Psalm 110, says Pope Benedict, tells us : “Yes, there is much evil in the world, there
is an ongoing battle between good and evil and evil seems to be stronger. No! The
Lord, our true King and Priest, Christ, is stronger because he fights with the power
of God and despite all those things which make us doubt a positive outcome for history,
Christ wins and good wins, love wins, not hatred”. Reflecting on this particularly
important messianic text in Church tradition, the Holy Father concluded his series
of catechesis on the Psalms, part of his wider cycle on the Christian school of prayer.
20
thousand pilgrims and visitors filled St Peter’s Square for the Wednesday audience.
Pope Benedict began by tracing the history of this Psalm one of the famous “royal
psalms”, originally linked to the enthronement of a Davidic monarch.
He said
: “The Church reads this Psalm as a prophecy of Christ, the messianic king and eternal
priest, risen from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father. Saint Peter,
in his speech on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:32-36), applies its words to
the Lord’s victory over death and his exaltation in glory. From ancient times, the
mysterious third verse of the Psalm has been interpreted as a reference to the king’s
divine sonship, while the fourth verse speaks of him as “a priest for ever, according
to the order of Melchizedek”. The Letter to the Hebrews specifically applies this
imagery to Christ, the Son of God and our perfect high priest, who lives eternally
to make intercession for all those who, through him, approach the Father (cf. Heb
7:25). The final verses of the Psalm present the triumphant King as executing
judgment over the nations. As we pray this Psalm, we acclaim the victory of our risen
Lord and King, while striving to live ever more fully the royal and priestly dignity
which is ours as members of his Body through Baptism”.
In comments in Italian
Pope Benedict noted : “"In the Lord Jesus resurrected and ascended into heaven, where
he is seated at the right hand of the Father, the prophecy of our Psalm is accomplished
and the priesthood of Melchizedek is completed, because it is rendered absolute and
eternal, a reality that knows no sunset. And the offering of bread and wine, made
by Melchizedek in Abraham's time, finds its fulfillment in the Eucharistic gesture
of Jesus, who in the bread and wine offers himself, and having overcome death, brings
life to all believers. Priest eternal, holy, innocent, unstained, he, as we can read
in the Letter to the Hebrews, can save those who through Him approach God; he is ever-living
to intercede for them ".
At the end of the Psalm is the triumphant king who,
"supported by the Lord" scatters his enemies and judges the nations: "The sovereign,
protected by the Lord, breaks down every obstacle and proceeds safely to victory.
It tells us: yes, there is much evil in the world, there is an ongoing battle between
good and evil and evil seems to be stronger. No! The Lord, our true King and Priest,
Christ, is stronger because he fights with the power of God and despite all those
things which make us doubt a positive outcome for history, Christ wins and good wins,
love wins, not hatred. "
And finally the Holy Father greeted all of the
pilgrims and visitors present in the various languages, including English: “I offer
a cordial greeting the many student groups present at today’s Audience. My welcome
also goes to the delegation of the American Israel Affairs Committee. Upon all the
English-speaking pilgrims present, especially those from Great Britain, Denmark, Norway,
Japan, Canada and the United States, I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!”.
It
was Pope Benedict XVI’s final public appointment ahead of his departure this Friday
for Benin, Africa.