main cause for praise: God's eternal love, a love which, according to the Hebrew term used, implies faithfulness, mercy, goodness, grace and tenderness".

God is first presented as "He Who 'does great wonders', first among them that of the creation: heaven, earth and stars. ... With the creation the Lord shows Himself in all His goodness and beauty. He commits Himself to life, revealing a desire for good whence all other salvific actions arise".

The Psalm goes on to consider God's manifestations in history, evoking the great moment when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. The forty years of wandering in the desert were "a decisive period for Israel which, allowing itself to be guided by the Lord, learned to live on faith, obedient and docile to the laws of God. Those were difficult years, marked by the harshness of life in the desert, but also a happy time of confidence and filial trust in the Lord".

"The history of Israel has known exhilarating moments of joy, of fullness of life, of awareness of the presence of God and His salvation", said the Pope. "But it has also been marked by episodes of sin, painful periods of darkness and profound affliction. Many were the adversaries from whom the Lord liberated His people". The Psalm speaks of these events, in particular the Babylonian exile and the destruction of Jerusalem, "when it seemed that Israel had lost everything, even its own identity, even its trust in the Lord. However, God remembers, and frees. The salvation of Israel and of all mankind is bound to the Lord's faithfulness, to His memory. While man forgets easily, God remains faithful: His memory is a precious casket containing that 'love which endures forever' about which our Psalm speaks".

The Psalm concludes by reminding us that God feeds His creatures, "caring for life and giving bread. ... In the fullness of time the Son of God became man to give life, for the salvation of each one of us; and He continues to gives Himself as bread in the mystery of the Eucharist, so as to draw us into His covenant, which makes us children. So great is God's merciful goodness, the sublimity of His 'love which endures forever'". In conclusion the Pope read a quote from the First Letter of St. John, advising the faithful to bear it in mind in their prayers: "See what love the Father has given us, that that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are".AG/ VIS 20111019 (560)

http://www.news.va/en/news/man-forgets-but-god-remains-faithful

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Praise the LORD, for he is good;

for his mercy endures forever;

Praise the God of gods;

for his mercy endures forever;

Praise the Lord of lords;

for his mercy endures forever;

Who alone has done great wonders,

for his mercy endures forever;

Who skillfully made the heavens,

for his mercy endures forever;

Who spread the earth upon the waters,

for his mercy endures forever;

Who made the great lights,

for his mercy endures forever;

The sun to rule the day,

for his mercy endures forever;

The moon and stars to rule the night,

for his mercy endures forever;

Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,

for his mercy endures forever;

And led Israel from their midst,

for his mercy endures forever;

With mighty hand and outstretched arm,

for his mercy endures forever;

Who split in two the Red Sea,

for his mercy endures forever;

And led Israel through its midst,

for his mercy endures forever;

But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,

for his mercy endures forever;

Who led the people through the desert;

for his mercy endures forever;

Who struck down great kings,

for his mercy endures forever;

Slew powerful kings,

for his mercy endures forever;

Sihon, king of the Amorites,

for his mercy endures forever;

Og, king of Bashan,

for his mercy endures forever;

And made their lands a heritage,

for his mercy endures forever;

A heritage for Israel, his servant,

for his mercy endures forever.

The Lord remembered us in our low estate,

for his mercy endures forever;

Freed us from our foes,

for his mercy endures forever;

And gives bread to all flesh,

for his mercy endures forever.

Praise the God of heaven,

for his mercy endures forever.

http://usccb.org/bible/scripture.cfm?bk=Psalms&ch=136

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