VATICAN CITY, NOV. 7, 2001 (Zenit.org).- We are all in God´s hands, Lord of the world and history, John Paul II affirmed at the midweek general audience.
“The world and history are not at the mercy of chance, chaos or blind necessity,” the Pope told the thousands of pilgrims gathered today in Paul VI Hall. “They are governed by a mysterious God, who desires that humanity live in stability, through just and authentic relations.”
“Hence, as Creator and Father, Lord and King, we are all in God´s hands, and we all rejoice with him, confident that he will not let us fall from his hands,” the Holy Father added.
Thus the Pontiff continued his yearlong series of meditations on the Psalms and Canticles of the Old Testament, which are now part of the daily prayer of Christians in the Liturgy of the Hours.
On this occasion, John Paul II focused on Psalm 99[100], a thanksgiving hymn of the Jewish people.
He said the Psalm masterfully expresses the experience of God as formulated by the Jews: “The Lord is God, our maker to whom we belong, whose people we are. … Good indeed is the Lord, whose love endures forever, whose faithfulness lasts through every age.”
This experience, the Holy Father added, is “a bond that will never be broken through generations, despite the muddy river of human sins, rebellions and infidelity.”
Hence, “with serene confidence in divine love that will never diminish, the people of God journey in history with their daily temptations and weaknesses,” the Pope continued.
The Holy Father explained that the believer ends by realizing that this experience cannot be totally described with words.
Quoting St. Augustine, he concluded: “Before savoring certain things, you thought you could use words to speak about God; however, when you have begun to enjoy the taste you realize that you are not capable of explaining adequately what you tasted.”
